Blog Content
|
Follow us on:
|
|
|
|
The Inner and Outer Competitors That Drive Us Introduction: In both sports and business, having a rival can be a powerful motivator. Sometimes that rival is an external opponent, and other times, it’s the person we were yesterday. Let’s explore how different kinds of adversaries can drive us to excel in sports, in our careers, and in our personal growth.  1. Sports Adversaries: The Fuel of Rivalries
In sports often the very best come in pairs. It almost seems that the rivalry pushes them to the very next level. From Nadal vs. Federer, the Williams sisters, Messi and Ronaldo, to the legendary team matchups of Real Madrid and Barcelona, sports have always thrived on iconic rivalries. These external adversaries push athletes to break limits and achieve greatness. The most recent example is how the Norwegian triathlon squad obliterated its competition during the Ironman World Championship in Nice where 3 athletes (Stornes, Iden and Blumenfelt) took the 3 podium spots. The 3 contenders are training buddies and push each other on the regular and ultimately prepared Stornes to step outside the shadow of his 2 compatriots, who had previously been world champions themselves. But even for us commoners, regular professionals, we sometimes push just a little harder to get the higher sales number, to be employee of the month versus a colleague. The competitiveness drives us just beyond being comfortable with the status quo. 2. Professional Adversaries: Corporate Competitions That Shape Industries Just as athletes have their rivals, so do companies. Think of the iconic face-offs like Windows versus Apple, Coca Cola and Pepsi, Airbus versus Boeing, where each side’s competitive spirit drove innovation. These professional adversaries can turn markets into arenas of creativity and growth. But would they be as aggressively pushing if there were no other contestant for market leadership. 3. Triathlon: The Inner Challenge The main difference In amateur triathlon is that the most compelling adversary is often the one within. Here, athletes strive to surpass their past performances and personal limitations, turning self-improvement into the ultimate competition. Often, triathletes are driven by inner demons or have created them just enough to continue the pursuit of excellence. The professional triathletes at the top, are the ones that find the continued strength to keep growing even after having reached the top and are able to do so for years on end. Despite the contenders working harder and harder to grab the top spot, the best in the world, keep charging forward to stay out of their grasp. 4. Personal Development in Your Profession: Becoming Your Own Benchmark And it is that mindset of continuous learning and improvement that triathletes also excel in the professional world. The idea of bettering yourself, learning, refining your craft, and setting your own standards, can be just as transformative. Becoming your own benchmark for success can fuel continuous growth and fulfillment. If you motivation is within yourself, not relying on external factors, the force is much more stable. Finding your WHY is important, but if that comes from within it is almost unstoppable. Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! Bonus Tips from Coach Glenn:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
How to Make Triathlon Investment Decisions Like a Business: ROI, NPV, IRR, PB and BCR Triathlon isn’t just a sport, it’s a portfolio of investments. Every week, you're deciding where to allocate your limited time, energy, and money. Do you double down on swim technique? What about that new race wheelset? Invest in coaching? Extend your sleep window? The stakes may not be financial on paper, but they’re personal and real. Note that the returns of our decisions could be future higher benefits or lower cost. In the business world, we try to reduce the guess work. We evaluate every move based on metrics like ROI (Return on Investment), NPV (Net Present Value), IRR (Internal Rate of Return), and Payback Period (PB), BCR (Benefit-to-Cost Ratio). These metrics help us separate emotion from impact, hype from value. So why not apply the same strategic discipline to your triathlon life in the right way, for the right decision? Let’s dive into how each financial decision-making tool can help you train, race, and recover smarter.  1. ROI – Return on Investment ROI is simple, fast, and popular. It asks: What do I get back compared to what I put in? In business, this might be extra output from a new machine in manufacturing. In triathlon, it is a bit trickier, because there is no real financial return – unless if you are a pro. However, you could determine personal value to a minute gained. Let’s assume for this purpose we set it at 20 euro/minute. Formula: ROI = (Total Return on Investment – Initial Investment Cost) / Initial Investment Cost When to Use It: ROI is perfect when comparing two competing options in the same period. This avoids the impact of the time difference. Example: You consider buying new shoes and plan to wear them in five 70.3 races.
