This week, I’m thrilled to have my good friend and colleague Juli Okal offer this guest blog. A human resiliency advocate, Juli is the founder of The Shift Matters and EPIC Sabbaticals. -KA
Practicing. A few months ago when I was in the thick of training for my third triathlon, every day included a practice session.
Prior to becoming a triathlete in 2022, much of my learning (and that of my colleagues) was career-oriented. Being part of a large system, Fortune 50 corporation for thirty years, knowledge was at our fingertips. In that context, the starting line involved a goal. Careers moved fast. So did we. Many colleagues became “sprinters” as we joined together to focus on short-term goals. Being a runner is part of my identity, so I didn’t question this goal-oriented approach.
Triathlons, by contrast, offered a completely different starting line, experience, and endpoint. With three sports at play–swim, bike, run–practices included experiencing one sport immediately after another. One such practice included running after completing a long bike ride.
As a runner, my long, confident strides had been a place of comfort for forty years. In training for a triathlon, comfort was replaced with a new feeling. It felt like I was dragging two elephants down the road. My legs felt so heavy! I could not stride in that new context, so I humbly shuffled to finish the practice.
After all those years, the last thing I expected and prepared for was to change the way I ran. But now, it was clear that my way forward needed to change. My new daily practices alternated between each sport of the triathlon or combined them in a strategic and organized fashion. Nine weeks allowed space to plan, practice, progress, and perform. Then, taper mode unfolded to allow me to enter the race day with energy and strength.
Sports contain so many metaphors for other areas of my life. Frankly, this transformational experience left me with key questions for organizations:
- How do we carve out margin to practice when facing complex challenges?
- How do we permit time to fine tune our techniques?
- How and when do our identities keep us in a default mode?
- In which contexts are plan, practice, progress, and perform concepts most helpful?
Moving from running to triathlons, I learned it takes time, commitment, and unlearning to progress. I’ve woven those lessons into my experience from now on, professionally and personally.
Practicing is humbling. Shifting our identities is not easy. Unlearning is not simple. Slowing down to practice techniques and alternating pace does not come naturally. Over time, however, we can expand our capacity, strengthen our long game, and bring our best energy forward.
A race worth entering allows us to cross the finish line transformed, and different from when we started. But only if we practice.
More about Juli Okal:
Juli Okal is the founder of The Shift Matters and EPIC Sabbaticals. Both endeavors were developed to guide organizations and their employees successfully through ongoing, ever-varying change. Her happy place is designing unconventional spaces and experiences for professionals who desire to be ready for the future of work.
By compounding her experience working in a Fortune 100 company with her leadership coaching, process, and systems background, she helps organizations build future of work strategies that produce next-level customer and employee experiences. Learn more about Juli and connect with her on LinkedIn here.
