| Fresh business insights from forty successful | | | | extension of respecting the challenge is practicing |
| executives who are also accomplished extreme | | | | extreme preparation. The athlete/executives in |
| athletes. | | | | Business Lessons from the Edge do exactly that. In |
| Your idea of extreme sports may be watching three | | | | both sport and business, they engage the challenge |
| football games at once at the local sports bar or | | | | exceedingly well prepared so that very little is left to |
| playing more than eighteen holes of golf in a day. | | | | chance. They identify the most likely outcomes and |
| You may think there is nothing to learn from people | | | | how they will respond to them. In sport they |
| who jump out of planes or hang off the sides of | | | | practice and condition. In business they do their |
| mountains. That would be wrong. While you may | | | | research and rehearse. By the time the competition |
| have no interest in participating in extreme sports, | | | | starts, they’re better prepared than their |
| you can still gain valuable insights from successful | | | | competitor whether it’s an auto race, a |
| business people who do. | | | | strategy session or a sales presentation. |
| I’m a world record skydiver, MBA and former | | | | Extreme preparation will always serve you well. |
| corporate Chief Operating Officer. My co-author | | | | How do you know you have prepared enough? |
| Maryann Karinch is an adventure racer, former | | | | When you and your team can’t come up with |
| corporate manager and the author of sixteen | | | | a single contingency you haven’t addressed. |
| books. Our careers span both business and | | | | Honor Your Passion — A third common trait of |
| extreme sports. We found forty highly successful | | | | the highly successful athlete/executives in Business |
| senior executives and entrepreneurs who are also | | | | Lessons from the Edge is that they honor their |
| accomplished extreme athletes to share their success | | | | passion. They are keenly aware of what excites |
| insight with us. | | | | them and they incorporate it into their working lives |
| More than half of these athlete/executives are | | | | as much as possible. They know that passion leads |
| Presidents or CEOs. One third are entrepreneurs | | | | to commitment which leads to higher performance. |
| and one third women. They are an extraordinary | | | | Your first step is to identity your passions. What |
| group. Think of them as CEOs who also have | | | | are you exceptionally good at? What activities are |
| climbed Mt. Everest, because in some cases they | | | | so engaging that they almost don’t seem like |
| have. The result is our book Business Lessons from | | | | work? These are clues to your passions. |
| the Edge. | | | | With your passions identified, the next step is to |
| So, what can you learn from these amazing high | | | | work to utilize them as much as possible in your |
| achievers? A lot. Here are some of the key | | | | work. If that is not possible today, rest easy. |
| lessons from the book that can benefit you: | | | | Work toward blending them into your work as you |
| - Respect the Challenge, | | | | move forward. Keep them foremost in your mind |
| - Practice Extreme Preparation, and | | | | when your consider career options or just your next |
| - Honor Your Passion. | | | | assignment. |
| Respect the Challenge — Whether | | | | While you may have no plans to ride a bull, trek to |
| they’re climbing one of the world’s | | | | the North Pole or even compete in a triathlon, you |
| highest mountains, competing in an aerobatics | | | | can still learn a lot from people who do and have also |
| competition or trying to wrestle a major account | | | | been very successful in their careers. When you |
| away from a competitor, athlete/executives respect | | | | respect the challenge, practice extreme preparation |
| the challenge they’re facing. They do not | | | | and honor your passion you will win the most |
| take on life-threatening activities or critical business | | | | important race — the race to be personally |
| challenges lightly. | | | | successful and fulfilled. |
| You should do the same. When you respect the | | | | © 2010 Jim McCormick |
| challenge you’re facing you give it the weight | | | | === |
| it deserves. You seek all the right advice. You | | | | Jim McCormick is the co-author of Business Lessons |
| don’t go after it ill-prepared. You give it the | | | | from the Edge the author ofThe Power of Risk and |
| effort it requires to be successful. | | | | the editor of 365 Daily Doses of Courage. Jim |
| Don’t go overboard. Don’t make a | | | | draws on his experience at a World Record and |
| challenge larger than it really is and allow it to | | | | North Pole skydiver, MBA and former corporate Chief |
| intimidate you. Just respect it. By respecting it you | | | | Operating Officer to help teams and individuals move |
| will significantly increase the chances of prevailing | | | | past self-imposed limitations through presentations, |
| over it. | | | | seminars and performance coaching. |
| Practice Extreme Preparation — A logical | | | | |