Watch Out: ROI can bias you toward fast wins and shiny objects. It rarely accounts for when the return hits or how long it lasts. 2. NPV – Net Present Value NPV goes deeper. It considers future value, discounted to today's terms at expected average inflation rate. It’s not just about whether something pays off, but how much it’s worth over time once you factor in consistency, risk, and sustainability. Formula: NPV = Sum of Discounted Net Cash Flows (– Initial Investment Cost) When to Use It: Use NPV when the return of your investment is spread in multiple recurring phases over time. The delayed benefits compound over time and need to be taken into account. Example: We compare the NPV of our shoes.
Watch Out: NPV requires some assumptions about what future gains will be worth. Don’t overestimate and check in quarterly to assess actual results. 3. IRR – Internal Rate of Return IRR tells you how efficient an investment is over time. A higher IRR means a faster or more effective payoff per unit invested. It represents the discount rate which turns the NPV to zero. Formula: IRR = Discount factor that turns NPV to zero – software support When to use it: Use IRR to rank options that offer long-term benefits with different timelines. Camps, coaching, new disciplines (like trail running or cold plunges), or cross-training all have different IRRs based on how often and effectively they get used. Example: The IRR on the shoe case would be
Watch Out: IRR does not take into account the investment value. 2 projects could have the same IRR, but one could be a 500 euro investment and the other a 5000 euro cash out. Also, IRR can be misleading if your usage assumptions are wrong. The best investment won’t yield anything if it gathers dust in your garage. 4. PB – Payback Period Payback Period focuses on how fast something pays for itself. It’s less about total return and more about recovery speed. Formula: PB = Time needed for Actual Returns to meet Actual investment Cost When to Use It: Use PB when the timing matters: solving a problem before race day, recovering from injury quickly, or gaining a short-term edge in a race block. Example: In the shoe case, the PB would be PB A = 1.25 years / races PB B = 2.08 years / races Watch Out: A short payback doesn’t mean it’s the best investment, just the fastest. Pair PB with IRR or ROI to see the bigger picture. 5. BCR – Benefit-Cost Ratio BCR, or Benefit-Cost Ratio, is the underdog of decision metrics, not as flashy as ROI, but incredibly powerful when the payoff isn’t purely about performance. It measures the total value of benefits (tangible or intangible) compared to the cost. Unlike the first 4 KPI’s, which focus on net returns, BCR helps you answer the broader question: Is this worth it? Especially when your “gains” are emotional, social, or mental, not just physical. It is more comparable to the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) Formula: BCR = Discounted Present Value of Benefits / Discounted Present Value of Costs When to Use It: Use BCR when the returns are soft but valuable: Emotional well-being, mental clarity, lifestyle satisfaction. Meditation, breathwork, team training, or even a celebratory post-race trip might not make you faster, but they make the process richer, which fuels long-term consistency. Example: There is a lot to do about shaving before a race. Although the results could be only a few minutes, it could have a great impact on you psychological readiness, confidence and stress reduction. Imagine the 30 minutes spent (invested) shaving, for only 5 minute correlated time gain overall, and a boost in confidence. Versus feeling less confident and maybe losing time because of that. Watch Out: BCR is subjective, and it’s easy to convince yourself that something “feels worth it” when it’s just indulgent. Be honest with yourself: is this adding value over time, or just distracting you from what matters most? It’s about investing in depth, not just dopamine.  Strategic Implementation for Athletes Who Think Like Executives
Conclusion It is important to determine the right model and the right value for time. As a young athlete with a long career ahead of you the NPV would be recommended, looking for more foundational investements like Tridot Pool School. Older amateurs might prefer BCR, looking at a more expensive racing destination to add a vacation. Pro's might prefer to know the immediate impact better represented by ROI, when discussing altitude camps, wind tunnel aero optimization, nutrition, hypnotherapeutic psycholigists, and more. Additionally the value of time can hugely differ per person. If you are an age grouper looking to finish, an extra minute might be not valuable at all, but if you are close to making a KONA slot that extra 10 minutes might be worth 1000 euro. If you are pro looking at an overall win, the pay-off might be worth tens of thousands of dollars. Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
