Hidden secrets of top professionals

Last year when I got the opportunity of attending the summer programme at Harvard, one of the sessions that really got my attention was a session titled ‘Corporate Athleticism’. Coming back to Sri Lanka I was eager to bring to life this new theory called ‘Corporate Athleticism,’ which in actual fact was practiced by many without their knowledge.

Under the Rotary Foundation Alumni banner, it was launched to Sri Lanka. The event was sold out in less than three hours after it was announced by the Daily FT, which revealed the latent need that existed in corporate Sri Lanka.

Maybe a more compelling reason for the high interest levels could have been that last year alone, 2.8 million corporate executives had died between the ages of 40-55 years due to stress-induced diseases as per the research done by the Fellow of the International Federation for Sports medicine Dr. Thurairaja.

Amazing insight

However, the most amazing insight was not the public response to the programme, but the interest level of the faculty that we had identified as the corporate athletes of Sri Lanka. I was inundated with long calls on how the Harvard Business School research of Corporate Athleticism is already used by them and how it so timely that it be disseminated to the next level.

The excitement level was so high that some wanted more time to give their own interpretation to the theory and how it has helped them move up the corporate ladder. One top corporate head in the faculty wanted three hours for his presentation and we finally agreed for it to be 45 minutes. But to be honest from the feedback of the audience even a three-hour session would not have done justice to the power of the thoughts he shared.

The three to five minutes allocated to each speaker could not do justice to the richness of the subject that was so close to their heart. My insight was that the hidden secret of their success was their love for athleticism in their daily life.

It also dawned on me that I was not alone in the ritual that I have been doing all my life of training six days a week with three days of combat training like karate or kick boxing. I guess this is what it takes to perform at a continuous level over a sustained time period.

Corporate executive vs being an athlete

One of the founders of this new business ethos Corporate Athleticism Jim Loher says that if a corporate executive is to work at a high energy level equivalent to a professional athlete, the only way out is to increase the stamina levels just like a top athlete of today. For instance, if we take a tennis super star like Roger Federer or cricketing legend Tendulkar, the challenges they faced in the sports field are equal to a top corporate executive in office.

For instance Federer’s daily routine will include serving hard, positioning the returns with some sharp cross court passes followed up with some aggressive play at the net and then coming back to take a lob at the base line. The next challenges he will face will be questioning wrong line calls by the judges and following it up by engaging the crowd to maintain the off court relationship. It is also customary that a rough media conference happens post the match that adds to the pressure on the player.

On the other hand, if we take a typical corporate executive, the challenges during a working week are similar. Multiple decisions haven to be taken by analysing data for decision making. One wrong decision can cost the company millions of rupees.

Making presentations to get new businesses, briefing the media on corporate affairs, engaging the policy makers to influence policy direction and finally ensuring that the humour is maintained so that the spirit of the work place is kept vibrant usually forms a top performing executive of today.

This routine can be very demanding mentally and it is very similar to a high performing athlete of today, which means that a corporate executive must as fit as a top performing athlete. Let me dig deeper into this concept.

The difference

Whilst there are similarities, there are also many differences between the two. A top class athlete like Federer competes only once a month and at may be eight tournaments for a year. On the other hand a corporate executive will have to perform each day for almost 12 hour duration at peak performance.

Another difference is that an athlete takes up to a three-month break for a year whilst a corporate executive will get a maximum of two weeks off. The lifespan of a top athlete is between 10-15 years (if one is lucky) whilst a corporate executive will have to perform for 40-45 years.

This means that when you start working at 20 years, you continue until 65. This very clearly demonstrates that a corporate executive of today needs to be more fitter than a professional athlete if one wants to be competitive in today’s corporate world.

Becoming a corporate athlete

As per Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, the creators of this discipline, corporate athleticism, the essence of developing a corporate athlete has four key capacities so that performance can be at a very high level. They are physical capacity, emotional capacity, mental capacity and finally spiritual capacity. Let me take one by one and explain the intricacies.

Physical capacity development

Physical capacity is essentially the capacity to continue working for long hours at peak performance. How one can develop this is by doing a 45 minute brisk walk three times a week. The objective is to get your heart beat up to 120 beats per minute. Then, followed up with a 15 minute routine that includes stomach exercises and stretching. In essence it’s only one hour’s dedication that is required.

Maybe the venue can be the Independence Square where the motivation levels tend to be high too given the different shapes and styles in attendance. The rest of the two days must include a light weight training session so that energy can be built. The maximum weight should be a 50 kg. The objective is to stretch the muscle up to a point of tearing and then follow up with a rest day so that rebuilding takes place. Once this becomes a ritual it’s very interesting. May be joining a gym and getting a trainer’s assistance can help.

Emotional capacity development

The next building block to become a corporate athlete is working on one’s emotional capacity. This is where a close relationship with a human being is a must during a working day. All it takes is a two to three minute telephone call where an intense closeness has to be achieved, so that certain positive hormone gets elicited. If this is not done, research reveals that there can be emotions that get into the system such as self pity and boredom that elicit negative emotions, which are very harmful to the health.

Unfortunately, most high performing corporate executives feel that giving into one’s emotional side is a feminine trait or moreover, a weak characteristic that should not be exposed to others. Research also reveals that if one wants to be a Corporate Athlete in today’s high performing environment this second building block of developing emotional capacity is a must.

The key thing to remember is that these building blocks must become a way of life in a busy executive’s working day. In other words, it has to become ritualistic behaviour if one is to get into peak performance for long durations.

Mental capacity development

The next skill that is required to be developed is called knowledge management. This has to be done daily. All it takes is reading one article that is mentally stimulating and thereafter reflecting on that for just two to three minutes. This can be done in the evening and all it takes in total is just a 20 minute time block. Once again it’s all about habit formation. This can be also done by watching TV programmes such as the ‘Buck Stops Here’ on NDTV or by watching CNN’s ‘Boardroom Discussions’ where a top global CEO is being interviewed for success stories in business.

Spiritual capacity development

This is the last building block, but remember that this is not about one’s religion. It is more to do with understanding the values which are deep within you. For example, you may cherish the last burst of sleep between 6-7 a.m. in the morning before you dress up for work. But on the other hand if you have to drop your son to school and this is the quality time that you engage with him then, waking up at 5:45 a.m. to achieve this objective will not be an issue.

The challenge is to find out the deeper reasons for your behaviour that motivates and excites you. This is what spiritual capacity development is. It’s very important to becoming a corporate athlete. The challenge once again is making this a routine in your working week.

Next steps

To summarise, it’s three days cardio walk and then a two day weights schedule with two days being rest after each weight training session. A few more tips in the life of a corporate athlete:

Have five to six small meals a day (maybe a snack at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. is all it takes)

Develop a routine time for sleeping with six to eight hours of sleep a day being a must.

Make a five-day workout a routine during the week a ritual.

Be proud that you are a Corporate Athlete – do not be shy to practice emotional capacity building.

(The writer is Head of National Portfolio Development for United Nations – Sri Lanka and Maldives and has a black belt in karate.)