Anna Russell: How to go from good to great

Everything can take a negative slant and small problems become insurmountable Photo / Scotty T Photography

Last year I spoke at the Sealord annual conference, sharing my perspectives as a professional athlete on the topic of good to great. It is a very interesting topic, from both a corporate and an athlete point of view. For Sealord they had a very successful 2014 and are looking to build on that momentum to have an even better 2015.

As an athlete I find it can be easy to be motivated during times of challenge. This is because you are sidelined and watching other people achieve what you desperately want to. Many athlete stories are those of redemption, rebuild and beating the odds, and these are very inspiring.

The story that isn't told often is how do you remain motivated when you are already succeeding, how do you stay driven when a big goal has already been reached? I distill this down to one key factor: Constant dissatisfaction with the status quo, using the example that when I obtained my first professional podium, the first thought when I went over the finish line was 'what do I need to do to win'.

To help the Sealord team sustain motivation and drive for their 2015 goals I presented four key strategies that I use in my day-to-day athletic life.

1. A great support network
Although triathlon is an individual sport, most of the training I do is with a squad. On the days where motivation is low, it is this support I receive from the squad, which stops me hitting that snooze button.

Very often corporate environments become siloed, it is crucial to break down these barriers and create an environment of support and trust. When individual motivation falls it is the team that can rally and lift performance.

2. Visible goals
There are many visual reminders around my house of the goals I am training for. I see these regularly and at times that I need reminding. For example in the kitchen by the fridge, the first place I go to before early morning swim squad.

Corporates need to have clear alignment between work people do daily and how this affects the company's greater vision and purpose. This is best represented visually. At Fonterra I work with teams on creating vision statements, these are put up on everyone's desk as a constant reminder of what they are working towards.

3. Accountability
Athletes are held accountable to their coach and team. Every day I record my training, including metrics such as heart rate and pacing, for my coach. Motivation comes from seeing improvements from the effort you put in.

KPIs and metrics that are used so often in a corporate setting must be relevant to performance and need to be communicated regularly. People must know how their work impacts these metrics; this ensures everyone is rowing the boat in the same direction. Metrics can also be used to keep a company accountable to their customers and stakeholders. Do you know how your customers rate your performance? How do you compare against your competitors?

4. Celebrating success
This is a factor where many professional athletes could do better. After a great performance the thought process very quickly moves onto what factors need to be improved to make the next performance even better. Time should be taken to celebrate the moment and the effort that went into achieving that performance.

Spend time celebrating your teams successes, not all of them, but the major ones. Not only is it a great way to refocus energy on the next goals, but it brings the team closer together.

Two years ago, while working full-time, Anna left the corporate world to pursue her dream of becoming a professional athlete, competing around the world in Ironman triathlons. Anna now writes about her experience as a professional athlete and how her learnings can be applied to drive high performance in both individuals and teams. For further information visit: www.annarusselltriathlete.co.nz