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Energy: Athletes and Business

March Madness is upon us. The Masters Golf Tournament is less than a month away, and Opening Day for Major League Baseball is fast approaching. At Dye and Eskin, Inc. (D&E) we are sports fanatics and look forward to each new season with fresh enthusiasm and high levels of pent-up ENERGY!

Parallels between successful CEOs and premier athletes are indisputable. For both, success requires mastering meticulous mental compartmentalization, along with both rigid time and energy management.

Senior leaders, in particular CEOs, are “on” 24/7. They are always under scrutiny and are expected to deal with situations when all the information may not be available. Mistakes often lead to executives having to face public criticism, especially on social media.

Elite athletes are confronted by similar issues every time they compete. They are constantly in the spotlight. Not just when they are on the field, but whenever they appear in a public venue.

Elite athletes work with a range of coaches and trainers who manage their time effectively and organize their training schedules. They engage in “sprints” where they alternate high intensity performance and then take time to pause and rest. Data analytics are central to designing their routines, adding new capabilities, and helping to analyze the competition.

Looking at the role of a senior executive, the parallels with elite athletes are striking. The need for positive energy, continuous learning, grit, resilience, and being part of a learning team that constantly analyzes competitors underpins success for both executives and athletes.

Great leaders and great athletes both consume vast amounts of energy.

Harnessing this energy in a reinforcing environment is key to the success of each. Bottomline, energy and commitment are the keys to success for all of us!

ORTHOGONAL

At Dye and Eskin, Inc. (D&E), we are intrigued by words. Clear and effective communication is a skill we value and work hard to achieve in both our business and personal lives. We take The Sunday Times crossword puzzle seriously, and as in other aspects of our lives, we do not go down to defeat.

Recently, we were surprised to encounter a word that was not immediately familiar to us – “orthogonal.” In mathematics, it refers to values that are perpendicular to each other. In casino gambling, skill and success are clearly orthogonal. Our context, however, is neither mathematics nor gambling so we looked a bit further for clarity. A definition that works well is:

“a way of thinking that involves exploring seemingly unrelated ideas to generate new insights.”

From a practical standpoint, orthogonal thinking allows us to tackle problems from unrelated angles. This is especially helpful in fields where innovation is critical.

Second, it helps us get out of our ruts. We can keep our minds open to new possibilities and avoid the old thought patterns.

Third, it opens us to new opportunities that might have been missed by using old thought techniques.

Fourth, we can possibly make better decisions by considering different angles.

Fifth, it encourages creativity and thinking outside the box.

Orthogonal thinking encourages all of us to look at things from a variety of perspectives. It is what keeps businesses fresh and successful!!  

GO COMMANDERS!!!!

Dye & Eskin, Inc. (D&E) has been committed to the Washington Commanders, DC’s professional football team, since we were first able to afford tickets over 60 years ago! During all that time, we could only point to two years, 1983 and 1991, as highlights when, the then Redskins, won the NFL title and when we had our winningest season.

Fortunately, our loyalty has paid off as our team begins its trip through the NFL playoffs in search of the current Super Bowl! In addition, our commitment has given us an opportunity to learn things from this team that have been applied to and worked well within our business. D&E has learned that the development of culture within ones organization can be as important as talent.

We have learned that team effectiveness is science not art. What is referred to as “fit for purpose” is more important than top talent. A team of superstars does not inherently make a great team. The dynamics of interaction are much more important than personal, vested interests.

Trust, communication, innovative thinking and decision-making are the keys to great team building. Commanders: New owner; New head coach; New quarterback. The culture has completely changed.

We have also learned that teams can be differentiated by whether they operate as an individual team or a team of individuals. There may not be a right or wrong among those two approaches. It is a recognition of how the team is oriented and with that a knowledge of how to maximize effectiveness.

Possibly the most important learning from our loyalty to the Commanders is their commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). For the Commanders, DE&I is central to their business model. They have a separate division staffed by senior level executives whose focus is to help the team leverage its platform to address social issues and contribute to positive community impact.

Washington D.C. is a highly diverse city. The Commanders are committed to putting on programs and initiatives designed to drive progress and that go beyond words to bring impactful, positive outcomes to our community.

D&E is proud to support the Commanders. They are so much more than a football team.

1953!

No doubt there is head scratching about anyone titling an article with a date that doesn’t appear to jump off the page with historical significance.

The fact is that in 1953 many significant achievements came to fruition that continue to impact quality of life:

  • Jonas Salk announced the development of the Polio Vaccine
  • The chemical structure of DNA was discovered
  • Jacques Cousteau published “The Silent World”
  • General Motors unveiled the Corvette

One other achievement of 1953, certainly less heralded, but no less impactful, was the crediting of the concept of “Brainstorming” to Alex Osborn the co-founder of BBDO, the worldwide marketing communications network. His goal was to formalize the creative process of coming up with ideas.

