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Life on the Run by David Zidel
DAVID Zidel is an award-winning Wits Business School lecturer who teaches business calculations. His first book on how to do business calculations was a South African best seller. It is practical, clear and sound.
He gave me this book at a chance meeting, and it bears no resemblance to what I was expecting. Firstly, it is light reading, folksy and certainly not technical. It is not scholarly (and I really like scholarly books), but it did hold my interest right to the end in much the same way as an engaging social conversation does.
The book is a description of Zidel’s decision to run the Comrades Marathon and the personal development lessons he learned from the experience. The Comrades lends itself to well to such learning because of its unique characteristics.
It cannot be undertaken on a whim. It is a solo activity. It is discrete, having a beginning, a middle and an end. It requires an acquired skill that calls on physical and well as mental strength.
No part of this project can be outsourced. It is long enough, both in the preparation required and the race itself, to make the personal lessons learned abundantly clear.
The book is singularly devoid of the self-congratulatory tone of most self-development books that use the author’s personal achievements as a basis. Zidel is well aware that he was one of 10 000 runners and no, he did not win - in fact, he completed the race just this side of the 11-hour requirement.
In the chapter entitled Have a greater purpose, Zidel explains his decision to run the Comrades. It was occasioned by the coincidence of his late mother’s birthday on June 16th and the day the annual ultra-marathon is scheduled.
He writes that he ran for his mother and not only for himself. Having a greater purpose is widely acknowledged as adding to commitment, which is especially necessary when the going is extremely difficult and quitting seems a reasonable choice.
Tennis players apparently play their best tennis in the Davis Cup tournament representing their country. Golfers in the Ryder Cup, a contest between Europe and America, very often play their best games.
When you are tempted to quit, Zidel suggests asking: could this be a self-development opportunity? If so, would I want to forgo it?
Preparing for the Comrades is a lengthy process and holds lessons about discipline and organisation far beyond the race.
To rise early for a training run most mornings of the week requires getting to bed early enough most evenings of the week. There is a discipline, which cannot be avoided at any point if the project is to be successful. Failure to manage one’s life in this way will make success impossible.
I use the term ‘discipline’ instead of the usual ‘time management’ deliberately. I have met many people in business who think that managing time is a skill you can learn, and ignore the hard fact that it is rooted in discipline.
Zidel offers a deceptively simple approach to discipline. If you do not “get around” to doing a task, it is because it is not actually a priority for you at this moment. First comes the prioritisation and then the discipline will follow.
There are many benefits to running with others, not least of which is maintaining the required consistency of practice.
Zidel notes that missing a training run would be noticed by his partners and the subtle peer pressure does have a positive effect when priorities become less clear.
A novice who decides to run this ultra-marathon will soon find out that it does require knowledge that only experienced runners possess. It is then that the novice realises the importance of seeking advice from others, reading, or attending talks.
I was struck by how uncommon this is in the world of business, where so many never take advantage of the counsel of people with more experience. It is, oddly, seen as demeaning. It cannot be a function of the inevitable competition in business for market share or in corporate, for advancement. The Comrades Marathon is also race with only one winner.
The answer may well lie hidden in the number of participants in this running race. Think about it: 10 000 runners start and only one wins. Why do the other 9 999 bother? The runners enter for the personal challenge, or the fitness, or the camaraderie, or any of a host of other personal reasons.
The chapter entitled Everyone is a winner no matter where you finish is true only if the focus is inward, on your own reasons for participating in the race. This perspective applied to business would yield uncommon benefits both personal and organisational.
I read the whole of Life on the Run on a single domestic flight. The chatty style felt like a good conversation with a fellow passenger.
The book stimulated my thinking about projects and ventures I have committed to and how I handled them. This type of reflection is so valuable if you intend to better your outcomes in your next project, or next year’s Comrades.
Readability: Light +---- Serious
Insights: High --+-- Low
Practical: High ---+- Low
- Fin24
*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy. Views expressed are his own.
