You've got to 'be' before you can 'do'

Six months ago I was convinced by a friend to run a half marathon, previous to this my longest run had been 10kms or half the distance required on the day. Once signed up I scoured the internet for training plans, tips and advice, immediately I was overwhelmed at the task at hand and the commitment it would take on my part.

“You've got to 'be' before you can 'do', and you've got to 'do' before you can 'have’.– Zig Ziglar. This famous quote from sales guru Zig Ziglar epitomizes the “Be > Do > Get” model which I used to get a roadmap for my training plan, which can also be used in a business context when looking at a goal you want to achieve.

Looking at the ‘GET’ I had to set myself a goal, in this case it is a finishing time, however in a business case it may be a target, promotion, result or milestone. Once assigning the ‘GET’ or goal, to finish injury free in under 2 hours, I moved to the ‘DO’ part of the equation.

The ‘DO’ or doing is the actions required to get the result, in my half marathon the harsh reality is I need to do upwards of 4 runs per week over a 3 to 4 month period and gradually increase the distance weekly. Once I had listed this I also looked at other things such as how much time I needed to commit, how to juggle this around other work commitments, even as far as - do I need new shoes? Yes, so that’s an action which I put on my list – literally listing everything that needs to be done to get the result. Now looking at my plan I have the actions and the result in mind, but still I need to look at what will drive me there, this is in the being, or ‘BE’.

In order to run 4 times a week, take on a project at work or get the promotion, you need to ask yourself, who do I have to be to do these actions, which in turn drives the result? Coming back to the half marathon example, I have to be motivated, without the motivation I will struggle in the ‘DO’ column and if I don’t do the actions (ie training) I cant expect the result in the ‘GET’ column.

A simple, yet effective tool for creating a plan of action when you are faced with a large or overwhelming task. it has helped me take my training one week at a time, knowing if I control the 'BE' and the 'DO' columns I am on track for the 'GET' - which is next weekend!

Try it for yourself, having three columns on a sheet of paper write out your goal in the 'GET', then work it back through the 'DO' and 'BE' until you have a clear plan of what needs to happen and who you need to be to achieve it!

Angus Firth
Performance Consultant

www.London.Dalecarnegie.com