Brainstorming is a creative technique where a group of people interact to suggest ideas spontaneously. The volume and variety of ideas are stressed. The goal is to problem solve through a group effort with ideas just popping up.

Post-It Notes and the iPhone both originated from brainstorming sessions.

The first rule of brainstorming is to come up with as many ideas as possible. It is a quantity over quality exercise.

The second rule is to refrain from judging ideas during the process.

The third rule is to encourage even the most unconventional and illogical ideas.

Finally, everyone should be allowed to build upon other’s ideas.

At Dye & Eskin, Inc. we recognize the incredibly fast-paced nature of the employee benefits business. Innovation is not optional, but rather is required to separate ourselves from others in the field.

We embrace innovation and love brainstorming to bring critical ideas and process changes our clients have come to expect.

Brainstorming is a business way of life for us. Call us to discuss the ideas that are on your mind, and we will share what’s on ours. Together we will come up with great solutions.

Dye & Eskin, Inc.

Call Rick or Jake Eskin for an innovative discussion of topics on your mind.

703 556 0744

TENACITY!

As some of you may know, we at Dye & Eskin, Inc. (D&E) are dog lovers. From mutts to AKC purebreds, many dogs of all shapes and sizes have found homes with us, and some are happily ensconced as members of the office staff.

One group of dogs is particularly well aligned with us by personality – TERRIERS! Terriers are an incredibly TENACIOUS group of dogs, and that trait has served them well over the generations. You can say they possess a level of “doggedness” that translates to persistence of effort and indomitable perseverance.

In 1993, Jimmy Valvano delivered his famous farewell speech imploring the audience to Never, Ever Give Up. His presentation was extremely emotional, and incredibly powerful in both its immediate and long-term effects. At D&E we have combined the tenacious attitude of terriers with the persistent determination of Jimmy Valvano.

For us, tenacity is a core value. It allows us to face business and personal obstacles with goal directed energy and action. We know that a fierce blend of determination, persistence, and grit is the trait that means the difference from being just all right to thriving. The difference between success and failure.

Over the years, though, we have also learned that tenacity can be a negative when you focus on something well past its usefulness. It can be an expensive lesson to learn but it is critical to temper tenacity with rational thinking. It is also important to be sure to have clarity between resilience and tenacity. Resilience is also critical because it fuels the “way back” when we get off track. Tenacity is more active and represents the path to unstoppable progress.

At D&E tenacity is an admirable trait, a core value and the driver of our business.

Never Stop!

Never Quit!

Never Settle!

CREATIVITY and INNOVATION

At Dye & Eskin, Inc.  we have two goals: to create ongoing value for our clients and to keep our employees engaged and productive.  We are obsessed with delivering outcomes that matter to all our constituents. As a future focused organization, we strive to balance the products and processes we imagine with the value we deliver to carriers, clients, and colleagues.

Creativity is the keystone of our business model. It is an overarching concept focused on developing unique ideas. Those ideas may be singular in nature, or an ideation may result in combining multiple approaches to come up with new results. Creativity starts in the theoretical. It is generally abstract and difficult to quantify. It is the human capacity that allows us to envision possibilities.  It is subjective in nature and very hard, if not impossible, to measure.

Innovation is the process of translating those ideas into new products or processes. It is a practical application of what has been envisioned. The focus is on execution and commercializing the concepts that have been ideated. As opposed to creativity, the results of innovation are measurable in terms of market impact, efficiency, and profitability. 

Innovation brings ideas to life.

Innovation may result in a reboot of how you grow. It forces us to deal with what is not working and causes us to become nimbler and quicker in our execution.  We are forced to think about where we are talent deficient, how we can further optimize our business model, and what we are passionate about as we grow our business. 

In today’s world, just being better doesn’t work anymore. Being DIFFERENT does. The combination of creativity and innovation forces us to think about our business models and our passions.

 It creates our path to success.

 

TO DO’s

Recently we read an article by Oliver Beckman, a noted expert on time management, that was focused on “ambient anxiety” – the anxiety caused by technology and the media.

As many can attest, digital exposure is deteriorating our mental states. The constant focus on technological disruption, climate change and social instability puts us in a place where we need to learn to interact with technology and media differently.

True effectiveness requires balance. Finite time, energy and attention can only impact a handful of things. We must give ourselves permission to not care equally about all the “To Do’s.”

Tackling reinvention will determine the future. A good place to start is with customers – understanding how their needs are changing and what they see as underlying megatrends in their industry. Become a questioning human being once again.

