I was recently convinced to join a women’s cycling group. I met this with scepticism, as I am an anxious social MTB cyclist, who, on a good week cycled once, but after the first ride I felt calm, wanting to experience more of these endorphins.
I learned several things after joining this group, and can’t take the credit for all I’m sharing, and the important thing is that I was open to learning. Being gently enticed, and sometimes pushed outside of your comfort zone, however awkward and uncomfortable it makes you feel, is often a blessing in disguise and the blossoms of growth.
A safe learning environment makes the journey so much more enjoyable, and you can both impart and receive words of wisdom and practical advice.
Before every ride, we are reminded of the 3 (4) rules of mountain-biking, which I am aligning with some business principles.
- Maintain controlled momentum. As long as the wheels are rolling and you are in control, the bike will roll over obstacles. In life and in business, you will often face obstacles and may want to slam on the brakes so hard that you lose control and fall. Control the momentum and pace at which you are comfortable to move forward in your ventures, but move forward!
- Look there, go there… You are likely to collide with whatever obstacles you are looking at, instead of observing that it is there, and focusing your line of sight beyond the obstacles and where you want to go. Life and business changes constantly; be mindful of the environment and terrain, then adjust and focus on where you are headed, i.e. strategies are set but when circumstances change, take note, evaluate the impact on your trajectory and adjust the route.
- Keep level pedals as your centre of gravity is more balanced, and you are therefore in better control of your bike. Make sure you make time for to rejuvenate and stay balanced in your views. Observe, absorb, listen to all opinions and then find the balance of what resonates with you.
- Have fun! Life and business will throw curve balls at you, but if you are calm and having fun, more than than not, you’ll be able to catch those balls. And if you don’t, lick your wounds, get up and try again!
I have taken another step outside my comfort zone recently and have started my own consultancy. At Persist Consulting, we will assist you in your business needs:
- To maintain momentum through our business efficiencies process reviews, financial reporting and modelling with recommendations.
- Help you stay focused on the strategy and identify market trends and competitor analyses.
- Provide you with different viewpoints from an objective outward and inward-looking perspective and assist with implementation of recommendations.
- Collaborate with our coaching solutions partner on team alignment sessions where change management and staff morale require it.