Boxers – they’re brutes, right? Killer punching machines who enjoy hurting people? Violent sociopaths? Well, maybe a very small portion of them. But the majority are some of the most committed, elite athletes you will ever come across.
At first it might not seem like there’s much in common between a boxer and an entrepreneur – but stick with me, because there’s more than you realise.
It’s All About Heart
Heart is a big thing in boxing. We talk about fighters with skill, with speed, with power. But what gets boxing fans talking most passionately is a boxer with heart. This means they don’t quit. They get knocked down – they get back up. They don’t stay on the canvas. I’ve seen fighters continue with blood spilling out of cuts, with broken hands, with eyes so swollen they can’t see.
Fighters are tough physically, but fighting with heart is all about mindset.
Can you see how this relates to business? So many of us get knocked down and refuse to get back up again. We stay on the canvas and this gets us precisely nowhere. The fact is, you’re going to get knocked down. Even Ali got knocked down when he fought. What matters is what you do next.
Commit to Training
Boxers undergo some of the most intense training on the planet. Often 6-7 days a week, for hours at a time, they take on all sorts of cardio, interval training, strength training, weight lifting, technique training and sparring. Boxers always train for the worst possible scenario – they do more rounds and longer sessions than they will face in an actual fight. They prepare to go all the way and beyond the end of the match. All boxers would rather end a fight by knockout, not go all the way to the end, but that’s not always going to happen, so they need to be ready.
It take an enormous amount of commitment to put your body through a boxer’s training. It also takes training commitment to be in business. One thing you can never do is to stop moving forward, to stagnate. You always need to be learning new things, to adapt to what is happening in your marketplace, to create new products, to hone your services. Change is inevitable – and you need to be in top form to deal with it.
Action vs Reaction
There are essentially two ways to perform in a boxing match – you can act, or you can react. You can charge forward and try to strike your opponent, or you can wait for him to come to you and try to block his punches. It’s attack vs defense and there’s a place for both. If you attack for the whole match you’re going to get tired quickly. It takes a lot out of you. It’s smarter to attack a little, then retreat to rest, then attack again.
In business you can use the same tactic. If you’re go go go all the time, you will burn out – it’s just a matter of time. You need to find a balance. Attack for a while, put everything in that you have – and then retreat. Regroup. Rest. Take a holiday. And when you’re feeling recharged, you can attack again.
Precision
The difference between a miss and a knockout can be a matter of milimetres. This is a crucial part of a boxer’s training – learning to find that sweet spot, learning to hold your hand just so and place your glove just so for maximum effect. Becoming a master of anticipation – knowing what your opponent is about to do even before he does. Throwing the right punch at the right time in the right way. Every second and every milimetre counts in a boxing match.
Have you mastered precision in your business? Many entrepreneurs haven’t. They’re bigger picture people – they know they want to win the match, but they can’t sit still long enough to get a handle on the details. For most people the details are boring – they’re the least sexy part of business. But they’re also the very thing that can make or break your entire business. Learn to love the details, learn to master precision and you’ll be that much closer to winning the bout.