Paddle out at Narrabeen on any given morning and you’ll likely see Christo Hall whipping through sections with laser-sharp precision. Christo spent seven years as a QS warrior, became a lynch-pin member of the formidable North Narrabeen team and has an over 40s Australian title in his resume. Meanwhile, in his other life, Christo is a successful marketing professional whose company ‘Basic Bananas’ specialises in providing mentoring, and marketing advice for other businesses.
The curious thing about Christo’s philosophy on business and marketing is that he bases many of his theories on lessons he took from surfing. He has just released a new book, ‘Beyond the Break’ where he details how he used his experiences as a surfer and competitor to inform his approach to business. The book is part autobiography, part self-help business guide. It’s a unique approach and the interesting, surf-themed anecdotes help make the instructional elements way more more digestible.
We caught up with Christo for a chat about his book, his relationship with surfing and why he named his inner voice, ‘Jimi’ after Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison.
You gave the QS a solid crack, have claimed an Ozi title, and been a highly successful teams surfer. Ok, you didn’t make the CT, but would you say you became the best surfer you could have been?
Not when I was competing full time. A lot of understanding came afterwards looking back and thinking about how I could have done better. The recurring patterns of nerves and performance anxiety became more obvious to me after the fact. I found ways to deal with the different phases I went through and then applied the same lessons to business for myself and business customers of mine to help them be more successful.
I was lucky enough to pretty much be a fulltime competitive surfer for 9 years. I also coached a lot of surfers over the years, and I could tell what they’re thinking having been there myself, so it made me curious to find solutions they could work with and I realised the same solutions transfer across to many business owners I mentor in marketing nowadays. It’s the same personal challenges just in a different context, which might cause procrastination, performance anxiety, a fear of failure etc, day to day it can seem insignificant, but it still has a huge impact on our success.
Most people see surfing as an escape. But you have found a way to make its lessons applicable to life and work?
Yes, in competitive surfing the build-up to an event can be days, weeks or months and I recognised the recurring patterns of nerves, anxiety and trying to ensure I peaked at the right time were really amplified in that setting. I even had similar dreams where I’d be on the beach at an event but couldn’t find my board or something and my heat would be starting.
It all translates to business, hobbies and just about anything. It’s just not as recognisable when you’re not in a high-pressure situation. A little personal fear might stop someone from making an important sales call at work, or they think they’re not techy, so they avoid doing the social media promotions for example.
In business I prepare for important days in the same way I prepared for a surfing event. I even do my stretching routine in the minutes before important presentations and meeting to get my mind and body in the zone. If I know I’ve done my warmup routine then I know I gave it my best shot regardless of the outcome, so I can’t hate myself if things don’t work out.
In the first chapter you talk about showing up to Hawaii for the first time as a sixteen-year-old and paddling out at Pipe in the dark. Very few life situations can replicate the intensity of a first session at big Pipe. Most people, let alone surfers, will never experience it. I guess the transferrable learning there is ‘don’t be afraid of challenges and be willing to get out of your comfort zone.’
Yeah, throughout the book. I use these really intense situations and stories, because the lessons are more amplified and obvious, then I end each chapter with the lesson I took from that story and how I’ve applied the same lessons to business, so people can see how they can replicate them.
Is the book targeted at surfers, or anyone looking to improve their business and life practices?
It’s targeted at anyone wanting to improve their business, career, hobby or sporting performance. I wanted to make something which would improve the life of anyone who reads it and I wanted the stories to be real and super engaging. I find I read the first few chapters of many books and get bored, so I knew the stories had to be really entertaining. My publisher asked me where it should sit in a bookshop and I still don’t really have the answer, probably personal growth, but different shops put it in different areas usually: business, personal growth or sport biographies.
People sometimes hide the fact that they are surfers when it comes to applying for jobs or discussing business deals. Is there a negative stigma attached to surfers? Is that misplaced?
