Its being long said that the employees are the company’s best assets and as such, they should be treated accordingly. I bet you have heard the saying “A happy employee is a productive employee” and of course we all want to get the best out of those great people that come to work everyday for us making our dreams come true. So what do we look for in those candidates that make them the one? Of Course we have to make sure he or she has the required credentials and expertise to fulfill the tasks they will encounter, but sometimes that isn’t enough. We have to look beyond that. When the time comes, we will have to take into consideration some things that, in my point of view, are way more important than academic preparation or on the job experiences. This will not only let you know that the elected candidate is up for the test and will be able to perform as expected in this new position, but it will also let you see past all that and really get to know what this person is like and if he or she will be able to become that great leader the company needs. I’m talking about personal values and habits.
For those who are not familiarized with the IRONMAN race, (no it’s not the superhero from avengers) it’s a triathlon race that gave birth to the actual sport. Its was created in 1978, by three sport enthusiasts that challenged themselves just to see which of the 3 sports (swimming, cycling or running) was the most demandant and difficult sport to perform, so they made up this game just to prove themselves right. This race starts with a 2.4 mile swim (3,800 mts), mostly by 07:00 am, followed by a 112 mile bike ride (180 kms), and finishing with a full 26.2 mile marathon run (42.2 kms). All with a time cut off of 17 hours, mostly by midnight.
WHY? Hire an IRONMAN :
They have a huge sense of responsibility
Training for the IRONMAN race is one of the most expensive, exhausting and time consuming things in this world. This athlete’s know that if they miss a training they miss the finish line, so they develope a huge sense of responsibility. In order to keep up with the job, the family and their training sessions they know they have to plan ahead and never leave something that can be done today for tomorrow. A three pointer for productivity.
They inspire others.
Finishing an IRONMAN race is the most amazing thing that could ever happen to me besides my wife and family so I talk about it every time I can. No, I’m not talking about bragging, (although it could be something to brag about). I’m talking about transmitting to those that ask us about the race that the most important and satisfying thing of all this is that the road to the finish line changes you in a way nothing ever will. We do that a lot. IRONMAN athletes in an organization inspire others to set a goal in their minds and plan a strategy to achieve it. At first this may only inspire them in getting of the couch and start training instead of watching tv, but after a while when this trainings pay off , they will understand that life, your business and their jobs are not that different. Who wouldn’t want that kind of culture spreading out throughout their employees?
They are physically and mentally trained.
IRONMAN training is very demanding and once you are of to achieving it you have to make a lot of changes in your life, like for example, stop drinking and going out late. Training sessions are 7 days a week, (if you get lucky your coach will give you a day off once in awhile) sometimes starting at 5:00 am or earlier depending on your daily job and family routines. There is nothing like a well rested and exercised brain to generate new ideas and get things done. Forget about over sleeping, late and hungover employees and say hello to a healthier, always on time, new kind of employee. This is priceless.
They never give up.
One of the most important things and athlete needs to understand in order to finish the IRONMAN race is that you just can’t give up that easily. Actually their are a lot of athletes that have this mantra so embedded in their heads that they faint just after crossing the finish line not letting their bodies quit a step before. This is a very powerful mindset. In business we all know that the best opportunities take time and a lot more effort that just the ordinary.. IRONMAN athletes are prepared to fail, fail and fail again but they just won’t quit until the job is done. Nobody wants a quitter in their organization. It’s like fighting a gorilla. You don’t stop when you get tired, you stop once the gorilla has.
They plan ahead and get things done.
Like in business, there is no way you can be successful in the IRONMAN race if you do not plan ahead and prepare for the worst. Race strategy is as important as the physical and mental training, or sometimes even more. These athletes develop a sense of strategy that makes them very sensitive to change. If something is not going as planned they are not afraid to shift into another direction and re strategize in their head as they move forward on the race, making sure the new strategy will take them to the finish line. In business this is crucial. If the person in charge on the business project implementation and development cannot sense that things are not going as planned and sticks to an initial strategic plan, most likely, it will fail.