A run about passion, unity, celebrities, emotions, discipline, humanity…
Life in Mumbai is a race in itself; people start their day early and start runn
ing for their livelihood. It’s no different in any other part of the world but the race is far challenging in Mumbai due to the overstuffed local trains, buses and streets. The Mumbai marathon was initiated by Standard Chartered Bank in 2004 and since then the number of participants has grown from 22,000 to 38,450 in 2010. This run is conducted to make a difference by running for a cause which brings out a better person in us. I believe that a lot of facts of it being part of “The Greatest race on earth” are available from varied sources. This RACE has never been run to win, and lead the crowd but it’s about Recognition, Achievement, Contribution and Empowerment. Winning this RACE is not possible without the generally accepted 4 P’s. I am not talking about Product, Price, Place and Promotion, the 4P’s of marketing, but about Plan, Prepare, Practice and Perform. It can be considered as the four legs of a chair, if any of them is broken or even has a crack, the rest follows with a downfall. But the beauty of these 4 P’s is that it can be well correlated throughout the journey of life. Let’s try to learn few lessons from the Mumbai Marathon.... 
Recognition: Recognition has true meaning when it comes from people who benefit from our behavior or who have a direct interest in our achievements. The marathon is an individual event and everybody has to run on his own like the race of life, it is not a one day event but it is actually a process which needs recognition from the corporate for its employees, from Educational Institution for their students participating in the event and of course the role of friends and family cannot be left behind. But over an above it is the recognition of the participant for himself which makes a huge difference.
Achievement: Different participants have different opinion, for some it’s just the participation, for some completion of the race, and for some winning the race is an achievement. If you go through the website a 20 week and 9 week training and nutrition program has been designed for the full and half marathon respectively. The diligent effort put in by a participant throughout the whole process is an achievement in itself, as people don’t make their living by running marathons; each participant is puts in an extra effort to contribute towards oneself and to the society as a whole.
Contribution: The common man, the corporate czar, the politician, the socialite and the physically challenged come onto a common platform to contribute for the well being of society. The total contribution stands at Rs.7.75 Crores which is very less when we talk about bringing a change and making a difference, but I hope everybody would agree that the spirit of this run is intangible and cannot be measured in monetary terms. This is a sport in which practically every citizen can participate and contribute to oneself and the society through the spirit of this sport.
Empowerment: Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities (wikipedia). I spoke to few of my colleagues in office to understand the word better. They said this marathon has now become a festival in which people from all walks of life, even across borders come and participate in this memorable run. The cheerleaders, the Bhangra troop, the bollywood celebrities all join hands to make the experience better. As I have already stated this run is not an event it’s a process and we can call it as empowerment.
Let’s understand the 4 P’s better through the Mumbai Marathon:
Plan: This is the first P which requires lot of precision as to designing the training and nutritional schedule for oneself. This planning can be done with the help of an expert or through personal experience in the field. The physical capabilities differs from one another, hence requires specific exercise and diet regime which would suit the needs of the body. In the corporate world also the consultants (if the company has no expertise in the field) are hired to deep delve into the problems and find a solution which best fits with the culture and financials of the company. Planning is a framework which helps us understand what needs to be done and how.
Prepare: The preparation of the next marathon starts after the end of one. We understand the dynamics of the race through the planning, but sometimes we wait for the last bell to ring to kick start the whole process. The preparation part is not just learning how to do it, but actually doing it. It can be as basic as buying track pants, snickers, i-pod, having more of protein based diet, allocating a time slot in the busy hours, etc. Recently, we had to present a business plan to our Company’s Managing Director, and we made meticulous effort to make the PowerPoint, trying to make things perfect and flawless.
Practice: Now after all the planning and preparation the time comes to get into a routine and lead a disciplined life. When we talk about sport icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillai, Abhinav Bindra, and many more. They all have been able to reach such heights with their dedication to the sports they excel in and continuous practice. The jobs we perform; the culture we have imbibed and corporate ethics we display are all the outcome of continuous practice of business operations, corporate guidelines, code of conduct and corporate governance.
Perform: The most important P is dependent on the above mentioned 3 P’s. In real or corporate life this is what is always counted for and acknowledged by society. But, a winner always follows the rigorous process to success and excellence. The KRA’s so set by our bosses gives us ample of time to plan, prepare and practice. So, we should always pay more attention to the rest and Performance would follow automatically.
P.S.-The views expressed in this article are my personal and may clash with the opinion of many readers. I welcome their feedback and comment which would not only broaden the horizon of the article but would also help me blog better in the future.
