While running a half-marathon, I had time to think. Soooooo much time. Between wondering why the heck I sign up for these again and again, I realized running offers lots of life and leadership lessons I can learn from. The list is long, but so is a half-marathon!

Even if you’re not a runner, I hope these help. If you can think of any additional ones, chime in!

1. Fuel Matters

You can’t run your best race with no water or food. You need have fuel, and you need it at the right intervals. For me, race day fuel is Rice Krispies Treats and applesauce packets. For others, it’s beef jerky and pickle slices.

• How do you fuel your team?
• Do you know what fuel they run best with, and can you find a way to get them that fuel when they need it?
• How do you fuel yourself?

If you want to keep going, you must keep fueling.

2. Tools Matter

I have a favorite pair of pants I wear during every race. They fit right and are perfect if it is cold or hot. I make sure my shoes are in good shape. With pants that are too big and shoes that are too worn out, the race may not go as well.

Make sure your team members have the correct equipment to do their jobs. Have someone who wants a special piece of equipment or whose equipment that needs updating? Find a way to make it happen. The right equipment can make all the difference. Gallup has interesting research on this that proves having what is needed to do the job matters in the engagement of your staff.

Equipment may seem small, but it makes a big difference.

3. Internal Motivation Matters

There’s no way you’ll run 13.1 miles if you don’t have some kind of internal motivation to get it done.

The same is true with ourselves as leaders and our team members. We all must find our own internal motivation. It will be different for everyone. Some may just want a paycheck to care for their family, some may aspire to senior roles in the company. As a leader, you can coach your team members to help them identify their internal motivators, but ultimately, they have to tap into it.

4. External Motivation Matters

Running alone would be tougher. The people cheering you on make you run a little faster. In the silent stretches that are too long, I find myself slowing down.

Never hearing feedback from teammates or leaders makes it hard to keep pushing. Cheer for other departments and teammates when they do a good job, even the ones who say they don’t need to hear it. They’re human. All humans ultimately enjoy hearing when they’ve done well or been influential. And be genuine. People can tell.

5. Training Matters

Go run a half-marathon with zero prep, and it’s going to be tough. It will take you longer, and you’ll likely have some injuries. You must put in running, cross-training and stretching to run your best race. The worst part is if you decide to do another race, you have to train again! Training once isn’t enough to run races year after year.

Are you training your team members where they want to improve? Are you working to continually improve? As long as you’re working, you’d better be training. The minute you think you are good enough without training there will be problems. They might not show up immediately, but they will show up over time.

6. Natural Gifts Matter

Some people can run long distances really fast, like five-minute miles. People like to say that if you put in the work, you can do anything. But I’m telling you right now that I’m never going to be able to run a five-minute mile. And there are things I do well naturally that those five-minute milers can’t.

You and your team members are the same. Some of them have extraordinary natural abilities for certain things, and others have talents in different areas. Know what you’re good at. Know what your team is good at. Use those natural gifts as best you can.

7. Building on Natural Gifts Matters

I may never run a five-minute mile. But I can run an 11-minute mile relatively easily. I can improve that to a 10:30-minute mile with a little effort. If I work hard enough, I can run a 10-minute pace for the race. With perfect nutrition, rest and daily workouts, I may be able to hit 9:30.

Do whatever you can to help your team members strengthen their natural gifts so you can all reach your goals. If you want to get them to their best mile time, provide an environment where they have all the nutrition, rest and workout time they need. If you can’t do that, recognize that their best will be slower than it could be.

8. Fun Matters

A boring race won’t be one I sign up for twice. A fun race, I’ll keep signing up for. If I run enough boring races in a row, I’m likely to decide I don’t like running anymore. If there’s nothing fun about it, what’s the point?

Our work environment is the same. It can be productive, efficient and fun. In fact, when you make it fun, people are more productive and efficient. If you don’t make it fun, people are likely to find another race to run — a new company — something else to fill that time or they will do the bare minimum to get by and make it to retirement.

9. Knowing the Race Matters

Going into a race with a goal provides purpose. You have to know what race you showed up to run. Maybe it’s a time you want to hit or maybe the goal is just finishing. Regardless, when you go in without an objective, you have nothing to aim for and may not get a big sense of accomplishment.

The same is true with work. If we’re not clear on what our goals are — either by not seeing one or not communicating it to the team — the work may get done but it may be unclear to everyone what the result was supposed to be. That can leave everyone running around in circles and perhaps never crossing the finish line you or they envisioned.

10. Celebrating Matters

Running 13.1 miles is a big deal. Before you move on to the next race, you should take time to celebrate what you did! I am pretty sure this is why they serve beer at the finish line of all races.

Do the same with projects and your team — we’ll leave imbibing to your discretion. Make sure the team celebrates what just happened. And in celebrating, also plan for next time by asking:

• What did you learn?
• What would you have done differently?
• How do you want to change things next time?

Celebrating the win and reviewing the “race” offers you a clearer path for your next project.

As leaders and team members, what we do matters.

What are you doing to run your best race and to ensure those around you have the chance to do the same?