Grinding

The joy (and value) of attrition.

Adelaide summer heat is dry and searing. Anything over 35 degrees Celsius is punishing as a cricketer and even more so when you are a fast bowler. Fielding in the afternoon sun with no clouds in the sky for 90 overs (taking approximately five to six hours) is one of the toughest situations in cricket. In my playing days, the hardest part was hearing our captain had lost the toss and the audible groans in the change room as everyone in the team realised we were going to take the field and suffer in the heat all afternoon. My head would physically bow and I would experience a sort of mini-grieving process.

At my peak, I could physically survive such days, but mentally I always found it difficult and was often bettered by my opponents. Until, one day we won the toss on a 40 degree day and sent the opposition into the field. As a lower order batter that meant I could put my feet up and relax for most of the afternoon. As I watched the first few hours of play I noticed something obvious I had never acknowledged previously. Our trainers were running drinks and ice packs out to our batters every 30 minutes to hydrate them and provide any form of relief they could. When our team's batters were out and came back to the pavilion they were red and drenched in sweat. Even if they had been out in the middle for less than an hour they came back and slumped in their chair carefully sipping on water as they went through a recovery regime from their experience in the heat.

These images hit me like never before. I realised the batters were suffering more than I had realised in these conditions. And, it makes sense as they were wearing bulky pads, gloves, and a helmet. Even just wearing that gear in the change room is hot and uncomfortable, let alone in the searing sun while having to concentrate on every ball, and then running between wickets. Talk about punishing!

From that moment on heat was my friend. I learnt to embrace the heat and even enjoy it. All I kept telling myself was that my opponent (the opposition's batters) were suffering more than I was as a bowler in such extreme conditions. All I had to do was keep going. All I had to do was keep to my plans and they would buckle. My proudest individual moment as a cricketer was the time I bowled 14 overs in a row on a 38 degree day. To put that into perspective most fast bowlers work in 4-8 over rotations (called 'spells') no matter what the weather conditions. I remember the feeling of that spell 20 years later. I was at my peak fitness and I was in flow - purely focused on my mantras (listed above) and simply refusing to acknowledge the heat was a problem for me. It was my friend and ally.   

It taught me a great lesson in the value of grinding. When things get tough and you don't feel you are strong enough, clever enough, knowledgeable enough, or good enough then that is the moment to simply 'hang in there' and grind through the difficulties being faced.

How can we build this into how we operate as leaders and professionals? Here are some things I have found to be useful:

1. The next 10 kilometres

Recently I worked with an IT project manager in one of my workshops. He was one of the most experienced people in the room and we built up a rapport over the couple of days we worked together. During a break he was telling me about his pursuit as a triathlete. I find it fascinating that people put themselves through such punishing training and competitions in their spare time on top of their day-to-day responsibilities. I asked, "how do you deal with the pain. Especially when you feel tired or out of breathe early in 60 km bike ride?" He said he focuses on his timing, the road, the conditions, and his technique with one focus - to get to his next 10 kilometer check point.  I said, "but, don't you get bored just cycling for hours?" No was his answer. In working to a 10 kilometer goal, there is a lot to concentrate on in such a short space of time. Before he knows it, he has completed 6x10km phases and he is home. He said, it actually goes by quickly most of the time!

Any pursuit can be overwhelming, but chunking it down helps us to take the weight out of our challenge and breeds energy, focus, and momentum.

2. Their hurt is worse than mine

When I realised my opponent was hurting more than me in the heat on the cricket field I was energised and highly focused. Before gaining this perspective I would revert to a below the line mindset and place myself in what Dr Stephen Karpman would describe as the Victim role (focused on helplessness, despair, and wanting to be saved by others). As soon as I learnt the reality of what others were suffering I was able to adjust my mindset to above the line where I was in control and able to create and act without fear. Karpam would call this the Creator role focused on possibility, problem solving, and innovating.   

When we realise our opponents are suffering just as much (if not more) we can blossom in the hardest of scenarios. When we understand this as a leader we can influence our team's performance in the toughest struggles imaginable. Invite the hurt, accept it, and then use it.

3. Enjoy the grind

They say that golf is the best way to ruin a good walk. It is frustrating, supremely difficult, and will punish you even when you play a good shot. It is a wonder many of us take up the sport in the first place! As per the theme of the content above, it is obvious the sheer difficulty of the sport is the reason many of us are addicted to it. But, I have always thought the inventors of the sport got it wrong. The structure is that a round of golf constitutes 18 holes (split into two halves of nine) which can take 4-5 hours to play. Walking up and down hills in the wind, rain, or sun  for this long can be physically demanding and mentally tiring. Usually, by the time I get to the 14th or 15th hole, I often think, "I am done". I have always thought golf would be better if it was a 12 hole game (two halves of six). Especially when you consider our modern lifestyles and how time poor we all seem to be.

But I have started to utilise my cricketing experience and embrace what I call The Grind. Those last three to four holes are the ones I try and make my best. As amateurs, this is where many of us drop away and can turn a poor round into a disastrous one. Instead it is an opportunity to turn a poor round into a good one, or a good round into a great one! When I get tired and I want to become undisciplined with my routines and decision making I remind myself to enjoy the grind and to not cut corners. The more I invest in The Grind the easier and more productive this phase of the game becomes.

Where can you embrace the grind? What are the moments your team can utilise it? Where can you help your people enjoy their grind? What rewards lay at the end of it?

I have referenced three individual pursuits, but when we practice and develop the ability to grind through tough moments as a team there is a commitment and confidence that builds. Not only as individuals, but as a tight-knit group.