On Saturday, I dealt with some intense struggling. I took part in one of the most physically and mentally grueling events of my life… The Tough Mudder. If jumping into ice cold water wasn’t enough… you had to withstand jumping over fire, electrocution (yes, you read that right!), climbing over 12 foot walls, and getting so covered in mud that it’s been 3 days and I’m still pulling it out of my ears!
Oh… and this wasn’t on flat terrain either… we were scaling up and down black diamond ski trails for 12 miles to boot!
I sweated, I bled, and… I eventually conquered.
What’s the point in all this madness?
(Physically, that’s debatable – but trust me, there’s a million dollar business lesson in this!)
Before the event started, the announcer said:
“This is a challenge – not a race!
The goal is to have everyone finish!”
I likened this to the difference between Marginal Entrepreneurs and Strategic Entrepreneurs.
You see, Marginal Entrepreneurs think only about themselves – and only how they are going to get ahead. They care less about delivering value, and obsessively focus on any way possible they can suck the most profit possible out of their clients and customers.
During The Tough Mudder, these were the people who jumped over the injured, pushed the disheartened out of their way, and plowed through crowds to finish as fast as possible.
For what reason? They missed the whole point of the race?!
Other racers looked at them with disdain, and when some of them fell flat on their faces – it was hard not to look at them with a chuckle of sweet retribution.
Strategic Entrepreneurs understand the purpose of business is to deliver value in a way that everybody wins. You deliver a greater benefit, advantage, and value to your customer, and they, in turn, want to support you.
It doesn’t take much to slow down for a brief moment to see if someone is okay, or to offer water to those who were cramped and hurting, or a pat on the back for people needing a mental boost.
Sure, we were all struggling with completing the race, but just offering what we could helped several people – who probably otherwise wouldn’t have succeeded – finish the race.
Of course, those who lent a hand might not have had the fastest time – but for each person they assisted, they earned a deep respect and a real desire to see them succeed.
During one of the times when I was struggling to make it up the mountain – my toes, calves, and thighs started cramping – rather than blast ahead, one of my Crossfit Portsmouth team members stayed behind to provide me with the moral support I needed.
I got stuck trying to climb over some of the obstacles – my team had my back.
Of course, I’d like to think I also repaid the favor a few times along the race…
That’s one of the beautiful side effects of being a Strategic Entrepreneur – when you help people get more of what they want, they will inevitably help you get more of what you want.
As one of my mentors reminds me, the key to success is understanding:
Together We Are Better!
In your corner,
Charlie