Goals: The Double-Edged Sword in the Formula of Success “You’ll never hit a target you can’t see. But you’ll never grow if the target is always within reach.” In the Formula of Success — (Preparation × Vision × Courage) + Luck – Goals, goals are both a compass and a scoreboard. They guide your direction and measure your outcomes. But here's the catch: not all goals are created equal. Some goals sharpen your focus like a laser. Others stretch your imagination and light a fire in your gut. But if set poorly, goals can backfire, creating stress, false expectations, or a warped view of success. The stress tied to your goals must be optimal, enough to drive performance, not derail it. Let’s break down how to use goals the right way, based on where you are in your success journey.  SMART Goals vs. Dreams: Focusing vs. Inspiring
Dreams are why you begin. They’re aspirational, often vague, and even slightly delusional by design. They stretch you. Think JFK's vision of putting a man on the moon or a Steve Jobs' vision to reinvent the computing industry. These fuel your COURAGE to ignite. They energize teams, create legacy, and fuel resilience when luck runs dry. SMART goals are how you win. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound actions are designed to focus attention and energy. They’re performance checkboxes. Practical. Tactical. Grounded. Ideal when you're in the PREPARATION mode or executing your strategy. They keep you honest and on track. Setting the right kind of goal depends on where you are in your success journey. The key is knowing when to dream and when to lock it down. Stay in dreamland too long, and your goals can become unreachable fantasies. That’s where your formula fails: (PxVxC)+L–G collapses when “G” becomes too heavy. You are more likely not going to succeed . Therefore, it is important be realistic about your goal and keep your dream as a stretch ambition, to keep the fire burning and the compass firm. “The secret to happiness (Success) is low expectations." (Barry Schwartz) The Goal Decision Tree: Know Your Phase Success isn’t binary, win or lose. It’s a process of progress. The trick? Break down big goals into sub-goals. Make each step small enough to win and big enough to matter. The benefit of this approach is that each goals is smaller and more achievable, it allows you to grow your preparation, vision and courage and not have to take a leap-of-faith. Enter the Goal Decision Tree:
This layered approach lets you build Preparation, Vision, and Courage without taking massive leaps. Along the way, you’ll discover that certain sub-goals unlock multiple outcomes. Those are your high-impact moves. Start there. With every small win, you fuel motivation and momentum. That’s the magic of compounding clarity. Don’t forget: It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
KAIZEN and the Triathlete's Edge: Why Small Steps Forge Big Wins In boardrooms and training zones alike, the myth of the “big leap” still seduces many. That one race. That breakthrough product. That magical transformation. But anyone who's ever stood on a start line, or built something lasting, knows: success isn't made in giant leaps. It's crafted in the grind of daily improvement. That’s where KAIZEN comes in.  What is KAIZEN?
KAIZEN is a Japanese philosophy meaning "continuous improvement." Not dramatic. Not flashy. Just deliberate, intentional, and compounding progress, day after day. In the corporate world, it’s behind Toyota’s world-class manufacturing. In the endurance world, it’s behind every personal best that didn’t happen overnight. KAIZEN is what gets you from: “I can’t swim 100m without gasping” to “I just negative-split a 3.8km open water swim and felt in control.” KAIZEN in Triathlon: The Daily Grind That Wins Races Triathlon doesn’t reward sporadic bursts of motivation. It rewards consistency. And KAIZEN is its secret sauce. Whether you're building aerobic base in Zone 2, mastering the high-cadence shuffle run, or finally syncing your breathing with your pedal stroke (hello, locomotor respiratory coupling), KAIZEN says: “You don’t need to be perfect today. But be a fraction better than yesterday.” If you improve by 1% every day, you will be approximately 37 times better by the end of the year. This is due to the power of compounding, where small daily improvements accumulate over time. One extra drill. One better fueling choice. One stronger mindset rep. Stack those for 12 weeks and what do you get? Momentum. Fitness. Confidence. KAIZEN for the Executive-Athlete Let’s not pretend life isn’t chaotic. As execs, we juggle QBRs, board politics, and workouts squeezed into dawn patrol hours, with social obligations and family life. KAIZEN helps here too. You don’t need to overhaul your calendar. You need 30 focused minutes. A better warm-up. A smarter recovery protocol. A refined pre-race routine. Apply the same method you’d use to improve a sales funnel or supply chain. Diagnose, tweak, test, iterate. You’re not aiming for revolution. You’re playing the long game. The Real Payoff: Identity Shift The power of KAIZEN isn’t just in race results. It’s in who you become along the way. You become someone who:
This is what our core GREAT ENDURANCE mentality is built on: Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!” BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
