Several times a week, it’s the second section of my one-hour walk. 80 steps up the inside stairwell of Memorial Stadium, the football stadium at Harvard University. The stairwell protects me from the elements and from the VERY serious athletes who train by walking, leaping, or running up the steeper field-facing stadium seating.

I aim for 4 – 6 round trips on the steps – 7.5 inches per step, 80 steps, 50 feet of vertical elevation each time – and I’ve recently added a new rule to the game: Maintain an even pace… and that’s harder than it looks, particularly on steps 70 – 80

In an earlier time, I played the baritone horn and marched in my high school marching band, mastering the eight-steps-to-five yards pacing and developing an enduring affection for marches. We played many Big 10 fight songs – “On, Wisconsin”, “Minnesota Rouser”, the “Notre Dame Victory March”, and so on – and several John Phillip Sousa marches – “The Washington Post”, “The Liberty Bell”, and “El Capitan” come to mind.

So, I had the mad thought: “Since the Sousa marches are all about the same tempo – 120 beats per minute, how about keeping time by marching up the steps to Sousa?”

You know? It works well (and it’s amusing for anyone I pass on the way up or down).

When I reach the stadium, I fire up my phone, turn on the music, and march up the steps: Two steps per second for 40 seconds, turn (4 steps), march down the steps in 40 seconds, turn (4 steps), and repeat… and repeat… and repeat. Gets the blood moving a bit.

And, it’s a game, right? Keep up! I like the music and I appreciate the immediate feedback for an activity in which it would be easy for me to fall off the pace. [I’ve noticed that the Sousa marches seem to speed up a lot as I cover the last two sections of steps each time.]

Whether it’s steps up a stadium, calls per week, or proposals per month, the key is the expectations and feedback that encourage consistent pace toward the target.

Nick Miller is President of Clarity Advantage based in Concord, MA. He assists banks and credit unions to generate more and more profitable relationships, faster, with business clients, their owners, and their employees through better sales strategies and execution. Additional articles on Clarity’s web site.