Since the beginning of 2024, several work plans that have been prepared last year have begun to be implemented one by one. If you are one of those who get the responsibility as a project manager, I am sure that you want your project goals to be achieved according to the plans that have been made. While project managers typically draw insights from business literature and industry best practices, there is much to be learned from the world of sports. Sporting events, with their emphasis on teamwork, strategy, resilience, and performance optimization, offer valuable lessons that can be applied to project management.
A friend of mine, let's call him Eka. The project manager in charge of overseeing a large project for the construction of an integrated industrial area on a national scale, told me how he learned a valuable lesson from a sports event he participated in, a Marathon. He is not a professional runner, he got to know running after starting to exercise regularly during the pandemic. His first sport routine was cycling, but as the pandemic subsided, many of his friends eventually switched to running. After starting to pursue running, he began to venture into several long-distance running events gradually starting from a distance of 5 km, 10 km, Half Marathon (21.1 km), and recently he successfully completed his first Full Marathon at a marathon event in Singapore, a long distance run with a distance of 42.2 km.
In his story, he shared us some of the lessons learned in his quest to complete his first full marathon, and according to him, the lessons learned are closely related to what he often faces in his daily work at the field. Some of those lessons include the following:
To be able to complete 42.2 km without experiencing injury or severe fatigue, a marathon runner needs to have a strategy and careful planning long before the scheduled event takes place. Same with a project manager. Before starting a project, at a minimum, a project manager must develop a comprehensive strategy, anticipate risks, and plan for contingencies to navigate the complexity of a project landscape. Learning from the physical and mental preparation to complete her first full marathon, Eka decided to refine her project strategy, conduct a thorough risk assessment, and adapt to changing circumstances with agility and foresight.
Today's marathon runners are optimizing their techniques and utilizing technology to improve performance. Like Eka who always monitors her running performance data through data analytics obtained from the smart watch that he used while running. He then reflects on the importance of performance optimization in projects by starting to optimize the features in the project management software they used, to analyze data and metrics, Eka realizes it is absolutely necessary to drive project efficiency and effectiveness. He is committed to closely monitoring project performance, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle.
A marathon runner will push the limits of their own endurance and fighting power up to 42.2 km. This reminds Eka of the importance of endurance and persistence in completing a project. Just like a marathon runner who faces physical and mental challenges along the track, a project team will also face various kinds of obstacles, setbacks, and tight deadlines. Eka realized the need to cultivate endurance and persistence to stay focused on long-term goals and persevere through adversity to see the project through to completion.
When he first started running, Eka joined a running community in her circle of friends. This made him realize the important role of teamwork and collaboration in project success. Just like the running community, although sometimes they can be so annoying, their role is significant in providing support and encouraging Eka to continue to improve and not give up easily when undergoing her first full marathon. Similarly, in the field, project team members must work together, communicate effectively, and support each other to achieve common goals. Eka is also increasingly aware of the importance of fostering a collaborative team culture, utilizing the strengths of each member, and aligning efforts to achieve common goals.
Inspired by the passion and dedication of coaches in the running community who can explore and maximize the potential of members to be able to achieve their respective targets to be able to finish strong, Eka reiterated the important role of leadership and motivation in project management. Just as coaches inspire and spur their members to overcome obstacles and achieve personal targets, project managers must lead by example, communicate vision and goals, and motivate their teams to deliver outstanding results. After this first full-marathon finish, Eka is determined to inspire his team, provide guidance, give support, and celebrate achievements and accomplishments throughout the project journey.
As Eka reflected on the lessons learned from the sporting event, he seemed to realize the transformative power of inspiration from sources outside of the traditional project management. By embracing the principles of resilience, teamwork, strategy, performance optimization, and leadership gained from the world of sports, a project manager like Eka can enhance their capabilities, drive innovation, and lead their team to victory in an increasingly competitive project management landscape.