Luck Plays a Role in Success, but don’t Bet on it. If you’ve ever watched a successful athlete, executive, or entrepreneur being interviewed, you’ve likely heard the phrase: “Honestly? I was just lucky.” It’s a humble admission, and sometimes it’s even true. But it’s also misleading. Luck exists. It can give you a head start or hit you with setbacks you never saw coming. But let’s be clear: Luck is not part of the structural formula for success. It’s an additive, not a multiplying force. And understanding this difference changes how we pursue progress in both sport and leadership. How did you get to the situation so that you recognized the opportunity, were able to leverage it and were able to take advantage of it.  The Real Formula for Success
In coaching, in business, and in life, I work from a foundational model I call the Formula of Success (TFoS): Success = Preparation × Vision × Courage + Luck These three multiply each other. If any one of them is zero, the product is zero. Without preparation, courage becomes reckless. Without vision, opportunity remains hidden. Without courage, vision is never acted on. And luck? It’s simply an add-on. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes it hinders. But it never builds the house. Why the Additive Distinction Matters This difference, additive versus multiplicative, is not just semantics. It shapes how we respond to circumstances. If you believe luck multiplies your outcomes, you overestimate its power. You might start chasing serendipity, waiting for a break, or blaming randomness when things fall apart. But if you accept that luck is merely an additive variable, you keep control. You focus on the factors you can influence - your P, V, and C - and accept that luck will show up when it does. It may help. It may hurt. But it won’t define you. In fact, the stronger your preparation, vision, and courage, the less impact luck has on your trajectory. Luck in One Aspect of Life, Does Not Equal Luck All Around. Let’s look at Steve Jobs. Many people credit his success to timing and luck - and yes, there were elements of that. He met the right people at the right moment, during a technological boom. But Jobs also experienced extraordinary bad luck. He died at just 56 from a rare and aggressive form of cancer. All the vision, courage, and preparation in the world couldn’t stop that diagnosis. That wasn’t a result of choices or strategy. It was just… unlucky. But here’s what matters: his legacy wasn’t built by luck. It was built by years of relentless preparation, bold decision-making, and a relentless drive to build products that changed how the world lives and works. His story underscores that success has to be seen in multiple ways. Don’t focus only on career or monetary objectives. Everything is important until your health or family are in danger. Try to realize that on your journey to success and see the successes you have in other fields. The Executive-Athlete Takeaway Whether you’re running a company, training for a triathlon, or navigating a major life transition, waiting for luck is a losing strategy. It may show up, but you can’t control when, how, or for whom. What you can control:
Conclusion: Luck is always present either positive or negative. You want to make sure you need it the least and maximize the effect when you get. The beauty of luck that on average you will be lucky 50% of the time. Luck is always present either positive or negative. You want to make sure you need it the least and maximize the effect when you get. The beauty of luck that on average you will be lucky 50% of the time. You might hit a stroke of bad luck now, but know that in the next phase you might get lucky. Alternatively, when you get lucky, count your blessings and prepare for potentially a some bad luck later on. Success is not a destination, but a journey. Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
COURAGE: The Catalyst That Ignites Success (part of TFOS) You can have the best-laid plans (Preparation) and be aware of any and all opportunities (Vision), but without Courage, they remain locked in your notebook, safe and useless. In the equation Preparation × Vision × Courage = Success, courage isn’t the cherry on top, it’s the ignition key. If C (Courage) = 0, then it all equals zero. COURAGE is the multiplier. It’s the bold move. The committed step. The trait that turns potential energy into kinetic action. In triathlon terms, it’s jumping into cold, choppy water when your brain screams “not today.” In the boardroom, it’s signing that deal, launching the new strategy, or saying no to an overpaid comfort zone.  1. Grit and Resilience: The Daily Fight