When I started in business, I often had meetings at cafes, I would skateboard there early and hide my skateboard, because I was worried people would think I was a druggy surfer dude, but as time rolled on I realised it’s not like that anymore. Many CEOs are surfers. Many huge companies use surfing in their promotions.
I also realise it gives people something to remember you by and having a good life is nothing to hide, so I happily still skate to meetings and openly tell people I don’t allow my team to book me any meetings before 11am, because that’s when I usually surf.
The book talks a lot about the internal ‘Self Critic’ – that part of our brain that dwells on the negative and frequently tells us we are doing something wrong or taking the wrong course of action? It might also be the internal voice that screams ‘that turn sucked’. You even give yours a name, Bronco.
Yeah, we all have an inner critic whether we like it or not and not only in high pressure situations where it’s more obvious, our inner voice impacts our results every day.
Exercise is a good example, we’re all geniuses at finding an excuse not to do it and the more we wait around wondering if we should exercise the more reasons our inner voice will come up with of why not to do it. The same happens in career and hobbies. “I know I should do those sales calls, but I’ll just check my emails/social media/grab another cup of coffee or whatever to delay doing the uncomfortable”.
I found that naming the inner voice helped to neutralise it and rather than trying to ignore it when it comes up, if you thank it for trying to protect you and let it know you’ll be proceeding anyway, it seems to quieten it.
I also play with giving my inner voice different names. Mine is usually called Bronco, but in high pressure situations I will often switch its name to Jim. I use Jim because I relate it to Jimmi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, two of the greatest rockstars to ever live, both of whom I believe were very present and creative when giving their art to the world. I’ll tell myself “Let’s do this Jim” and I feel more creative and present.
How much of success is about managing that self-critic?
Your biggest competitor will always be yourself, so a huge part of success is about managing your inner critic. If you can get yourself to perform at your best, then half the battle is won.
It’s forever a work in progress no matter what level we’re at, but there are strategies to manage and work with your inner critic.
How do you critique your own approach without being too much of a self-critic?
Only critique yourself after your emotions have settled, for example if you had a surfing event and lost or presented at a business event you’ll be emotionally involved immediately after, so don’t critique yourself for a couple of hours, wait till there’s no emotion and always look for ways to improve, so your mind turns to positives.
The word business is synonymous with money and of course making money is crucial, but you suggest we should strive for fulfilment and a well-defined sense of purpose?
Yes, to stay inspired and rise above your current level of comfort, it’s a good practice to write down your life purpose. People often find this confronting, and some say it’s fluffy, but that’s usually their inner voice coming up with excuses not to do it, because it makes them uncomfortable.
I got feedback from a pro footballer that he found it confronting to follow the process I share in my book but that it was profound once he had done it and now, he looks at it every morning. My biggest success has come from helping people make more money through their business and a bigger purpose helps people jump the many hurdles they’ll face.
The book advocates working smarter and not necessarily harder? Two good waves instead if ten wiggles.
Yes, competing as a surfer it’s not always this simple, but really you only need to catch 2 good waves and move your board on the water 5% better than your competitors in each heat.
I use this lesson with business owners I worked with and challenge them to find their highest impact tasks and focus on doing those 5% better every month. I call them trigger tasks. People often track things like total sales, but that’s an outcome, I like to know what’s the thing you did that resulted in the most sales, let’s go after doing more of that, then it will flow on to create more sales and you’ll have more money to pay someone else to do the lower priority work and you’ll make more in less time.
Why else might we have a read? Market it to us – ha.
I’ve had so many messages from business people, pro surfers and other sports people saying the book is epic, so my mission is complete. I just hope it can help and entertain as many people as possible.
I’m stoked that it’s appearing all over the world now. I’ve had friends and customers see it in bookshops throughout Asia, North America and Europe. It’s pretty humbling considering all I did back in English class was look out the window to keep an eye on the wind wondering what the surf was like.