Gardhika Waskita Pakqi
Resident Assessor
prasmul-eli Assessment Services
Since the beginning of 2024, several work plans that have been prepared last year have begun to be implemented one by one. If you are one of those who get the responsibility as a project manager, I am sure that you want your project goals to be achieved according to the plans that have been made. While project managers typically draw insights from business literature and industry best practices, there is much to be learned from the world of sports. Sporting events, with their emphasis on teamwork, strategy, resilience, and performance optimization, offer valuable lessons that can be applied to project management.
A friend of mine, let's call him Eka. The project manager in charge of overseeing a large project for the construction of an integrated industrial area on a national scale, told me how he learned a valuable lesson from a sports event he participated in, a Marathon. He is not a professional runner, he got to know running after starting to exercise regularly during the pandemic. His first sport routine was cycling, but as the pandemic subsided, many of his friends eventually switched to running. After starting to pursue running, he began to venture into several long-distance running events gradually starting from a distance of 5 km, 10 km, Half Marathon (21.1 km), and recently he successfully completed his first Full Marathon at a marathon event in Singapore, a long distance run with a distance of 42.2 km.
In his story, he shared us some of the lessons learned in his quest to complete his first full marathon, and according to him, the lessons learned are closely related to what he often faces in his daily work at the field. Some of those lessons include the following:
To be able to complete 42.2 km without experiencing injury or severe fatigue, a marathon runner needs to have a strategy and careful planning long before the scheduled event takes place. Same with a project manager. Before starting a project, at a minimum, a project manager must develop a comprehensive strategy, anticipate risks, and plan for contingencies to navigate the complexity of a project landscape. Learning from the physical and mental preparation to complete her first full marathon, Eka decided to refine her project strategy, conduct a thorough risk assessment, and adapt to changing circumstances with agility and foresight.
Today's marathon runners are optimizing their techniques and utilizing technology to improve performance. Like Eka who always monitors her running performance data through data analytics obtained from the smart watch that he used while running. He then reflects on the importance of performance optimization in projects by starting to optimize the features in the project management software they used, to analyze data and metrics, Eka realizes it is absolutely necessary to drive project efficiency and effectiveness. He is committed to closely monitoring project performance, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle.
A marathon runner will push the limits of their own endurance and fighting power up to 42.2 km. This reminds Eka of the importance of endurance and persistence in completing a project. Just like a marathon runner who faces physical and mental challenges along the track, a project team will also face various kinds of obstacles, setbacks, and tight deadlines. Eka realized the need to cultivate endurance and persistence to stay focused on long-term goals and persevere through adversity to see the project through to completion.
When he first started running, Eka joined a running community in her circle of friends. This made him realize the important role of teamwork and collaboration in project success. Just like the running community, although sometimes they can be so annoying, their role is significant in providing support and encouraging Eka to continue to improve and not give up easily when undergoing her first full marathon. Similarly, in the field, project team members must work together, communicate effectively, and support each other to achieve common goals. Eka is also increasingly aware of the importance of fostering a collaborative team culture, utilizing the strengths of each member, and aligning efforts to achieve common goals.
Inspired by the passion and dedication of coaches in the running community who can explore and maximize the potential of members to be able to achieve their respective targets to be able to finish strong, Eka reiterated the important role of leadership and motivation in project management. Just as coaches inspire and spur their members to overcome obstacles and achieve personal targets, project managers must lead by example, communicate vision and goals, and motivate their teams to deliver outstanding results. After this first full-marathon finish, Eka is determined to inspire his team, provide guidance, give support, and celebrate achievements and accomplishments throughout the project journey.
As Eka reflected on the lessons learned from the sporting event, he seemed to realize the transformative power of inspiration from sources outside of the traditional project management. By embracing the principles of resilience, teamwork, strategy, performance optimization, and leadership gained from the world of sports, a project manager like Eka can enhance their capabilities, drive innovation, and lead their team to victory in an increasingly competitive project management landscape.
Gardhika Waskita Pakqi
Resident Assessor
prasmul-eli Assessment Services
