Running
a business is like running a marathon. Some of the skills
essential for business success can be learnt, honed
and demonstrated by training for and running marathons.
Hence, some marathon runners among the eligible senior
executives are being recruited as CEOs and some CEOs
are taking up marathon running. Executives involved
in marathon running comment that marathon running helps
them to hone their managerial and business skills, improve
their fitness level to manage their companies and help
them manage their stress. In this article, some of the
CEO marathoners are identified and their marathon running
efforts, the reasons for running marathons and benefits
outlined by them are detailed and described. This information
will be of use to CEOs and aspiring CEOs to assess the
benefits of taking up the marathon running challenge
in the foot steps of current CEO marathoners.
Marathon
is a running race and the distance involved is 26 miles
and 385 yards (26.22 miles). A person who finishes the
marathon race is termed as marathoner. Nowadays, the
emphasis in marathon race is on finishing the distance.
Every marathon participant is in competition with himself
to finish the distance as well as to improve his timing.
Marathon running is very popular in the US and more
than 382,000 persons finished marathons in 2005. Comparatively
in India, around 1000 persons may have finished marathon.
According
to Jerry Kline, the founder and CEO of Innovative Interfaces,
which has stayed in the race to supply business systems
to libraries around the world for more than 25 years,
the secret of running a marathon is to pace oneself
so that one can still be going many miles down the line.
Otherwise, runners burn themselves out and hit the wall.
According to Kline, he followed his marathon training
and running approach in business. While many rival companies
have come and gone, Innovative has grown steadily and
profitably to a company of 280 employees.
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