Africa Business Communities

Maria Auma: Business and Sports – they are not so different from each other

There are certain instances in business when you have the low and peak season. While we all dread having low seasons, the peak seasons will threaten to throw you off your game or bring you to the near point of a nervous breakdown. I am not joking about this by the way. I have watched it happen to a few friends to the point that they had to call in sick at work. And yet in this ever shark-like environment, one cannot afford to lose their edge. At times I also find myself just at the precipice of going over the cliff. In such instances this is what I do:

I pick out a sport.

I realized the reason for my edge was the tension building up inside me from deadlines that needed to be met. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working on deadlines; it sets an adrenaline rushing through my every fibre. Perhaps the issue here is learning how to manage your deadlines effectively. Say for example, if you have a proposal to submit by a particular date to a potential client, how will you work around the time and with the resources you have to meet the deadline? One of the key tips is to delegate. Involve your team and assign tasks accordingly. You don’t want to burn out just because you believe you are the only one who can accomplish the task perfectly. And what kind of leader would you be anyway if you failed to groom the people around you? I digress.

Picking out a sport is a great way to de-stress. I am learning a lot about the basics of running a business and about success. You see when you set out to train, you set targets. These could be monthly and subsequently divided into weekly targets that are determined by how many days you devote to the activity. In my case I do both swimming and tennis. The former I am training at the professional level and the latter at beginner’s level. I chose to do this because I realized that I had so much unused energy inside of me at the end of a work day that needed to be released.

It does help a lot if you have someone to train with, because let’s be honest, who wants to compete alone? You need to have a measure to determine how much effort you need to put in to reach mastery or if only to have a cheer leader. For example, on one of my travels within Uganda, I recently met an engineer from Bosnia who has this entire training schedule mapped out. We hit it off instantly and I realized he would make a great sports partner. A couple of coffees later we had mapped out a clear plan for me to follow during my swimming practice. With tennis it is fairly simpler to get company since at beginner’s level the club usually assigns a playmate.

Some lessons I have learned relating to business so far include things like persistence, determination and practice, practice, practice. I think sports is one of the few areas where failure is actually a good thing, because it motivates you to get it right the next time. Every time I miss the ball because of a poor swing or for lack of focus I determine within me to perform better with the next serve. Yes, focus is another good skill I get to equip myself with. Like my coach says “eyes on the ball” –this is the same mantra used in business. We need to keep our eyes focused on the end goal. In fact to be more precise, you need to start with the end in sight, and go from there.

That said, you don’t have to choose tennis or swimming as your number one sport. A simple sport like jogging is a good way to release some steam and clear your head. Plus it is absolutely free. You can even get a jogging companion, or as I have heard, install a jogging app that partners you up with others across the world setting personal targets. Lots of lessons to draw from that simple activity, and a perfect way to keep fit and stay healthy. To make the activity worth your hours, set out a special target, say for example signing up as a participant in a good campaign marathon (like a cancer awareness run, or charity run). This will give you something to work towards with much more fervour. Who knows, you just might earn medals and certificates of recognition while you’re at it. Now wouldn’t that be something?

Maria Auma is CEO of Blue Luxury Investments, Kampala, Uganda.

 

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