A few things Ironman triathlons taught me about leadership

Another stroke, a hill ahead and a sprint around the bend – the preparation, discipline and dedication that goes into every Ironman Challenge that I compete in has taught me much about what it means to be a leader. 

With every competition comes achievements and rewards but also adversity and challenges; how you push past them to cross the finish line is what separates you from the rest of the pack. This is no different in my day job:

leading an organisation with the aim to excel ahead and deliver great results. The skills developed from athletics translates for me at work in my day-to-day responsibilities as the Head of Pharmaceuticals for the International region.

Many say that athletes are more likely to be better leaders. Here’s a few things I’ve learned from training and competing that I think helps me in my leadership role:  

Believe everything is possible.

The most important thing that I’ve learned from my Ironman Challenges is that nothing is impossible. When one avenue is blocked, or closed, there is always another to get to the finish line. Likewise, when the body starts to become fatigued and overworked, I am often forced to work smarter and more strategically rather than harder to become more effective.

Like any other sport, when training your body to become competitive, you must be tenacious – setting rigorous objectives and milestones for yourself with a relentless commitment and understanding that you might fail at times along the way; but with that will come new learnings and realisations about yourself and the environment that you are competing in.  

Whether I’m preparing for a race or focusing on a business priority, this trait is transversal. With the rapidly changing environment of my industry, it is often easy to start feeling that tasks and objectives may be challenging to achieve. Setting ambitious objectives for my team and myself with a relentless commitment, daily discipline and efforts have made great achievements possible.

Develop mental strength.  

Developing mental strength is just as crucial, if not more important than physical fitness when striving for success in each leg of the race. No matter your level of fitness, everyone hits that wall; usually halfway through the marathon when the body is telling you to stop and give up. Having trained for many years, I’ve learned to condition my mind to push through moments like these. With every practice and competition comes new learning experiences and I look for unique and innovative ways to continuously stimulate myself mentally. 

There is nothing more satisfying than coming through that finish line knowing that you’ve achieved the objectives you’ve set. Having been in various leadership roles now, I’ve learned how to use my mental strength to look beyond the obstacles that may present themselves; even during times when it may seem as though there is no way forward.

No one race is easier than the other. As I transition from the water to my bike, I’m faced with a new challenge, often wondering how I will progress to the next. Like the transition from the water to my bike, I never give up on the work being done or my team – I keep pushing, re-committing and motivating, for I know that the finish line will at some point be in sight.

By  Hervé Gisserot