Running to Leadership: What Finishing 100+ Marathons On All 7 Continents Teaches Us About Success

What the Media Has Said About Anthony Reed

Reed embodies the type of enthusiasm for life and the zest for a good run that might push Lance Armstrong into cycling another 100 miles for the fear of looking lazy. - Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

Anthony Reed hasn’t stopped running since. He ran while earning his MBA, master’s of accounting, and CPA certification. And he kept going while working as an Information Technology Director at Texas Instruments, heading up his own consulting business, and teaching college accounting courses. - Runner’s World magazine.

"Running has transformed Anthony Reed’s life. He simply set goals and set about accomplishing them.’ - Dallas Morning News.

Through the years, Reed has found that many lessons learned along the race course don’t differ much from corporate America’s hills and valleys. - National BMBA Magazine.

Reed fits the profile—some would say stereotype—of a distance runner. He’s an over achiever at work and play. He has earned four degrees, is a CPA, and a certified Project Management Professional. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

How far can one man run? If Anthony Reed is the man, all over the world is the answer. He has run across a glacier in Antarctica and along the Great Wall of China. - Southern Living magazine.

Reed manages the risks of business and sport with determination and a commitment to life long learning...Risk management is a concept Reed applies to very different areas of his life. He said the process is similar for a marathoner and businessperson. - University of Texas at Dallas’ Mercury.

You might have trouble convincing anyone that endurance running is a dangerous sport—unless you’re Anthony Reed, a marathon runner has tackled the 26.2-mile race on all seven continents. - Webster World magazine.

* * * *

Running to Leadership: What Finishing 100+ Marathons

On All Seven Continents

Teaches Us About Success

by

Anthony R. Reed, MBA, MS, CPA, PMP

* * * *

Copyright Notice

Smashwords Edition

© 2018, Anthony R. Reed, CPA. All rights reserved.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Running to Leadership: What Finishing 100+ Marathons On All 7 Continents Teaches Us About Success

Author: Anthony R. Reed, CPA, PMP

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Mr. Reed may be contacted for speaking engagements at

Anthony Reed, CPA, PMP

PO Box 180912

Dallas, TX 75218-0912

Anthony.Reed@Reed-CPA.com

www.RunningtoLeadership.com

Disclaimer

All characters, businesses, institutions, and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblances to individuals, whether alive or deceased, businesses, institutions, or events are purely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. ©2018, Anthony R. Reed, CPA. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from Anthony R. Reed, CPA PC.

Dedication

To our children and grandchildren. May they learn from my few successes and my many mistakes.

* * * *

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Author

What’s the Relationship Between Marathons and Leadership?

Chapter 1 - When in Doubt…Run!!!

The Cost of Trust

Building Trust

The Four I’s in TEAM

Twenty Miles Is Half of 26.2 Miles

Chapter 2 - The First I - Ideas (Goal Setting)

The Antarctica Marathon

Your Balanced Scorecard

Crossing the Road

Chapter 3 - The Second I - Incentive (Motivation)

How Motivation Entered the Equation

Weapons & Motivational Songs

Self-Motivation Foundation

Facing FEARS During the Great Wall Marathon

The Comfort Zone

Other People’s Comfort Zones For You

The Opposite Mind Trap

Leading from Behind

A Little Change Adds Up

Crabs & Geese

Chapter 4 - The Third I – Instructions (Planning)

How Planning Entered the Equation

Planning Problems

Managing Risk & The Missing Worker

Cheetahs on the Safaricom Lewa Marathon Course

Analysis Paralysis

Gaining Support From Your Resources

Project Plan Review Process

Skimping on Support & Talent

The Balancing Acts

Leading Without a Map

Chapter 5 - The Fourth I – Implementation (Execution)

How Execution Entered the Equation

Execution & Its Related Obstacles

Dead Bodies & Spider Love

Panic Attack at 35,000 Feet

Managing Unplanned Events & Stress

Fin Del Mundo Marathon White Out

Procrastination

Delegating

Watch Your Step – Leaf, Rock, Ankle

When in Doubt … Stop

Relaxing and Uphill Battles

Killer Rocks

Thinking Outside the Sox

Chapter 6 - The Achievement Equation’s Success Formula

What’s Next?

