Do you like business success?

Then read “Going the Distance,” in Columbia Business School’s alumni magazine, on how sports contribute to business success in an interview of me.

Here is part of the interview, to whet your appetite:

Skills mastered through endurance sports fuel success in business, says marathoner and serial entrepreneur Joshua Spodek ’06.

[…]

First things first: why run? 
One of the attractions of running is that there’s a freedom to it. Pair of shoes, socks, shorts — and you’re free.

What is the biggest challenge you face when running long distances? 
You’re not doing this for physical pleasure; you’re doing it for this emotional reward. To me, that mental challenge — thinking about it as an emotional reward — is just as hard as the physical challenge. It doesn’t burn as many calories, but it’s hard!

How has your experience running marathons helped prepare you for being an entrepreneur 
A lot of people think entrepreneurs don’t have bosses, or that everyone is your boss. The way I look at it is, you have to be your own boss. You have to be your own motivation. You’ve got to be hungry. You’ve got to hustle. I think that athletics has been that for me. I don’t have someone I report to. That means I have to be very disciplined.

Now read the rest.

And enjoy running, or whatever athleticism you practice, and the success it helps create.

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