Mountain biking is a challenging and fun sport. I've started mountain biking 9 years ago with some friends from church.
Two weeks ago I was riding with friends around Brookwood and as we were winding our way along the canal over tree roots and fallen leaves the idea sprung that mountain biking can indeed prepare you for the corporate world.
Observing is important, the terrain constantly changes so you have to look ahead, strategically plan where to brake, which line to choose and where to put your body weight to correct your balance.
The same as in a corporate environment you need to look ahead into the future plan how you are going to respond with agility to the demands of your workload and adapt the correct behaviours and attitude to keep going.
Sometimes a drop off might just be too much to handle; it is fine to stop and assess before attempting it again or to find a chicken run.
At work we can feel overwhelmed with the amount of work we have to do or even feel that we don't have the skills for the task at hand. Stop and assess, decide whether to say no, just get on with it or seek help and expertise to complete the task at hand.
Mountain biking has a more relaxed approach, so we take breaks at the top of hills; we consider our achievements and admire the view before enjoying the blissfulness of going downhill.
It's important to reflect on your achievements in the business world, acknowledge the challenges you had to take overcome to succeed and celebrate those successes.
With anything in life there are always risks involved, crashing is one of them. The quicker you get up, assess the damage you can carry on. My motto is what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
At work we are always scared of failing but like my manager always say if you don't try, you can't succeed or fail. Our failings make us more resilient for what might happen in the future and gives us the opportunity to improve a next time.
Mountain biking allows you to become friends with people from all ages and backgrounds. Riding with people expose you to how they will react in certain situations; whether it is being the first person on the scene of a crash, people with a different ability, those who lack endurance or those who didn’t fuel themselves correctly and reached an energy low. Riding with people from different countries teaches you the importance of being clear when you communicate, they need to know what to expect on the ride and where we are going.
All of these scenarios prepare us for similar situations in our diverse places of work. You need to apply emotional intelligence to each situation whether it is talking with the person who might not be prepared to follow the longer but correct way to the solution or the person who panic when things don’t go their way. You will have to motivate your colleagues when they are losing their momentum and exercise patience with new starters when they are still trying to find their feet. Often colleagues are from different backgrounds and might not share the same language, we need to be clear when we communicate by trying to simplify the explanation of their roles and responsibilities clearly.
Mountain biking is all about having fun, there is nothing like the thrill of riding your bike fast over swooping and technical trails. The adrenaline rush gives you the energy to climb back up to the top of the next steep hill.
In your corporate life it is just as important to keep things fun, use the energy and momentum you gain from the things you really enjoy and are good at to take on the challenges that are unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone!
6 things MTB teach us to keep going in the corporate world:
- Observe
- Plan
- Analyse risk
- Adapt quickly
- Communicate
- Have fun
Keep going and you will succeed!
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| MTB TC vs Corporate TC |
