Mediocrity can lead to stormy waters....

Having had a bad back recently, I decided I must take the plunge and go for a swim to ease the pain and set my ageing body back onto the road to recovery.

I had a condition called a 'hurty back'. A condition that afflicts men only. Women just get on with it!

Any how, I decided that swimming in the UK is not a pleasurable experience.

Upon arriving pool side, bleary eyed at 06:40am you are presented with 3 narrow lanes.

One for slow swimmers, one for medium and one for fast. I took the ‘safe’ medium option and immediately became frustrated at the pace of the swimmers. Bloody hell! It made me think the slow lane swimmers are hardly moving at all! (They must be treading water, or should they make a lane for treading water? possibly a good idea) Or, I thought, am I an absolute fish?!

The slow and medium lanes were heaving with bodies of varying states of development, thus leaving the 2 fast lane swimmers with metres of open, free water to enjoy.

There is a fundamental problem with swimming (apart from being mind numbingly boring). There is no speedometer, headlamps or horn. Without these vital tools, I decided, bravely, after 10 frustrating laps to upgrade myself to fast.

And it was great. For 2 whole laps I managed to keep up with the searing pace set by these half men / half fish creatures but then with my lungs about to burst, my heart about to literally pop out of my chest and my pride compromised, I stopped and pretended I had a problem with my goggles.

A sensible, sane and selfless decision.

But for those 2 whole laps I enjoyed the benefits of open water, freedom of movement and was able to get into a rhythm, possibly a rhythm that was slightly too fast actually. (A mixture of bravado and excitement obviously got the better of me).

The gap between slowest and fast was huge but the advantages to the quick were obvious.

In the slow lane, some people were barely moving! I bet some were just happy to join the line, knowing their place irrespective of the fact that they could most likely swim faster.

The average speed of the medium and slows was incredibly slow. I am not an amazing swimmer yet I was number 3 out of 30 swimmers in that pool.

The problem is the system and ‘the system’ was designed for mediocrity. How many of our businesses swim along in the slow and medium lanes unwilling to make jumps to swim in the fast lane, to reap the benefits of fewer competitors and a more streamlined and frankly enjoyable experience?

Go on, take the plunge and try to swim faster!

You may have to stop to adjust your goggles from time to time, but you will enhance and increase your performance and turn your business into a more profitable one over time.

Swimming with the fast fish has clear advantages.

It is less competitive.

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Comment by Robin Carlisle on September 28, 2009 at 12:30pm: Hi Marcus. As a regular swimmer of no slender size (more oil tanker in comparison to some in the pool), there is certainly a swimming pool etiquette, which as usual with these matters is unwritten, often ignored, and at best open to confused interpretation. I find it a bit like being at sea - the oil tanker is supposed to give way to smaller and more nimble sail boats, but it doesn't work as you can imagine. My advice is based on life - give way to the young, to ladies, the infirm, and those in pink speedo's, as to the rest - and as with business - make your own headway and your own waves, let them give way and/or try and follow you, but do it with style and consideration for those around you.

Comment by Marcus Timson on September 28, 2009 at 12:40pm: great comment!

Comment by Robert Brackstone on October 19, 2009 at 4:39pm: The problem with entering the fast lane of a particular pool as you found, is you have to be fit, to be able to last. Likewise if you don't make your business fit and ready to enter the fast lane and jump in with your eyes shut, you may come through with flying colours, swimming fast, after some particularly tortuous moments when sheer will power MIGHT pull you through, BUT you may sink wearily to the bottom with no reprieve if you haven't prepared your muscles through training. They have to be the right muscles too. No point having trained for a marathon when you are doing a swimathon. Anyone can have a brief experience of life in the fast lane (Mike Ashley and Newcastle spring to mind). The trick is to stay there, and to do that effectively you need to prepare your business, create the platform, and be confident the hard work has already been done in the correct areas before you jump in. I agree that the advantages to escaping mediocrity are clear, and the rewards likewise can be large, but the reason so few do it, is that it takes dedication, faultless preparation and willpower to last. Because those already speeding up and down the lane aren't going to help you!

Comment by Guy Wrench on October 19, 2009 at 4:50pm: Hi Marcus - very thoughtful, swimming is clearly good for your mind (albeit pretty lousy for your bad back unless you've perfected those head underwater breathing skills)! I share your concern ... mediocrity is becoming increasingly acceptable as the norm which is very very scary. Perhaps you could turn your thoughts to a good alternative to versamount roll panels when skimming the waves, and if you come up trumps I'll pay for a full back massage!

Comment by Richard John on October 23, 2009 at 3:54pm: Marcus - buy a rowing machine, and set it up in your spare room with all those films you always wanted to see and never had time for!