Courage shows up not in grand moments, but in the grind. Grit means choosing to get into the ring every day. It means giving that presentation, even if the last one did not go great. It means getting into the open water, even when there are waves. Resilience? That’s the comeback story. Fall down seven, get up eight. It’s not heroic. It’s habit. In sport and business, you won’t avoid setbacks. Courage is what keeps your feet moving forward even when your confidence is taking body blows. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison 2. Risk-Taking and Overcoming Fear: Playing Beyond the Comfort Zone Every promotion, every race, every investment in yourself or others carries risk. Courage isn’t being fearless, it’s being willing to act despite the fear. Fear says: “What if I fail?” Courage says: “What if I don’t try and regret it forever?” Taking smart, calculated risks is essential in both sport and boardrooms. Think Ironman debuts, startup launches, or take a sabbatical to reset your life strategy. These aren't reckless. They're necessary inflection points. If you never feel fear, you’re not playing a big enough game. 3. Strategic Action: Boldness Without Blindness Courage isn’t the loudest person in the room or the first to jump. Real courage is calculated. You don’t storm the battlefield without recon. You train hard, assess risks, and then you take the leap. That’s the intersection of Preparation, Vision, and Courage. It’s not impulsive, it’s informed bravery. It is calculated decision making under uncertainty, just like management. Be bold. But be smart. 4. Emotional Intelligence: Strength with Self-Control Courage is also quiet. It's walking into conflict and leading with empathy. It’s receiving feedback without defensiveness. It’s holding the mirror up to your own leadership flaws without cracking. In high-stress situations, on the racecourse or in crisis meetings, emotional courage keeps the team together. It’s what separates explosive egos from composed commanders. Want to lead under pressure? Get comfortable being uncomfortable with yourself. 5. Accountability and Ownership: No More Excuses The courageous don’t hide behind circumstances or teams. They own the outcome, win or lose. You missed a deadline? Own it. Your athlete didn’t perform? Analyze your coaching. You bonked at kilometer 28? Learn, adapt, and move forward. Excuses are a virus. Courage is the cure. 6. COURAGE IS THE MULTIPLIER Without courage, the equation collapses. Preparation × Vision × 0 = zero. You need courage for the breakthrough, not just the blueprint. So, what does COURAGE look like today?
That’s not weakness. That’s growth. That’s movement. That’s COURAGE. Don’t forget: It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN: The beauty about courage is that it is addictive and there is no turning back. Once you get the courage to overcome your fears, the adrenaline will keep you from falling behind ever again. You just proved to yourself that you CAN DO IT ! So next time, you can take it just one more step further. ✅ Pick one thing today that scares you and do it. ✅ Reflect on a time you acted with courage. What did it unlock? ✅ Write down one bold thing you’ve been avoiding—and take one step toward it. ✅ Ask yourself: "If I weren’t afraid, what would I do right now?" Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
The Formula of Success: What Most High Performers Still Get Wrong What if success - real, fulfilling, sustainable success - wasn’t a mystery? In life, most people chase success or happiness as an objective, a single goal to have or to be, or not … In my work as a business executive, athlete, coach, and social life husband, father, son, … I’ve sat across from elite athletes, startup founders, CEOs, and high-performing professionals. Despite their vastly different domains, the conversations often revolve around the same core question of success. What if it was a mindset leading to a formula? I am introducing the Formula of Success (TFOS), which we will explore deeper in the following weeks, item per item.  The Formula
Success = ∑ (Time) ∑(Focus) (Preparation × Vision × Courage) + Luck - Goal Where:
Mind You: The Real Risks Behind Missing Factors Understanding TFOS isn’t just about knowing the elements, it’s about recognizing the dangers of imbalance. Here are the key patterns I’ve seen derail the driven:
Final Thought The Formula of Success isn’t theoretical; it’s based on life. It doesn’t guarantee a walk in the park, but it gives you a framework to make clear decisions, steady progress, and meaningful reflections, no matter what your field or ambition. It’s the system behind sustainable peak performance, but you still have to do it. Don’t forget! It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
In business, sport, and life, there are only three real levers to pull when you're in transition: Learn, Earn, and Turn. I use them every time I step into a new interim leadership role, and recently, I realized something powerful: this model doesn't just apply to companies, it applies in your personal life, too.  LEARN: The Outside-In Advantage
