I am not the greatest climber or descender on the bicycle. Columbus, Georgia is flat and doesn’t have much elevation change. Recently, I went to the North Georgia Mountains and did a cycling climbing camp to improve my skills and abilities at climbing and descending mountains. For a week, I climbed some of the iconic climbs in Georgia — Jack’s Gap, Neel’s Gap, Hog Pen, and Wolf Pen. After 240 miles and 24,000 feet of climbing I returned to Columbus. My climbing, speed, and power on the bicycle had all significantly improved.

I talked about what athletes over 50 have to focus on to maintain their edge in Post #131. But what does climbing camp have to do with older athletes, leaders, and executives? How can you leverage this type of experience to get better at a sport or business?

Advantage for the Older Athlete, Leader, and Executive

During the 1984 campaign for US President, Ronald Reagan, then 73-years old, ran against 56-year old Walter Mondale. During a debate, Reagan said, “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.”

However, the older athlete, leader, and executive does have advantages that they can exploit over their younger competition. The younger athlete, leader, or executive has the luxury of time to develop skills. The older athlete, leader, or executive can use money, rehearsals, and a team to help master a new skill quicker than her peers.

Money

The older athlete, leader, and executive has access to money which can fund travel, coaching, or training. Travel can introduce you to other people that are passionate about your business or line of work. It can expand your network. And it can provide insights in how others are dealing with similar problems. Money can pay for coaches — whether it is a cycling coach or an executive coach, a coach can teach, provide feedback, or construct plans to develop you. Finally, money can help give you more training repetitions which can give you an edge. Going to the driving range and hitting a bucket of balls can help decrease your golf score. Using an indoor trainer can give you more time on the bike in any weather and make you faster. Doing a reconnaissance of a business event or meeting can give you an advantage when the real meeting happens.

Rehearsals

Malcolm Gladwell popularized the concept that it takes 10,000 hours of "deliberate practice" are needed to become world-class in any field. How do you get to 10,000 hours as quickly as possible? Rehearsals are a key short cut to get the most out of the real-world deliberate practice. Strava is an app for athletes that uses GPS data to track athletic performance. For me, it gave me the ability to preview the climb I was going to do the next day. The night before, I could see the grade of the road, discover where the easy and hard spots were, and see what other cyclists were able to do on the climb before me. Think about how you can do a virtual rehearsal of the skill you are trying to acquire as an executive. It may require creativity to do it, but the time spent rehearsing can help the actual event or skill go much more smoothly.

Team

Finally, employ a team. For my cycling I have a mechanic who fixes my bike, a coach that helps develop my training plan, and a group of cyclists who will push me. For my business, I have a team that I call when I encounter a tough problem — an expert on executive coaching, a lawyer, an accountant, a website developer, a graphic designer, and an editor. For me, it takes a team in both endeavors to be successful. Take stock of your team as an athlete or an executive. If you have a gap, find someone that can fill that gap and help take you to the next level rapidly.

Conclusion

I spent money, time, and rehearsals, to improve a weakness of mine on the bike by attending a climbing camp. Use your advantages as an older athlete, leader, and executive — money, rehearsals, and employing a team — to grow your skills as rapidly as possible. Then, go on the offensive in 2021.