Fancy doing six marathons over six days across the Sahara with just the food you can carry on your back? The Marathon Des Sables isn’t just an epic challenge, it’s a masterclass in how to create a stronger workforce.
As human beings, we don’t suffer enough day to day.
We’ve developed lots of techniques to make our lives more efficient, faster and easier. And that helps us in so many ways.
But if we don’t challenge ourselves, we risk losing our edge.
As a child, I remember seeing a clip of the Marathon Des Sables (MDS) and thinking, ‘one day I’ll do that…’ And earlier this year, I did.
I flew to Morocco and headed into the Sahara to complete six marathons over six days in the sand and heat.
The epic race tested me and the other runners to our limits. The MDS is the ultimate challenge where participants need to overcome prolonged physical and mental suffering. But while extreme, this sculpts a resilience that ultimately makes us stronger.
The experience taught me a lot, including many lessons which I’ll take back into the workplace. Here’s what it can teach leaders about how to build resilience in their teams.
Camp life success mirrors business
The MDS is a self-sufficient adventure. You have to survive in a remote desert with rationed water and only the food you can carry in your own bag.
I learnt quickly that you can’t get through this without a disciplined routine of foot care, hydrating, refuelling and rest. I also discovered that you have to do each task at the right time and in the right order to thrive.
It struck me that it’s the same simple recipe for success in business; there’s beauty in the dullness of consistency.
Whether it’s checking emails first thing or a scheduled mid-morning break to recharge, plan a daily routine which works best for you – and stick to it.
Don’t be afraid of failure
If you think you can’t do something, just try it…
Focusing on one singular goal provides laser focus and allows people to measure what matters.
And going that one step further and attempting a goal that your team might fail at? They should view this as an opportunity to explore their potential.
For example, you might set your team the goal of finding a new, more efficient way of dealing with company expenses. If, after analysing the systems and trying a few alternatives, you find out that it can’t be improved on, the task hasn’t been a waste of time.
Many successful ways of working are born from the lessons learned from previous failures. Failing can lead to new ideas and approaches.
Allowing people to fail without fear frees them up to be more innovative, testing and exploring fresh ideas. And they’ll learn a lot about what they can achieve along the way.
The process is the most important thing
I did more research and preparation for the MDS than for anything else so far this year. When the goal is huge and the stakes are high, your process levels up.
And it’s the same for employees – it allows them to get smarter at strategy and tactics, and improve their performance.
This can come in handy for planning a major launch or branching into new markets.
The brotherhood of the tent effect
This was everything to me at the MDS.
I truly added seven brothers to my family during the event, and the bond created through shared suffering and ecstasy lasts long after the event.
This translates easily to business; share your challenges with others in your team and it’ll make you stronger in so many ways. And seeing people at their worst and best will create a new level of empathy for your teammates.
So, supercharge your communication skills and be human at work.
If you’re facing a challenge like struggling to recruit new talent, be honest with your staff and share this issue with them. Explain why it’s important to your company strategy, and ask for ideas about what you could be doing better.
Some experiences are great levellers
Feel free to skip to the next point if you’re squeamish!
I had to go to the toilet in the middle of the desert in front of anyone who was about to watch – and while sitting next to a billionaire.
It was a great leveller because it just became normal, accepted and expected.
I’m not suggesting you adopt this behaviour in the office. But this experience did show me just how many of our social norms are transient.
Having to squat in front of people for the first time was awkward and embarrassing, just like the first time you speak out in a meeting. But do it once and you’ll always be able to do it.
Doing hard things matters
I took on the MDS because I wanted to compete in one of the hardest races in the world.
Testing my emotional and physical capabilities is something I strive to do every day, not least when running my business.
You obviously don’t have to go to such extremes as racing across the desert. But if you encourage this attitude in your teams, you’ll build mental fortitude – and a drive to succeed.
This is essential to bounce back from challenges quickly, such as when a key team member leaves, or there are setbacks with clients.
The downtime enables the uptime
In the MDS, you have to learn how to rest. It can be so boring but it is critical.
The quality and quantity of your rest during a multi-day survival race determines how hard you can go the next day – or even if you’ll be able to finish.
It’s the same in the workplace. Without enough rest, your team won’t be able to perform at their best, and it may also lead to burnout.
This leads back to creating a healthy culture at work where people take regular screen breaks and don’t work through their lunch breaks.
And if an employee needs a lunchtime run to energise their brain for the afternoon, encourage this – or go one step further and set up a free lunchtime running club.
You’ll benefit from improved morale and increased productivity.
Today is never the right time
There were 100 reasons why I shouldn’t have done this race. I have two young sons, a business to run, and we’re currently doing renovations at home.
But as leaders, we can take a lot from this.
While today might not be the best time – you can guarantee that tomorrow won’t be either. But if you don’t grab the opportunity, you’ll miss it.
My biggest insight from all this? It doesn’t matter if you win or lose.
Life is here to be lived and loved; none of us are getting out alive. So, if you try something and achieve your goal, then that’s fantastic. But if you do everything right and miss hitting your goal, then you’ve still had one great journey – and learnt so much in the process.
As leaders, we can model this behaviour in the workplace through encouraging employees to try new things without fear of failure. And this will result in all the benefits of building stronger and more resilient teams. And that can only help your business to grow and thrive.