The first month in any new organization is like landing on a foreign planet. You don’t walk in with a hammer looking for nails. You listen, observe, and go beyond surface-level reports. You look for the hidden currents; what people aren’t saying, what gets swept under the rug or are hidden in plain sight - the forest through the trees, and where the friction lies between teams, tech, or targets. This isn’t passive. It’s active listening paired with curiosity. And guess what? The same applies to your personal growth. Whether in business or endurance sport, most of us are too close to our routines to see what’s outdated, inefficient, or just plain wrong. You need to zoom out to level up. Keep questioning what you are doing. Learn from friends, colleagues, books and online videos. Get a coach to get an outside perspective. EARN: Quick Wins Build Long-Term Trust Month two is where I shift into gear. I’m still learning, but now I’m applying it. I go after low-hanging fruit, the quick, smart, meaningful wins. Surfacing hidden truths and highlighting process inefficiencies that have grown over time, but weren't being questioned anymore as "they had always been done that way." These aren't cosmetic fixes, they’re evidence. Evidence that change is possible. Evidence that I understand the system. In a corporate setting, it might be a process improvement or cross-industry best practice. In life, it might be changing your morning routine or adjusting your swim stroke. When you implement something small that works, you start to trust the process. Consistency is key to materialize the growth. Earn your self-respect by keeping to it. Make the change ! Without that, the next step falls flat. TURN: Lead the Way Forward—Together Now comes the pivot. This is when you go from outsider to change leader. But here’s the trick: you don’t dictate the turn, you co-create it. You share the patterns you’ve seen, tie them back to people within the organization, and help them connect the dots. They need to see their own fingerprints on the new direction. You don’t just turn the wheel, you help others grip it with you. In sport, this might look like finally embracing structured training, listening to your coach, or leaving behind old habits that no longer serve you. It’s not about reinventing everything; it’s about turning towards something better, together. This is also why it is important to educate your athlete so they can see and believe why they change their habits. You can not force them as a coach, they need to be willing to join you on that journey. Why This Model Applies to YOU (Yes, You) Here’s the punchline: until recently, I didn’t see that I needed to apply this to myself. My blind spot? Assuming that personal evolution was automatic. It’s not. In an era of AI, rapid tech shifts, and aging knees (let’s be honest), we all need to continually learn, earn, and turn. The minute we stop learning, we start falling behind. The minute we stop earning trust with others, or with ourselves, we lose our edge. And if we never turn, we stay stuck in habits that no longer match our ambitions. Executive Athletes, Take Note If you're an executive triathlete reading this, the metaphor writes itself. You’ve been training for years. You know how to suffer. You’ve got the Garmin- Strava - TriDot log to prove it. But what if your plan is stale? What if your "strengths" are now your blind spots? A coach isn’t there to tear you down. They’re there to learn your rhythm, earn your trust with a few smart tweaks, and then help you turn toward your next breakthrough. That takes humility. It takes openness. And it takes a mindset that’s more about growth than ego. So ask yourself:
Because if you're not doing all three, you’re standing still. Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!
How to Stay Lean Without Losing Your Edge Let’s face it—executive life is demanding. Meetings, deadlines, travel, and decision fatigue hit hard and fast before most people have their second coffee. But staying lean? That doesn’t require a sabbatical or a personal chef. It requires systems, not willpower. These 10 daily habits are how high-performing execs stay lean, focused, and ready for anything.  1. No Alcohol
Elite executives either cut it out completely or reserve it for rare, intentional moments. Why? Because alcohol is a triple threat: it spikes appetite, adds empty calories, and delays fat loss. Want to stay sharp and lean? Keep the champagne for the truly special deals. 2. 10,000+ Steps a Day Lean execs engineer movement into their day. Walking meetings, stairs over elevators, parking far away, walking around the office while on speaker, … these are micro-habits that add up. 10K steps isn’t a number; it’s a mindset. Your day is your gym. 3. Endurance Training is Foundational Want to build staying power? Prioritize endurance. Think early morning fasted cardio runs, bike sessions during virtual calls and webinars, or treadmill walks with a podcast. Zone 2 training is gold - low stress & high return. You’re not training to collapse on the finish line; you’re training to outlast the chaos. 4. Weightlifting is Critical for Durability Muscle is your metabolic engine and your injury insurance. Resistance training 2–3x per week builds not just strength, but resilience. No time for the gym? Knock out bodyweight exercises during the day at the office: squats, push-ups, lunges or use resistance bands and work on your core strengthening while watching TV at night. Strength isn’t vanity, it’s strategy. 5. Sleep: The Silent Performance Enhancer Lean execs treat sleep like a board meeting, with priority and purpose. Aim for 7–8 hours a night, ideally in 90-minute cycles. Quality sleep reduces cravings, boosts recovery, regulates hormones, and sharpens your mood and focus. Ignore sleep, and your performance will tank over time. 6. They Keep Themselves Honest You can’t optimize what you don’t track. Always wear your sports watch or OURA ring, weigh in regularly and log your steps. Lean execs know their numbers as if it were there body balance sheet and PNL. This isn’t about six-packs. It’s about self-leadership. What gets measured gets managed. 