A Search for the Ultimate “Way” in Sports, Business and Life
When people refer to the Great One, Mario or Cosby, or then again Michael Jordan, Bjorn Borg or Tiger Woods, one would not be surprised to think that they all share a hidden talent. The hidden or invisible talent? Seeing things in slow motion when, for everyone else, the puck or ball is travelling at the regular speed.
If this is true in sports, I have to believe it can also be true in business. When great business leaders are in the vortex of a crisis, I believe they see things in slow motion, which helps to digest the torrents of complex information, synthesize with precision and decide with crystal vision.
Going a step further, I am inclined to believe that there are also those who actually live their life in slow motion. While life hurtles by for most of us mortals, some have a special talent that allows them to manage their lives at a different level. Just as the Great One didn’t manage to make the perfect pass on every single occasion, nor did Jack Welch have strokes of strategic genius behind every decision, one cannot expect (nor want) to live a life of perfection. However, for the big decisions and manifest other major dynamic moments, such as what to say in moments of turmoil, some people have the gift, what I would like to call “the gift of O”, the great O, Ω or Omega because of the sense of harmony and equilibrium inherent in that letter. Whether it is knowing what to say to someone in grief, making the impromptu wedding speech or galvanizing support from a bunch of strangers, some people’s energy and mastery of language is just a step above. They manage to size up the situation faster and find the right words quicker. In another sphere, it is the person who grabs the knocked over vase, catches a falling leaf or anticipates the rain. For these people, they seem to be a step ahead as they see life in slow motion. I would characterize the gift as a superior sense of balance, equilibrium & direction, a sense of self, anticipation and a 360˚ vision. Somehow, the gift of O as expressed in Life, as opposed to sports or business, is a much more complete concept.
I started to think about this post when I considered the transferability of the “eyes behind your head” talent that certain great team players have. If you have the genius in one field (sports), how likely is it that you will exhibit the same talent in business or in life? Somehow, I get the feeling that having the gift in one area is as good as it may get. What do you think?
ADDED 22 NOVEMBER: I was turned on to this NY Times article, “Generation O get its hopes up” (Nov 7) after publishing this post. It would seem that we are indeed in search for the Gift of O!
good one
You were enlightening that CSR and CSM were both RSE in French, there also 2 other points I find quite interesting to submit: “Casser la barraque” literally means to break the house, to achieve a landslide success or victory; “Barack a cassé la baraque”, an C alliteration sounding like an engine, starting
And the big O is the traditional name of “Le Grand Oral” (aka “Le Grand O'”) which is the final decisive examination at PhD degree, the end of a process, the beginning of another one.
Both senses have a serendipitous echo in recent history.
The IHT case could constitute another suspicion we could have on journalist integrity (but then too many questions: does (partially) sourcing info on the net to write an article makes a journalist a bad one? Or is assessing relevance from imagination that counts when amplifying witty recommendations found thanks to Web 2.0 communities?); which brings us back to the egg/idea sharing story
“La boucle est bouclée”, that makes a big O.
Divagation over; Enjoy your day and have a good weekend Minter