On Sunday April 9, the 41st edition of the legendary Paris Marathon took place. A magnificent running course that tested the physical and mental capacities of 43,754 runners over 42.195 km. Every marathon runner knows that endurance is the key to success on this kind of effort and distance.
No one can deny that physical preparation is essential to be able to run for more than 42 km while keeping sight of the final objective: the finish line. There are many difficulties: change of surface (tarmac, cobblestones, dirt roads, etc.), weather changes, small climbs that break your legs, too fast descents that you pay dearly on the stopwatch on arrival, dehydration, traffic jams at certain refueling points… In short, a marathon is a series of personal and collective challenges to be overcome, without running out of steam!
The situation may seem similar for managers in general, and therefore for interim managers a fortiori. The number of challenges that a manager has to face in his professional career is almost infinite. Knowing how to innovate and create at the right time, be inspiring for your teams and collaborators, manage conflicts and get out of crises, set up a job protection plan, recruit the profiles necessary for the development of competitiveness, etc.
Mastering the skills necessary for these situations requires the same essential quality: endurance. Without stamina, a manager can quickly fall into overwork or crippling stress.
HOW TO DEVELOP ENDURANCE?
It’s about knowing how to take advantage of your experience and of course that of others as well. A marathon runner does not run 42.195km overnight. Endurance is worked on in stages, with a training program adapted to each individual. A manager will know how to work on his personal abilities in stages. First he learns to manage working groups and then people on a case-by-case basis. Learn how to manage “smaller” crises today to know how to face the most impressive ones tomorrow. Knowing how to anticipate: when all the winds seem favorable, it is undoubtedly useful to prepare several moves in advance, take care not to stumble or go too fast and quickly be out of breath.
ENDURANCE LEADERS?
Interim managers are backed by continuous experience. Each new mission is an opportunity to put their experience to good use but also to continue to develop it. This is where interim managers stand out as assets for companies. They are men and women leaders in their fields and constantly improving their professional and personal abilities. As such, the periods of intermission allow them to take stock of new achievements, improve their managerial posture, train in new tools, discuss with their peers on problems encountered. If the marathon runner has the imperative to find “his rhythm”, the manager must in a few days find “the pulse” of the mission to ensure a growing pace, ensuring a positive dynamic of results.
Paul Lonyongata, winner of the Marathon de Paris declared: “ I felt good, it was neither too hot nor too cold, and the organization was perfect. Feeling good would therefore also be one of the keys to endurance! An effective manager will know how to transform indelicate situations into comfort zones, the time necessary to endure and achieve his objectives.
One of the most beautiful lessons of this 41st edition of the Paris Marathon: unity is strength. Purity Rionoripo, wife of Paul Lonyongata won the women’s race. A united and winning duo! Without a doubt, success is contagious and shared. Managers know this well, their teams benefit from their experience and also contribute to their success.
It is also humility in sharing knowledge and experience which, in the end, leads to collective victory!
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