BusinessManagement Lessons That You Can Learn From MarathonsBy Harman Posted on February 20, 20186 min read002,221Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedinThere are lessons in life that we can learn from the very normal experiences in our everyday life. Sports competitions are a great way to learn life lessons, most of all giving you a sense of management and business. The sheer need to compete and win and the drive of the person towards the prize is the everyday hustle that we see in entrepreneurs. Some of the lessons that we can learn from a marathon are mentioned below:1. The Target Does Not ChangeSourceThe one goal of a marathon is to reach the finish line. This can be used as a metaphor in management as the employees as well as the leader can strive to achieve a single goal rather than all of them changing goals from time to time. Of course, unlike a marathon, there are time frames that must be considered while running a business. In the end, if all the employees complete their part in the goal, the business would profit greatly and there will be high chances of success.2. The Support Crew Plays A Hidden But Critical RoleLike every other thing, every business has a management team and a support team. While the former may do all the work, the latter plays a very critical role in shaping the path to success. The trust and faith that the support team has in the employees and their leader is what is keeps morale high and increases productivity. This is also seen in those completing the marathons in the smiles and the cheers that the crowd has for those running all those miles.3. Tracking And Reporting Progress ImmediatelySourceWhen runners progress through the various points, their progress and timing are reported immediately to them via a text message. This provides a high to the runners and urges them to go on. In the same way, progress reports on the tasks that the employees are working on can help motivate them into completing the task and prove to be successful for the business in the long run. The progress reported to employees can also give them a sense of accomplishment or drive them to more effort to achieve the stated goal in case results are short of expectations.4. Planning, Preparation, ExecutionSourceA quarter marathon typically takes about 6-8 weeks of preparation to make the runner get used to the effort and prepare them for the big day. The preparation is actually more critical than the actual race – as the runner’s recovery is fully dependent on it. The practice of preparation is what businesses generally give short shrift to and on that account the effort to achieve business goals ends up being super-human or stretched. With proper planning and preparation, the management team that executes the ideas will tend not to be exhausted but will retain their glorious energies even after achieving the goal.5. PerseveranceSourceIn an age of instant gratification, perseverance has turned out to be a much-neglected virtue. Whether during the practice for a race or the race itself, unforeseen situations and difficult problems arise. However, runners persevere through the training and the race day running and accomplish the goal of completing the course they set for themselves. A lot of work goals similarly require perseverance more than anything else but employees get distracted and veer away from the required course of action leading to failure in achieving goals.