This morning as I rode my bike down River Road and over in Southern Indiana, I reflected on incremental gains (also called marginal gains), and how much they play a role in our development as people and progress toward the goals we set for ourselves, and with others. In this Harvard Business Review article, Sir Dave Brailsford breaks down the marginal gains approach he used to support a team of cyclists in winning Olympic Gold, grounded in 3 pillars: strategy, human performance, and continuous improvement.
Those three pillars are applicable across areas in our life. From recreational activity – like biking – to leadership, public speaking, and how we approach life-long learning.
And as Confucius said, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
The great thing about incremental gains is that they can be tiny. It can be a series of small steps, of little tweaks and lessons learned, that add up to a monumental change in the long run. I see many places where this is evident in my life. Small tweaks in nutrition and gear have made a huge impact on my cycling - not only how far I can go, but how I feel afterward. Another example - the difference in my first and second TEDx talks that took place in 2017 and 2019. Almost exactly two years apart, the person on the stage in 2019 was a very different, more confident presenter. It was two years of incremental gains, advice from a coach, practice, new strategies, putting in place a pre-presentation routine based on understanding what best enhanced my human performance – it all added up to a stronger, more impactful and vulnerable talk.
On the flip side, and especially with recent events, there are days when I find myself stressed, overwhelmed by everything happening in the world, at work, and at home. It is in moments like these that we can lose sight of the bigger strategy, and the small wins – incremental gains – that support us in our journey. We may slip into habits that don’t enhance us – as a human – in our performance, whether it’s mental, emotional, or physical. Taking a moment to pause and name some of those wins – whether it was asking for support, speaking up during a meeting, a team coming together to solve a problem, taking on a new challenge with your kids, identifying a new tool you can use – can help refocus us on what we want to accomplish, and the next incremental gain that will support us in our quest.
As we head into the week, I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect on and celebrate the incremental gains that you’ve had over the past few months. And, to consider what steps you can put in place to help you “carry the small stones” that over time, move the mountain to a new location, or up to greater heights.
With gratitude,
Josh
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Photo: Monday morning bike ride, sunrise and railroad tracks in Southern Indiana. June 15, 2020 by Josh Miller.
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Curiosity Fix...
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