24 Things Mountain Biking Can Teach You About Business

8/8/2019 24 Things Mountain Biking Can Teach You About Business

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24 things

mountain bikingcan teach you

about business.


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24 things mountain biking can teach you about business

Steven Di Pietro www.servicewithpurpose.net 2

We can all learn lessons from anywhere, like linking mountain

bike racing with business success.

My first mountain bike race in March 2010 had me thinking the

wildest thought. Unbelievably, I think there are parallelsbetween a race and business.

The 8 hour race was through the Australian bush doing laps with

my neighbour. This is not a self-indulgent post about personal

triumph, but there were many parallels with business.

1. Prepare - Everything had to be in shape, from our bodies toour equipment. How often do you go into a business venture (or

situation) unprepared? Are you really ready to face a

troublesome client? Have you done all your homework? Doyou know the outcome you are expecting?

2. Shared goals - We agreed that we were not going for a win,nor was it social. We would push ourselves beyond the normal,

but not extremes. Do you and your staff know what the 'end'

looks like? Is it to be No.1? To learn? To support?

3. Sacrifice - We gave up small things to prepare. No boozefor days leading up. Early to bed on Saturday night. Are you

willing to give up a few small things for the big picture? Skip

lunch? Miss a useless meeting? Don't check emails?

4. Anticipation - We lookedforward to the event and yet wereworried. Is there a sense of healthy nervousness about the job?

Don't confuse it with self-doubt.

5. Start - I thought I was being smart and would start at the frontof a field of 300. As I got ready the marshal asked us to turn

around, we were headed the other way. In an instant, I went

from the front to the back, and the race hadn't started. But it

didn't matter, it was an enduro. Have you started after the

competition? It's an enduro, keep going. As Seth Godin tells us

- 'you gotta ship'. Just start regardless.

6. Expect Confusion - Things didn't go to plan. Our transitionsgot muddled. But we took the confusion in our stride. After all,


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we were not in it to win, so the odd mistake was OK. Have you

prepared for confusion? It will be there.

7. Little goals - Set little goals such as to; catch the guy in

front, sprint the next hill, do a sub 40 minute lap, keep the heartrate under 160. Does your business focus too much on the big

goals? Big goals are hard to grasp. See related blog post on

doubling your revenue in 3 years.

8. ime accelerates - Despite the pain, the day went quickerthan expected. But the breaks were also quicker. Everything

was rushed. All projects seem to go quicker. Have you

accounted for compressed time?

9. R

espect - one of the more important things was to respectmy teammate. We had to respect each others skills, nuances,

and lap times. No excuses, and no questions. For such a lonely

sport, teamwork was important. Are

you respecting your teammates? Do they respect each other?

10. Plans ahoy! - plans get washed away. My partner wasmissing at one transition. I had to do another lap. Do you have

a plan B? Are you ready to 'dig in"?

11. Commit - This is more than committing to a team. This isabout committing in a single moment. During the race, when I

was first faced with a tricky log jump, I knew I had two choices,

commit or stop. You cannot stop half way over a log when your

feet are locked into the pedals. Are you ready to push through

and commit when you need to?

12. Follow - It seemed anyone could break the 4 minute mileafterRoger Bannisterdid in 1954. During my first lap I sat back

and learned. I watched slow riders who were in front on the start

line, and I watched the pro's jump logs, and traverse rocky

outcrops (different to slow riders). If their bikes could do it, so

could mine. And it did. Following others was a great learning

experience, and great for my confidence. I love winning and

being in front, but you cannot learn from anyone when you are in

front. Are you learning from other people or other


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organisations? Are you stuck behind someone? Can you still

learn, even if they are slower?

13. rust your equipment - In a particularly

treacherous section the bike descends over loose rocks andsoil. You have to trust the equipment. If you fight, it will throw

you off. This is the most difficult concept to grasp. Do you have

a machine or department you need to trust, but just can't. It's

actually safer to trust.

14. Have support- my 13 year old son came to run support. Atfirst it was to just make him feel part of the day. He became a

critical team member from the moment we arrived. Do you have

the support you need both physical and emotionally?Overestimate the support, because we tend to underestimate

the need.

15. Stay focused - as I tired, my mind wondered. As itwondered, I made mistakes, little mistakes which caused me to

lose momentum. During a long hard slog, is your organisation

(or you) losing focus, getting distracted, and losing momentum?

16. It gets harder- of course it got harder and harder, and thehills got steeper. I didn't expect it to get as hard as it did. Next

time I'll be ready. When you start, the energy levels are higher.

Are you prepared for the drop of energy and enthusiasm?

17. People overtake - being a competitive person, it wasdifficult to see 20 year old riders overtake me. Sure they were

semi-professional and half my age, but their speed surprised

me. I couldn't let it get me down. I knew we all had different

goals, and I knew there weren't many 40 year old people who

could do this. I had my own race, and goals. As a side point,

some of them burnt out (the tortoise rocks!) They were on the

same same track, and same division, but somehow in a different

race. Are you getting disheartened by speeding competitors?

Are they really running the same race? Are they there for a

quick sell? Glory? Something different to you? Perhaps you

should ignore them, and occasionally get inspired.


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18. Get inspired - the quicker competitors inspired me to keepgoing, especially the middle aged housewife I couldn't shake for

a few minutes. Even the people pushing me from behind

inspired me to keep going. Do you see anything good in yourcompetition? Can you go beyond watching what they do to be

inspired to be better?

19. Be polite - When being overtaken on a narrow track, Iwould pull over an let people pass. I 'always' got thanked and it

made me feel better. It also gave me someone to chase for a

few moments, and to perhaps learn a new technique. If I was

doing the passing, I would tell the person in front not to rush

pulling over because I had all day. They would then thank mewhen I overtook them. Go figure. Are you being polite and

courteous in the middle of battle, in a tough negotiation or

uncomfortable staff interview?

20. Smile - the easiest face of all is the grimaced race face.There was a crowd near the finish line, and people scattered

over the track. It was easy to ignore them and keep

concentrating. Whenever I smiled at the crowd, or another rider,

it took a great effort, but then I'd lose the pain. Remember to

smile.

21. Rest - the 35 minute break between laps was allabout recuperation. Managing the breaks was critical. sit, drink,

eat, chat, wonder. It may seem unproductive, but it was critical

to a successful day. We progressed by going no where and

resting.

22. Knuckle down - At one stage I had to back-up for a repeatconsecutive lap. My partner wasn't there for the transition so I

went around for another lap. It was tougher and slower, but I

enjoyed the thought of carrying the extra load. Are you really

doing all you can in your business? Will you step-up when

required?

23. Disaster- Disaster can strike at any time. My partners sonbroke his thumb 3/4 through the day. We had to abandon the


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race and get him home for x-rays. No matter what you

do, uncontrollable circumstances can wreck your plans.

24. Enjoy the ride - pun intended. I kept thinking to myself that

I was lucky to be doing what I love on a glorious day, with myson and good friends in a unique part of the world I would never

have known. I was having fun, though sometimes I had to

remind myself. Enjoy the ride.

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24 Things Mountain Biking Can Teach You About Business