SUNDAY STORIES | GET IT DONE IN MANAGEABLE CHUNKS
It's Monday when I'm sending this bc it failed to send yesterday in the woods on holiday. 🤷♀️
On Saturday, my incredible husbabe John Griffiths and I did the High Cascades 100 Ultra Endurance 100 mile mountain bike race in Bend, Oregon. The picture below was us at the finish. It was super fun and hard and dusty. Shout out to the race organizers/producers btw bc it was really well run.
What I have for you today inspired by that ride is a story about getting "it" done - whatever it may be in work - in manageable chunks. I'm going somewhere relatable w this, I promise...
I know, I know. To most people, including my niece who thinks we're nuts 😜 , racing 100 miles on a mountain bike seems daunting. It used to be to me too until I started riding more - training for it - and always setting myself up for success by breaking up the race into manageable chunks.
If you think about it, Leaders, in work we often take on daunting challenges and goals. I bet for most of you - like me - one of the first things you do is figure out how best to approach it, setting yourself and your team for success. Usually this includes breaking up the goal into bite-sized chunks that seem achievable. It's a lot easier to envision success when the steps along the journey seem manageable.
Take revenue goals for example. The senior leaders on my team at CMD Agency - Jeremy Fetters Adam Poe Devon Miller Neves - recently did exactly this kind of exercise for second half of the year revenue forecasting goals.
Back to the race example, the 100 miles were broken down into six sections and we taped the details to our handlebars as a tool to manage our pace, fueling and expectations:
➡️Aid Station 1 | 26 miles 2,700 ft climbing
➡️Aid Station 2 | 19 miles 1,100 ft climbing
➡️Water Station | 8 miles 1,200 ft climbing
➡️Aid Station 3 | 12 miles 500 ft climbing
➡️Aid Station 4 | 15 miles 2,200 ft climbing
➡️Finish | 18 miles 450 ft climbing
We also had taped to the bars our fueling plan at each stop. That gets too wacky to put here.
I didn't stress before the start. I really think about the total number of miles. I just focused on the chunks and the fuel plan along the way. We stuck to the plan even through a case of heat exhaustion that took John by storm - and we did it.
So, Leaders - my takeaway for you today is that in work and on the bike, a seemingly daunting goal can really be broken down into manageable chunks ... It can become a well laid out plan with fitting tools, support, persistence and commitment to win 😁🔥 I say of all this realizing the ultimate goal sometimes gets missed. The effort counts along the way and getting through each chunk is a success.
Good luck this week, People! LET'S GO!