Life in Mumbai is a race in itself; people start their day early and start runn
ing for their livelihood. It’s no different in any other part of the world but the race is far challenging in Mumbai due to the overstuffed local trains, buses and streets. The Mumbai marathon was initiated by Standard Chartered Bank in 2004 and since then the number of participants has grown from 22,000 to 38,450 in 2010. This run is conducted to make a difference by running for a cause which brings out a better person in us. I believe that a lot of facts of it being part of “The Greatest race on earth” are available from varied sources. This RACE has never been run to win, and lead the crowd but it’s about Recognition, Achievement, Contribution and Empowerment. Winning this RACE is not possible without the generally accepted 4 P’s. I am not talking about Product, Price, Place and Promotion, the 4P’s of marketing, but about Plan, Prepare, Practice and Perform. It can be considered as the four legs of a chair, if any of them is broken or even has a crack, the rest follows with a downfall. But the beauty of these 4 P’s is that it can be well correlated throughout the journey of life. Let’s try to learn few lessons from the Mumbai Marathon.... 
Recognition: Recognition has true meaning when it comes from people who benefit from our behavior or who have a direct interest in our achievements. The marathon is an individual event and everybody has to run on his own like the race of life, it is not a one day event but it is actually a process which needs recognition from the corporate for its employees, from Educational Institution for their students participating in the event and of course the role of friends and family cannot be left behind. But over an above it is the recognition of the participant for himself which makes a huge difference.
Achievement: Different participants have different opinion, for some it’s just the participation, for some completion of the race, and for some winning the race is an achievement. If you go through the website a 20 week and 9 week training and nutrition program has been designed for the full and half marathon respectively. The diligent effort put in by a participant throughout the whole process is an achievement in itself, as people don’t make their living by running marathons; each participant is puts in an extra effort to contribute towards oneself and to the society as a whole.
Contribution: The common man, the corporate czar, the politician, the socialite and the physically challenged come onto a common platform to contribute for the well being of society. The total contribution stands at Rs.7.75 Crores which is very less when we talk about bringing a change and making a difference, but I hope everybody would agree that the spirit of this run is intangible and cannot be measured in monetary terms. This is a sport in which practically every citizen can participate and contribute to oneself and the society through the spirit of this sport.
Empowerment: Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities (wikipedia). I spoke to few of my colleagues in office to understand the word better. They said this marathon has now become a festival in which people from all walks of life, even across borders come and participate in this memorable run. The cheerleaders, the Bhangra troop, the bollywood celebrities all join hands to make the experience better. As I have already stated this run is not an event it’s a process and we can call it as empowerment.
Let’s understand the 4 P’s better through the Mumbai Marathon:
Plan: This is the first P which requires lot of precision as to designing the training and nutritional schedule for oneself. This planning can be done with the help of an expert or through personal experience in the field. The physical capabilities differs from one another, hence requires specific exercise and diet regime which would suit the needs of the body. In the corporate world also the consultants (if the company has no expertise in the field) are hired to deep delve into the problems and find a solution which best fits with the culture and financials of the company. Planning is a framework which helps us understand what needs to be done and how.
Prepare: The preparation of the next marathon starts after the end of one. We understand the dynamics of the race through the planning, but sometimes we wait for the last bell to ring to kick start the whole process. The preparation part is not just learning how to do it, but actually doing it. It can be as basic as buying track pants, snickers, i-pod, having more of protein based diet, allocating a time slot in the busy hours, etc. Recently, we had to present a business plan to our Company’s Managing Director, and we made meticulous effort to make the PowerPoint, trying to make things perfect and flawless.
Practice: Now after all the planning and preparation the time comes to get into a routine and lead a disciplined life. When we talk about sport icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillai, Abhinav Bindra, and many more. They all have been able to reach such heights with their dedication to the sports they excel in and continuous practice. The jobs we perform; the culture we have imbibed and corporate ethics we display are all the outcome of continuous practice of business operations, corporate guidelines, code of conduct and corporate governance.
Perform: The most important P is dependent on the above mentioned 3 P’s. In real or corporate life this is what is always counted for and acknowledged by society. But, a winner always follows the rigorous process to success and excellence. The KRA’s so set by our bosses gives us ample of time to plan, prepare and practice. So, we should always pay more attention to the rest and Performance would follow automatically.
P.S.-The views expressed in this article are my personal and may clash with the opinion of many readers. I welcome their feedback and comment which would not only broaden the horizon of the article but would also help me blog better in the future.
