‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you’

Thousands of runners gathered on Umm Suqeim Road and in the shadow of the iconic Burj Al Arab on 22 January 2016 to run the prestigious standard chartered Dubai Marathon tagged the world’s richest distance race. As is customary, the elite marathoners from Ethiopia and Kenya were pacing at hard to comprehend speed some of which dizzy the mind when processed. How do humans run at such a pace for 42.195km?

World records in the marathon are a big deal and lessons from running on asphalt abound for leaders with loads of leadership tips to draw from.

Dennis Kimetto of Kenya set the world record for men at the Berlin Marathon on 28 September 2014 at 2:02:57. 2 hours, 2 seconds! While Paula Radcliffe of the United Kingdom on April 13, 2003 at the London Marathon, set the world record for women at 2:15:25. 2hours and 15 minutes – that is running 10 kilometres in 33 minutes on the average!

Back to Friday 22 January….Along the course were quotes and encouraging lines to keep spirits high but that which stuck with me for most of the way read “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”

I thought long and deep about what that meant to me and it resonated with me on many levels. I thought about it in different ways – Does it change me if it challenges me? Do I get challenged if it’s going to change me? Does challenge and change resonate with me on the same level?

I pondered and got some answers and hope you do same.

What’s that challenge you’re up against? It may be a leadership, career, entrepreneurial or decision making challenge you’re facing. How have you processed the challenge?

Sometimes we park challenges in our minds under two broad themes– “I can” and “I cannot”. Unfortunately the number of challenges enumerated under “I cannot” always seem to outweigh “I can” but why is that the case?

Some of it comes from not sufficiently believing that these hurdles can be crossed and some we just assume and think – “who am I to do this? I just cannot!”

What is clear is if it doesn’t challenge you sufficiently there’s a slim chance it won’t change you. What if you’re okay with challenge but not ready to change? Open to touch the plough but not keen on digging in? Wanting to get on the boat but okay with not rocking it.

This my dear is the zone of complacency. The area of mediocrity where most of us are content to be intentionally or unintentionally.

Some of us just don’t have staying power which is really the bane of self-actualisation! There has got to be another one to harness all that’s on the inside of you to make you better at leadership.

So line Leader, what are you going to take up as a challenge to change you?

Ngozi Adebiyi is the Lead Consultant at OutsideIn HR & Career/Leadership Coach @ OutsideInCoach. Our focus is practical interventions that address the challenges of businesses today. We specialise in HR Business Partnering & Leadership Development with the goal of revolutionising HR in Nigeria & consciously unleashing inner greatness! Ngozi@outsideinHRng.com