I met Varun at a party yesterday. He is an expert in the fitness industry. Usually, everyone going to the gym focuses on one muscle group every day. There are about ten exercises with three repeats in them. I discussed with him my exercise routine and asked for his recommendations. He had a very different perspective on it.
He said that we need to be clear about our fitness goals. But Strength Training is the foundation of fitness. To build strength, we need to exhaust the muscles. Whenever we do multiple exercises in a day, we take manageable weights. We do not push our limits. That's not the way to strengthen the muscles. Instead, he suggested to take one main exercise at a time and drive ourselves to exhaustion in it. For example, Weighted Squats are the main exercise for the lower body. We should find a weight with which we can't do more than ten repeats. The sets should continue till we can't do even one more rep. If we still have some gas left in our tank, we should take up other exercises.
The concept seems logical. In our business, there is always a core process. Instead of being an average company ticking all boxes, we need to do our best in one. We should focus on other areas only when we have achieved excellence in the core process. It seems counterintuitive. How can we only focus on product design and not on marketing, for example? When we do squats, we are principally working on the legs. But, the exercise also works on the back, shoulders, and other body parts. So, when we focus on one core area, it simultaneously works on other parts too. Since all business components are connected, the same applies to business models.
Like Squat is the main exercise for the lower body, we need to find the core component to focus on our business. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins has provided a guide. He mentions that it is the place where the economic engine overlaps with your passion and what you are best at.
Metrics:
Find your core process.
Concentrate all your energies on it.
Unless you have become the best in it, do not invest time and effort into other areas.
Set measurements to check how you are progressing. Progressively raise the bar.
Subodh
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