7. Real Food Dominates Their Plates Forget fads. The lean lifestyle is built on eggs, steak, chicken, fruit, and vegetables. Protein and fiber are the anchors. Processed food? Enjoy it—but rarely. Your taste buds can be retrained to crave clarity over convenience. If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, neither should your metabolism. 8. Breathing Excellence Powers Performance High performers don’t just manage time, they manage breath. During training, techniques like LRC (Locomotor Respiratory Coupling) enhance endurance. At work? Box breathing and nasal breathing calm stress, boost clarity, and drop cortisol. Breathe better. Lead better. 9. Embrace Discipline Motivation is fickle. Discipline is freedom. These execs don’t wait to “feel like it”—they show up regardless. They train when tired, eat clean when stressed, and follow the plan when it’s inconvenient. As Aristotle said: “You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” 10. It’s Part of Their Identity This isn’t about hacks. It’s about habits embedded in who they are. Every action is a vote for the person they want to become. And when they slip? They reset, not retreat. It’s about standards—and surrounding yourself with the kind of people who raise yours. Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle! (inspired by post Dan Go)
How to Use the Balanced Scorecard to Level-Up Your Triathlon Performance As a triathlete, your success isn’t just about race day; it’s the product of hundreds of small, strategic decisions over many weeks and months: your training execution, technical development, feedback absorption, and physiological readiness. But how do you ensure you're progressing on all fronts, not just checking off workouts? Enter the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a powerful framework borrowed from business strategy that translates exceptionally well to high-performance sport.  Originally designed by Kaplan and Norton, the Balanced Scorecard aligns long-term results with key operational drivers through four perspectives:
The genius of BSC lies in correlation and causality—each layer feeds the one above. Investments in learning build better processes, which in turn improve outcomes and final performance. This allows you to build over time and start implementing improvements on the lowest level, which will reap benefits over months, or even race seasons. Let’s apply this to triathlon. 1. The Balanced Scorecard: A Triathlete’s Roadmap to Success Here’s how each BSC perspective translates into endurance sport - each layer, from bottom to top, feeding the next: consistent learning boosts execution, leading to better physiological readiness—and ultimately, stronger race-day performance.  2. Applying the Balanced Scorecard to Triathlon Training
2.1 Performance Output (Financial Perspective) This is the top-line metric: what you're delivering on race day. These are your ultimate KPIs that every other layer contributes toward. Key KPIs:
2.2 Indirect Performance Indicators (Customer Perspective) You can't race weekly, so use predictive indicators that are closely correlated with your race outcomes. Key KPIs:
2.3 Execution Excellence (Internal Process Perspective) This is how well you're executing your training plan qualitatively and consistently. Doing the right training right is important to gaining the maximum return of your training input. Secondly, the fastest gains are made by consistently working on marginal incremental gains, allowing the body to continuously adapt, with sufficient recovery to avoid injuries Key KPIs:
2.4 Skill Development & Capacity (Learning & Growth Perspective) This is your engine for future performance, both mental and technical. It is the longest term metric is what you spend in learning and development from nutrition to sports technique. This will obviously not affect your results tomorrow, but will impact your performance ove 2-4 seasons to a longevity career as an age grouper. You can either go at this alone, DIY style, or maximize the impact and catch up – if you started later in life – by working with a coach and learning from their experience. Key KPIs:
3. Implementing the Balanced Scorecard for Triathletes Here’s how to move from theory to action:
4. Conclusion: The Key to Unlocking Your Triathlon Success Applying the Balanced Scorecard to your triathlon training gives you clarity, structure, and actionable feedback loops on the short and long term. You're no longer just hoping to improve, you’re engineering it. You’ll be able to see the chain reaction from learning a better swim technique, to executing sessions better, to watching your FTP climb, to smashing your next PR. Don’t forget! It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey! BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN
Share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle! |
Coach Glenn* Founder and Head Coach GR&AT Endurance Training * Ironman Certified Coach 
Categories
All
Archives
October 2025
|
RSS Feed