A strange thing happens when you reach the 35km point in any marathon. In New York, you come off the Queensboro Bridge and onto the incredible First Avenue with people several deep on both sides of the road going off - like New Yorkers do.

Amongst this a big guy on the side of the road holds up a sign saying: “Don't f#&*ing stop now ... everyone is watching you!”

That's just what you need at that point in the run.

By then all the noble ambitions you had at the start – from making the commitment to take part, all the preparation and the training, and training, and yet more training – get reduced to one single, very self-centred thought: don’t give up now; they are all watching.

But what struck me later – much later of course, because at the time all you think about is putting one foot in front of other – was that this feeling isn’t restricted to a run. For much of the last 18 months, it has felt this way in our business - and I bet in many other businesses.

With the ongoing impact of the global financial crisis, continuing economic turmoil around the world, dealing with the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes, delivering the Rugby World Cup event and going through a huge demerger – it most certainly has felt like everyone was watching and there was no option to stop.

As a business leader your people, clients and shareholders constantly look to you in times like these. It’s your privilege to offer assurance and confidence, even after pounding along hard concrete pavements for the past three hours and 35km.

There's an old Zen proverb that goes: Sit, run or walk, but don't wobble.

Before you begin something, you need to have a good reason for doing it, which is all the more powerful when you‘re striving to do something of significance.

Without this, it would be all too easy to give up when things get tough or the pressure of being in the spotlight feels overwhelming.

Then, you need to train well and prepare, because sadly nothing other than hard work will get you to your goal. Many times the training is harder than the event; in fact, if you do it right, it is.

Of course, you can’t train for everything a particular situation might throw at you – like how it feels facing thousands of cheering spectators when you’re knackered as all hell. But, if you keep true to your reason and have done the hard work, you won’t wobble.