As I announced on this blog last month, I am training with Team in Training to walk the Nike Women’s marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This will be my eighth marathon with Team in Training, so I’ve had a lot of time to think about the parallels between training for a marathon and optimizing business results. In fact, while I was training for my last marathon in 2008, I wrote an article that listed 11 business lessons. Since that time, I’ve come up with two more lessons that have a huge impact on organizational success:
1. The importance of having a compelling value proposition
Team in Training’s motto, or value proposition, is “Saving lives, one mile at a time.” Wow! From a fundraising perspective, this statement provides a compelling reason for people to donate, whether or not they have had personal experience with a blood-related cancer (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, Hodgkins’ lymphoma). Who wouldn’t want to support such a noble cause? From a participant’s perspective, this statement provides the inspiration to join the cause and the motivation to continue as the training miles increase, and it is the reason you dig deep down to find the internal strength you didn’t know you had to grind out 26.2 miles and cross the finish line. What actions does your organization’s value proposition inspire?
2. The impact of sharing results
Whether people are considering donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or signing up to train for a marathon, they want some assurance that their participation will make a difference. There are two ways that I help others understand the impact of their support. First, I share some compelling data. For example, thanks in large part to the Society’s research efforts, the survival rate of the most common form of childhood leukemia has skyrocketed from about 6% in the 1960s to over 90% today. Second, I put faces to these statistics by telling the stories of some of the people I have been honored to meet during my 16 seasons with Team in Training. Those stories relate how we celebrate the successes of those in remission, encourage and support those who are going through treatment, and renew our resolve to conquer the scourge of cancer to honor those who have lost their battles. What stories does your organization tell to demonstrate the value it provides?
If you would like to support my efforts to “Save lives, one mile at a time,” you may make a tax-free donation on my Team in Training web site. And watch for my progress throughout the season!
© 2010 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.
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