You must become a Corporate Athlete!

By Rohantha Athukorala

I was recently invited to by my alma mater, the Chartered Institute of Marketing to be the speaker for the members on the hot topic - Challenges for Marketers post. After the programme, one of my colleagues heading marketing in a Fast Moving Consumer Good multinational company said, I had missed one of the most important challenges faced by marketers. He went on to say that the biggest challenge that marketers are faced with are not the macro challenges but the continuous disruption of work life on the field end. I pondered around this comment and I thought how true this is, given the recent developments in the political arena.

Biggest challenge in SL

Post the 19th of May 2009, the biggest issue was getting brand visibility at the point of sale as there is a war for the prime sites for posters, hoardings, media advertising where brands are getting over powered. Initially it was war victory posters then the Presidential election candidates and now it’s the forthcoming general elections. The issue is compounded as from December last year there was no camera’s available to shoot any TV commercials, given that all have been booked by the election candidates.
From a marketing operational point of view, this has resulted chaos to a company as all new product launches has been pushed backed to May and beyond because as it’s so hard to create awareness for consumers to try a new product. The main issue is that the SOV (Share of Voice) is been drowned by election candidates. When I checked with some of my friends in the advertising industry, the reality was frightening. Many brands had decided not to advertise in January as many programmes are cancelled at the last minute due to a political candidate addressing the nation. The logic of using scientific media buying tools like OTS(Opportunity to see) or GRP’s has become academic as it was only true on paper.
This challenge adds to the pressure to the sales revenues of the company and in turn effects the profitability. The impact is greater given that if a company gets off to a good start in the beginning of the year then, the motivation can be maintained through out the year. If not, catching up has to be done from the 2nd month onwards which creates pressure at all levels. I guess this challenge will hold true until the end of April because New Year is a time when Sri Lanka’s retail sector goes on holiday till the last week of April which further adds to the pressure for the corporate executive.
Then, comes the election woes where implementation of election promises such as the wage increase of Rs, 2500/- will create a price spiral that can drive inflation up which adds further pressure to a business. Hence the turmoil that a marketer has to face is worse than the tornados that keep ripping central parts of the US.
The long hours of work and eyes fixed on to computer screen is now creating many a health issues like corporate executives having high blood pressure at a very young age, sugar levels increasing to diabetic conditions. Some have cholesterol, which has led to heart decease and some time we hear of young executives dying before they reach even the thirties. The question is what is the way out.

Corporate Executive vs Athlete

Research reveals that the only way out is to make corporate executive a Corporate Athlete. Let me explain this. 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 the cricketing legend Tendulka the challenges they face in the sports field is equal to a top corporate executive in office.
If we take a typical high performer like Federer, it 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 on a Monday is similar. Multiple decisions having to be taken by analyzing data. Each decision can cost the company millions of rupees if the decision is incorrect. Making presentations to get new businesses, briefing 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. This routine can be mentally very demanding. Hence we can see that there are many similarities between a top class corporate executive and a high performing athlete of today. Let’s now examine the differences.

The difference

There are many differences between the two. A top class athlete like Roger Federer competes only once a month and may be 8 tournaments for a year. On the other hand a corporate executive will have to perform each day for almost twelve hour duration at peak performance. Another difference is that an athlete takes upto 3 month break for a year whilst a corporate executive will get a maximum of 2 weeks off. The life span 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. Meaning when you start working at 20 years, until 65 one will continue. 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 toady’s corporate world.
This holds ground more especially because of the turmoil that keeps hitting the corporate world of Sri Lanka. It’s been a roller coaster ride with one day being elections then it is post election violence. Then comes GSP+ being suspended and the next is the General Election that sure makes the life of a corporate executive a whirlwind task. The only way out is for a corporate executive to be a Corporate Athlete. Let me explain this concept.

Becoming a Corporate Athlete

As per the scientist that originated this concept Dr. Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, the essence of developing a Corporate Athlete have 4 key capacities that needs to be develop so that performance can be at a very high level. They are Physical capacity, Emotional capacity, Mental Capacity and finally Spiritual Capacity.

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 3 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 a 1 hour’s dedication that is required. May be 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 re building takes place. Once this becomes a ritual it’s very interesting. May be joining a gym and getting trainers assistance can help.

Emotional Capacity development

The next building block to become a Corporate athlete is working on the emotional capacity of ones self. This is where close relationship with a human being is a must during a working day. All it takes is a 2-3 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 elicits negative emotions which are very harmful to health. Unfortunately, most high performing corporate executives feel that giving into ones emotional side is a feminine trait or more over, 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 2nd building block of developing the Emotional capacity is a must. The key thing to remember is that these building block 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 there after reflecting on that for just 2-3 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

The last building block. But remember that this is not about ones 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 am 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 am 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

By now, you have a fair idea of the building blocks that will make you a ‘Corporate Athlete’. You also know what arrears in your life that need to be developed, so that you can become a corporate athlete. Practicing this is the next step.
You have to make it a ritual so that it happens naturally. You need to come to a stage where if the gym kit is not in the vehicle you will feel you are not ready to leave home. Also, you will come to a point where foregoing a cocktail party to do your weight training schedule is not a choice any more but a way of life. At this stage you can be termed a Corporate Athlete and then you will suddenly experience that working at high peak performance is equal to playing a game. Then you have really mastered the art of being a Corporate Athlete.
To summarize, its 3 days cardio walk and then a 2 day weights schedule with 2 days being rest after each weight training session. A few more tips in the life of a corporate athlete;
1) Have 5-6 small meals a day ( May be a snack at 10am and 4pm is all it takes)
2) Develop a routine time for sleeping with 6-8 hours of sleep a day, being a must.
3) Make a 5 day work out a routine during the week a ritual.
4) Be proud that you are a Corporate Athlete- do not be shy to practice emotional capacity building.