DAVID Zidel is an award-winning Wits Business School lecturer who teaches business calculations. His first book on how to do business calculations was a South African best seller. It is practical, clear and sound.
He gave me this book at a chance meeting, and it bears no resemblance to what I was expecting. Firstly, it is light reading, folksy and certainly not technical. It is not scholarly (and I really like scholarly books), but it did hold my interest right to the end in much the same way as an engaging social conversation does.
The book is a description of Zidel’s decision to run the Comrades Marathon and the personal development lessons he learned from the experience. The Comrades lends itself to well to such learning because of its unique characteristics.
It cannot be undertaken on a whim. It is a solo activity. It is discrete, having a beginning, a middle and an end. It requires an acquired skill that calls on physical and well as mental strength.
No part of this project can be outsourced. It is long enough, both in the preparation required and the race itself, to make the personal lessons learned abundantly clear.
The book is singularly devoid of the self-congratulatory tone of most self-development books that use the author’s personal achievements as a basis. Zidel is well aware that he was one of 10 000 runners and no, he did not win - in fact, he completed the race just this side of the 11-hour requirement.
In the chapter entitled Have a greater purpose, Zidel explains his decision to run the Comrades. It was occasioned by the coincidence of his late mother’s birthday on June 16th and the day the annual ultra-marathon is scheduled.
He writes that he ran for his mother and not only for himself. Having a greater purpose is widely acknowledged as adding to commitment, which is especially necessary when the going is extremely difficult and quitting seems a reasonable choice.
Tennis players apparently play their best tennis in the Davis Cup tournament representing their country. Golfers in the Ryder Cup, a contest between Europe and America, very often play their best games.
When you are tempted to quit, Zidel suggests asking: could this be a self-development opportunity? If so, would I want to forgo it?
Preparing for the Comrades is a lengthy process and holds lessons about discipline and organisation far beyond the race.
To rise early for a training run most mornings of the week requires getting to bed early enough most evenings of the week. There is a discipline, which cannot be avoided at any point if the project is to be successful. Failure to manage one’s life in this way will make success impossible.
I use the term ‘discipline’ instead of the usual ‘time management’ deliberately. I have met many people in business who think that managing time is a skill you can learn, and ignore the hard fact that it is rooted in discipline.
Zidel offers a deceptively simple approach to discipline. If you do not “get around” to doing a task, it is because it is not actually a priority for you at this moment. First comes the prioritisation and then the discipline will follow.
There are many benefits to running with others, not least of which is maintaining the required consistency of practice.
Zidel notes that missing a training run would be noticed by his partners and the subtle peer pressure does have a positive effect when priorities become less clear.
A novice who decides to run this ultra-marathon will soon find out that it does require knowledge that only experienced runners possess. It is then that the novice realises the importance of seeking advice from others, reading, or attending talks.
I was struck by how uncommon this is in the world of business, where so many never take advantage of the counsel of people with more experience. It is, oddly, seen as demeaning. It cannot be a function of the inevitable competition in business for market share or in corporate, for advancement. The Comrades Marathon is also race with only one winner.
The answer may well lie hidden in the number of participants in this running race. Think about it: 10 000 runners start and only one wins. Why do the other 9 999 bother? The runners enter for the personal challenge, or the fitness, or the camaraderie, or any of a host of other personal reasons.
The chapter entitled Everyone is a winner no matter where you finish is true only if the focus is inward, on your own reasons for participating in the race. This perspective applied to business would yield uncommon benefits both personal and organisational.
I read the whole of Life on the Run on a single domestic flight. The chatty style felt like a good conversation with a fellow passenger.
The book stimulated my thinking about projects and ventures I have committed to and how I handled them. This type of reflection is so valuable if you intend to better your outcomes in your next project, or next year’s Comrades.
Readability: Light +---- Serious
Insights: High --+-- Low
Practical: High ---+- Low
- Fin24
*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy. Views expressed are his own.