For many years, the management guru Peter Drucker, espoused the concept of “Finitude.” He postulated that the truly effective executive only does one thing at a time. We need to set bounds for ourselves and enforce them. We cannot care equally about all the things that require our attention. Put your time into the things that really matter.

It is time for most of us to tackle personal reinvention. Reinvention is about the process of building and transforming based on the best of you as well as the core of what really matters to your essence. This is not “either/or “. It is the combination of your beliefs combined with your skill set.

So… here are your “To Dos”:

  • Re-establish your curiosity and ask questions!
  • Limit yourself to one thing at a time – prioritize wisely

Pick ONE!!!!

CONSTRAINTS AND CREATIVITY

How many times have we heard that to be successful you need to think “Outside the Box”? Is it possible that if we focus on the business, we can grow exponentially by playing “Inside the Right Box!”
It takes courage to seek success on your own terms by defining the distinct capabilities of your organization, and the portfolio of products and services that make use of those capabilities.
Over time we have learned that innovating without boundaries can overwhelm a team with options. Aspirational statements provide them with little concrete guidance for specific activities. Alternatively, constraints spur and guide innovation. Even cost management becomes part of a growth strategy as it is a way to make critical choices about identity and direction. There comes a time when it is critical to ask three questions:

  1. How do we distinguish ourselves from others in delivering customer value?
  2. What are the distinct capabilities that support our value proposition?
  3. What portfolio of products and services can we support?

This does not mean you are complacent or that you fear change. Rather, that your culture reinforces your distinctive strengths.
Distractions can be risky to success. Generating novelty for its own sake is a risky distraction. Creativity is critical but must be aligned with the overall business strategy. Balance your teams with creatives and analyticals.
Constraints spur innovation. Instead of always thinking outside the box, use some rules to draw the right box and innovate within it.
Achieve and enjoy success on your terms!!

ARE YOU LISTENING? REALLY?

The total eclipse on April 8th, which many had the good fortune to observe, created a quiet time of awe among millions of us. Along with deeply felt emotions, there was respectful silence allowing us to internalize the significance of the event.

We wonder what it would be like if we maintained that same respectful silence when we engage with colleagues, friends, and family.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY is a world renown university especially well known for its engineering and technology programs. Within its walls is the Center for Deep Listening. This program was developed by world-renowned musician, Pauline Olivero, who described Deep Listening “as a way of listening in every possible way to everything no matter what you are doing.” That thought forces us to think about how much better we could do at being present with others. 

We need to ask ourselves two critical questions: Do you really understand what is being communicated to you? Do you listen to understand or to reply?

Hearing and listening are very different things. Hearing is involuntary. Listening requires a conscious commitment over time. We grow and change whether we listen to the sounds of our daily lives, the environment, or music. Listening is a lifetime practice that depends on accumulated experiences with sound.

Marion Woodman is another academic who espoused that it is fear which prevents us from truly listening. Our fears keep us “blathering” and prevent us from listening.

Deep listening requires complete attention, no assumptions, encouragement for the speaker and the ability to visualize the message. It is an active process. Our goal as listeners is to hunt for missed clues and the subtext of what is said. Listening is beautiful and risk free.

Hearing is listening to what is said. Listening is hearing what isn’t said. – Simon Sinek

LISTEN and SILENT are spelled with the same letters.

SERENDIPITY FRIENDLY

As the speed of doing business accelerates, rethinking business models and redesigning organizations have become table stakes activities.

To be successful, leaders must get comfortable developing creative relationships with uncertainty.  The current business environment requires the courage to embrace ignorance and radically reframe the questions we ask. Goals need to be focused on setting direction, not necessarily with the specific destination in mind. Being comfortable at the edge of uncertainty is now a prerequisite to successful leadership.

Uncertainty and unpredictability can be used as routes to innovation as long as we learn how to connect the dots and utilize “smart luck.” Christian Busch, Director at NYUs Center for Global Affairs, posits that serendipity is the result of the ability to spot triggers or unexpected events and relate them to something else that becomes relevant or meaningful. This talent is known as bisociation. 

Being alert to your surroundings creates an atmosphere where bisociation can flourish. The agenda for all team meetings should include a question of whether anyone had any unusual or interesting business experiences since the last meeting. Those discussions should encourage cross-pollination of ideas and risk-taking.

Serendipity is a skill. Your brain must be in developing mode all the time. The ability to connect seemingly unrelated events, ideas, or existing products is at the heart of serendipity. It requires courage. Ideas and products may be evolving from what appear to be unusual linkages. Those are sometimes hard stories to tell a board, a boss, even yourself. 

Give serendipity a chance. Smart Luck is something of which a company should be proud!

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