Want A Dedicated Employee? Try A Triathlete.

No. I’m not looking for new job. I love the one I have thanks:)

Yesterday morning I competed in another triathlon. This time it required a hotel stay which was one block from the starting line and transition area where we rack our bikes and stage our gear for the event. I roomed with a group of friends which was a pretty funny endeavor I won’t get into yet. But 4 sleeping to a room with 4 bikes in the room is kind of funny to see.

We woke up at 5am Sunday morning and were out the door by 5:45am. Pushing our bikes out of the hotel lobby with our backpacks on and swim gear on, we set out for the short walk down the block. When we got outside it was still dark. There were triathletes coming from all directions into the darken transition area. Something strange was happening when we got into the transition area. Because the sun wasn’t up, there was this silence every where. Hardly any talking was taking place at all. Stillness and quiet. One of the girls I was with said something I had never thought of. She said…You know, if I were a company looking for a great employee or someone with focus, I would come to a triathlon. You won’t find a more dedicated, disciplined, focused group of people who are detailed about everything and willing to work hard for something they believe in. As I looked over the quite crowd with the sun making it’s first yawn into the morning, I saw what she was seeing. There was a stillness before a storm of pushing your body to the limit.

I think she had a point. You can’t do this sport without being focused and willing to go the distance to achieve your goals. It’s a sport that requires the ability to be thinking about 3 different sports and the detail for each while trying to smoothly transition from one to the other without freaking your body out.

I think all to often we look at some people’s ability and think…they can’t do this or that or they don’t seem capable of performing a certain task. Some of these thoughts come from sizing a person up by appearance or how they carry themselves. Reality says some of this line of thinking is true and not far off base. But they way I see it, there are plenty of people in these triathlons that are a good 50lbs to 100lbs overweight. By the look of them, you would never have guessed they were actively training or participating in triathlons…but guess what. They are doing it and they are doing it well because they finish well.

Strength, dedication, focus and the will to conquer. It’s part of the make up of a triathlete. Shouldn’t it be apart of the make up for a good employee? How about for yourself as an employee? Or yourself as a boss, or a spouse…boyfriend or girlfriend?

With my job, I’ve been gearing up for making some things fresh and new again. I know I can credit this energy to what I see and learn from my training and the people I meet along the way who are triathletes.

I would encourage you..if you are looking for something to bring more focus in your life, it doesn’t have to be triathlons. Find something you can be dedicated to that brings you confidence, strength, focus and the will to go further into conquering something you have never conquered before.