Building a fit enterprise with strength, endurance, and adaptability 

Running a global business is a lot like running a marathon. It’s about going the distance, not just a quick sprint. It requires tenacity to survive and thrive amid disruptions and uncertainties. It takes strength, endurance, and adaptability to build a fit enterprise that can rise to any challenge like a well-prepared athlete, to capitalize on new opportunities, and to achieve growth goals. 

To explore what business and brands can learn from sports, TCS Interactive invited more than 50 CMOs and business stalwarts for an executive panel discussion and dinner in New York City just a few days before the TCS NYC Marathon. 

Attendees at the inaugural event were treated to a delicious dinner and an engaging discussion at the marvelous restaurant Tatiana By Kwame Onwuachi. Nicholas Thompson, CEO, The Atlantic, was the moderator of the lively and interactive discussion on the intersection of enterprise fitness and brand building. Our panelists — Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon; Harvey Spevak, Executive Chairman and Managing Partner, Equinox Group; and Evelyn Webster, CEO of SoulCycle—provided their perspective on how winning athletes and successful companies share common values, such as strength, endurance, and adaptability.

If Spevak highlighted the need for movement, nourishment, recovery, and community to create a strong and high-performance culture inside the company, Webster talked about going the distance in sticking to a goal, and making sure that everything you do is toward achieving that goal. Vestberg, who played professional handball in his youth, talked about the power of adaptive leadership—understanding your team, playing to their strengths and unique needs, and giving everyone on the team a chance to shine. 

Keeping pace in today’s business world is challenging. To know more about how CEOs are using strategies from sports to stay ahead of the competition, read this article.