Your Leading Brain - Good Intentions

Where did April go? I had many good intentions of keeping up the postings, 9 in January, 7 in Feb, but then...only 2 in March, and 2 in April. So where did my good intentions go?

My lack of posting, and puzzling about it, led me to make the connection with working out and discipline. I kept working out, (see the April training schedule, which included 2 amazing weeks in Hawaii)...but didn't post. Mainly, I didn't feel like it. I worked on my computer every day, several times a day, and yes I was busy...but posting isn't that much more of an effort than most things I tackle.

So, despite that fact that we have no readers (yet), we (myself and the coaches), did not post. And I didn't pressure them to post. So what zapped their and my motivation?

In my work with executives, we often deal with motivation. It's a mysterious topic that psychologists like to think about all the time, and executives deal with every day. What will help the business perform? Is a paycheck enough? What about all this bonus business - do people really need extra money to do something that they are hired, paid to do, and therefore should feel motivated to do?

As executives leave the workforce at a rate most likely experienced most drastically in Asia during the last economic crisis, the question of motivation looms.

In looking at a mirror, in assessing race performance, in doing what one knows is the proper or right thing to do, and not doing it...avoiding it...wherein lies the lack of motivation? The lack of energy? The lack of interest? The lack of desire?

In their work with professional athletes, psychologists often call out optimal performance as a result of (a) disciplined practice; and (b) the desire to be the best, above everything else. Of course, there are coaches, support staff, and often huge payouts waiting for professionals who win their events or games as extrinsic sources of motivation. However, intrinsic motivation is also a key element - the desire to be the best.

Unlike professional athletes, executives aren't single sport, or even triathletes, or pentathletes. Their jobs require sophistication in multiple areas, often as broad generalists as opposed to functional experts. As they move up the ladder of responsibilities, executives must "execute" through people, moving from captains and player-coaches, to real coaches. They must instill the desire to be the best in their people, find those with inherent passion, and stoke those fires.

It stands to reason that a fit executive looks like she or he has the passion to excel. They appear to have the energy, the discipline, and the drive to take on hard challenges. They show an intrinsic motivation that one assumes travels into all areas of his or her life.

Fair enough. It's been 16 months since I started training for an Iron Man. I am certainly more fit than I was. And I am very busy at work. But I still, despite my fitness, couldn't blog about it in April. And on that measure, my theory about fitness translating into work effort certainly breaks down.

As I reflect on the month, and even back to March, I consider the heavy slog of training. The days spent on my trainer in the basement. The slog through snow falls even in March. The wet April days when I ran for 2 hours in the cold rain. Each workout, however interesting even at Equinox, included multiple repetitions without the accompanying warmth of the sun.

In April, we took a break and headed to stay with family in Hawaii. The warmth, the rest, and wonderful runs along the beach, brought me back to a sense of peace and joy in working out. It didn't feel like a slog. I did 3 beach swims in the ocean, the longest 60 minutes, and emerged with a new sense of self and direction. We even visited Kona, the hallowed Iron Man center of the universe (although we were there to play with sea horses).

And here I am, writing about it. Motivated to write, motivated to keep working out, motivated to keep pushing myself to explore fields of knowledge that create a language exploring athleticism and executive performance and wellness beyond the usual cliches.

Maybe I just needed a break. Motivation sometimes isn't about doing something. Actually, what I am thinking just now, is maybe it is also about doing nothing.

Gritty Training Log- April Schedule

To see this training log in larger detail, just click on the image. Please do not attempt to replicate these workouts; these are customized for me. They give you some idea of the build up for an IM. If you're interested in a similar event, please consider hiring a coach with certification to train you properly. As always, seek the assessment of a physician before engaging in any vigorous physical activity.