Chapter 7 - International Marathon Race Day Diaries

Tailwinds Marathon – Copenhagen, Denmark

The Great Wall Marathon – Huangyaguan, China

Antarctica Marathon – King George Island

Fin Del Mundo Marathon – Ushuaia, Argentina

Safaricom Marathon – Lewa Wildlife Sanctuary

Running Along

102 Marathons Completed As Of 2011

Selected Articles About Anthony Reed

* * * *

About the Author

Mr. Reed is an IT business professional and CPA with over 30 years of experience, including 25 years in management and executive positions. He’s appeared in the business, IT, travel, and sports sections of major newspapers, publications, and other media outlets across the country.

This includes the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, PMI Today, CBS, NBC, USA Today, Runner’s World, Southern Living, Ebony, Go, and the Journal of Accountancy. He holds two graduate degrees (management and accounting) and two undergraduate degrees (management and mathematics).

He’s also taught collegiate systems analysis, database design, accounting, and project management courses. He’s also a certified Supply Chain Manager. He served on the Board of Directors for the Dallas White Rock Marathon, Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG), Running USA, software firms, and various local and international not-for-profit organizations.

His area of expertise has been analyzing and implementing financial, sales force, and manufacturing applications. He’s led multi-million dollar, international projects for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in the DFW area and worked for a Big 4 CPA firm in their management advisory division.

He has spoken at national and international project management, accounting, IT, and software quality assurance conferences. He has over 50 articles and five books published. The articles have appeared in ComputerWorld, Datamation, Career Focus, and Runner’s World magazines. He’s also been featured on radio, television, and podcast programs.

This Hall of Fame marathoner and certified distance running coach was one of about forty people in the world, who completed the marathon hat trick. He finished (1) over one hundred marathons (2) on all seven continents and (3) each of the fifty States. He also completed fifty marathons in one State (TX). He’s won age group and weight division trophies along the way.

Subsequently, his journeys were chronicled in his book, Running Shoes Are Cheaper Than Insulin: Marathon Adventures On All Seven Continents.

* * * *

What’s the Relationship Between Marathons and Leadership?

Most people have heard of the Type A personality. This person believes that a deadline means that people died trying to cross the finish line (i.e. make the project dead line). There’s also a Type B personality. These individuals are creative, easy-going, imaginative, and enjoy socializing.

Thanks, in part, to extreme sports and the X Games, psychologists developed the Type T Personality. (Reference Type T Personality and the Jungian Classification System by R. E. Morehouse, F. Farley, and J. V. Youngquist in the February, 1990 Journal of Personality Assessment). Type t’s (i.e. lower case) avoid risks.

t T

While Type T’s are risk takers. They’re generally, extroverts, creative thinkers, and adrenaline junkies. There are physical Type T’s, such as extreme sport athletes, rock climbers, skydivers, white water rafters, and distance runners. And there are mental Type T’s, such as entrepreneurs, gamblers, gamers, and war zone reporters and their camera crews.

The Type T personality concept was directly related to marathoners in Jonathan Beverly’s July, 2001 Running Times article entitled The Marathon Mystique. Marathoners and project managers are described as being planners, flexible, and focused. They both enjoy mental challenges and thus, are thrill seekers.

A marathon is a 26.2-mile test of physical and mental endurance. It requires months of training and cumulates in a multi-hour extravaganza. During the race, the runner deals with uncontrollable weather, rough terrain, possible animal attacks, personal demons, and other competitors.

When the runner crosses the finish line, there’s an emotional rush. And despite the obstacles, you decide to do it again. The marathoner’s mind looks for the next challenge or adventure. It might be

an out-of-town marathon,

a faster marathon finish,

an ultra-marathon (50K to 100-mile) race, or

a triathlon (swim, bike, and run event).

Likewise, a project manager enjoys the mental challenge of taking a five-word business requirements document, leading an international team, and successfully delivering a multi-million dollar project.

During the project, the manager faces uncontrollable vendors, pressure from project sponsors, external competitors, changing technology, and corporate politics. And when the project is complete, the manager experiences a mental rush (or high) and begins looking for the next challenging project.

Project managers are mental marathoners.

Chapter 1 - When in Doubt…Run!!!

There’s no I in TEAM.

You’re only as strong as your weakest link.

A business analyst (BA) walked into my office and sat down. We spent several minutes discussing a problem, but we couldn’t reach a resolution. Finally, she said, You’ll solve the problem during your lunch time run. Let’s get together afterwards and you can tell me what you decided.

I was surprised by her remark. However, she