FEATURES | Marathon man ‘The first sub-two-hour marathon is an astonishing individual achievement, but itis also a lesson in leadership, as a distinguished African theologian explains / By AGBONKHIANMEGHE E. OROBATOR Learning from Kipchoge NIQOCTOBER, ona misty morn- ing in a Vienna park, Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge completed. a marathon in ¥ hr 59 min 40.2 see, His feat captivated the imagination of ‘peoplearound the world, far beyond the sport- ing community Kipehoge’ time will not count ‘a8 an official reeord because he was sur- rounded by a rotating flock of pacemakers guided by an electric earindicating the correct speed. Be that as it may. His triumph is ‘epochal and has been justly eompared to the first lunar landing. Tewasan extraordinary individual achieve ment for the softly-spoken 34-year-old ‘Kenyan. Butlike the moon landing it was also ‘avietory for a large well-drilled team. Ina ‘crowded field of opportunists, manipulators ‘and phony celebrities, Kipehoge stands out ‘asa role model for uthenticleadership. Here are four lessons I take away from his aston- ishing achievement. ‘Lesson 1: Setyour sights high Before breaking the two-hour marathon bar~ rier, Kipchoge had already established his pedigree as an Olympic gold medal-winner and four-time winner of the London marathon, Rather than lower his guard and. revel in his success he set his sightsona new fronti Aiming high requires practice, repeated practice. And ittakes discipline. Ofits nature, Aiscipline implies sacrifice. There are many distractions that Kipchoge had to forego to remain focused on his goal, He summed up. ‘his motivation and vision in four words: “No ‘human is limited” Kipchoge refused to be defined by his limitations. Rather he saw ‘opportunities for greatness, In the Jesuit Ignatian tradition we talk about the concept of magis. The word simply ‘translates as “the more’ But magisisnot sim- ply quantitative ~ an accumulation of discrete ‘efforts and actions that we hope will yield new results. Magis relates to attitude and drive. Its about a resolute determination never to sete for less, and to see obstacles not as barriers but new opportunities. ‘One of the principles that guide us Jesuits is that we ‘are never content with the status ‘quo, the known, the tried, the already existing. ‘Weare constantly driven to discover, redefine, and reach out for the magis, For us, frontiers 8) THETABLET | 26 OCTOBER 2019 un: mmonace itiudKipchore fl and boundaries arenot obstacles or ends, but new challenges tobe faced, new opportunites tobe welcomed, Indeed ours a holy bake hess, certain apostolic aggresivity typical of our way of proceeding” (General ‘Congregation 34, decree 26, no. 27). Kipchoge isalving embodiment ofthis principle. Lesson 2: Failure isnot a deterrent ‘This was not Kipchoge’ first attempt to break the two-hour barrier. Although he already had an impressive collection of marathon wins and records under his belt, he made his first attempt at breaking the barrier about a ‘year ago. Agonisingly, he fll short by just 26 seconds, That may seem trivial. What's 26 seconds inthe grand scheme of things? But for an athlete of the Kenyan’ calibre, it was a significant setback. Yet failure wasn't a deterrent. It became the fuel to recalibrate his strategy, intensify his effort and refocus his attention, He reviewed his previous attempt and applied some basic questions: what did I do well? ‘Where di I fll short? What could Ldobetter next time to achieve my goal? “This intentional examination of conscience requires honesty, openness and the humility toadmit our shortcomings even if we refuse tobe defined by them. The fail-fast principle {swell established in business education and practice. Not only does Kipchoge validate the ‘wisdom of this practice, he demonstrates the requisite mental strength to turn failure into fuel for success. Lesson 3: Its not about me ‘When asked about the significance of his remarkable achievement Kipehoge made clear his hope that it would inspire other athletes to take aim at breaking the world record. Ata time of great adulation by a ‘global audience, histhoughts are turned not ‘on himself but on inspiring others to similar ‘or greater success, ‘Too often wefind leaders whose vision and ‘goodwill are curtailed by sel-centredness and ‘the temptation to aequire and preserve priv- ileges and advantages for themselves and their coterieof followers. Kipchoge offers an alter- native model of leadership as an exereise of service of others. 1t places the needs of others ‘ahead of one’s own narrow interests. Lam reminded of the mantra that is the staple of ‘many Jesuit institutions: “Women and men for others" Inother words, authentic leader- ship serves the common good, ‘Lesson 4 Collaboration and ‘cooperation pay’ ‘The name, Eliud Kipehoge, will always be etched in the history ofhuman achievement. He is the only human to have achieved the feat long considered impossible of runninga marathon under two hours, But he dida't do it alone. He relied on the help and support ‘of others. Tam not talking about the com- mercial sponsors, from petrochemical ‘companies to mobile phone operators. They ‘were in itfor themselves, lam not even talking ‘of his coaehing team, highly killed and ded ieated though it was, I am talking of the pacemakers, “The 1 October edition of the Kenyan news- paper, The Daily Nation, posted a dramatic photo on its front page. init Kipchoge poses ‘with the elite athletes who had been hand- picked to serve as his pacemakers in his race toglony. Hestands out in his white top among their blue vests, His vietoryis as much theirs as his, The bedrock of his suecess was the ability to conneet the strength of many and secure their commitment to a noble ideal. Tam reminded of a well-worn Afriean proverb: if you want to go fast, walk alone; ‘fyou want to go far, walk with others. That's the difference between a sprint and a marathon ~ and suecess in most human, ‘endeavours is a marathon, It takes the ‘combined effort, the collaborative drive and the shared vision of a team of people to ‘muster the stamina to stay the eourse and. ‘ross the line. ‘There is much to celebrate in Kipchoge’s spectacular achievement. From the perspec- tive of leadership, it provides impetus to believe inthe limitless potential of human ‘beings, never tobe deterred by failure, to keep focused on the common good and to adopt ‘collaborative approach to life and work Here’ to Elind Kipehoge. Agbonkthianmeghe E. Orobator Sis president ofthe Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar. His most recent book is Religion and Faith in Africa: Confessions of an Animist (Orbis). For more features, news, analysis and comment, visi wwwithetablet.co.uk