Marlow's Musings 2/18/24
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
Audio narration by David Marlow
“First time on the company plane?” he asked. I nodded yes. “Sit anywhere you want.”
I dropped my laptop bag by the nearest seat, which generated laughter. Apparently, I had selected the spot the CEO favored, and the other passengers, led by the one who welcomed me on the plane, enjoyed teasing the ‘new guy.’
You wouldn’t think the Chief Financial Officer of one of the largest insurance companies in the world would have a sense of humor. This one did. It was one of many things I came to admire about him.
Months before, I had presented the idea of a continuous improvement program to the executive team. I had been running a small pilot project as a proof of concept.
As memory served, though I gave a brilliant presentation, the reception was lukewarm. One executive was on her Blackberry, and another was reading an email. The rest were looking at their watches until I announced one of the pilot efforts had found a million dollars in cost savings.
“In a week?” I suddenly had not only the CFO’s interest; the entire room was staring at me.
The next several months were a blur of activity as I ramped up the program. The first trip on the company jet was to visit a data processing firm in Rhode Island that had hired one of the Big Three consulting firms to create their continuous improvement program.
My feedback to the executive team was that this rather draconian approach would not work at our family-oriented company. It was getting results at the cost of overburdening the people.
“Dave,” said the CFO, “I want people to enjoy their work. And I also need to find ways to save money.”
I smiled and said, “Well, Mike, lucky for you, what I’ll create can do both.”
“I Don’t Have Time to Sort Socks.”
The insurance business is widely populated with people who compile and analyze statistics using them to calculate insurance risks and premiums.
They are called actuaries.
While there are many actuaries in the world of insurance, it would be safe to say there never was one quite like my friend Jeff Marks.
At 6’2” tall and nearly 200 pounds, I’m a good-sized guy. Standing next to Jeff made me look small.
He could be loud, opinionated, and demanding. He knew his stuff and wouldn’t let you talk him out of something easily.
He would, however, always listen to what you had to say. If you made your case, Jeff would change his mind and promptly tell everyone you were right and he was wrong.
It took me quite a while to convince him of Continuous Improvement's value in improving our business. When I finally did convince him, there was no better evangelist.
Which leads me to his socks.
“What are these?” Jeff asked as he slammed a giant Allen Edmonds wingtip on the desk, his right foot still inside.
“Your shoe?”
“No, these!” he shouted, pointing to his socks.
It seemed the message of small incremental change and daily improvement had gotten through to him so well that he evaluated everything he did in his daily routine, including how much time he spent on socks.
“I had brown socks, blue socks, black socks, white socks, and green socks. I mean, who actually NEEDS green socks? Got rid of them all, and now I only have black socks.”
He also simplified his wardrobe, removing any clothes that didn’t go with black socks.
Laundry was easy, and there was no need to sort socks.
Being an actuary, he calculated the time and cost savings from his sock project, which was substantial.
He got me thinking about my socks. While I wasn’t ready to go with only black socks, it was apparent the sock process in my house was overly complex.
Sorting socks took a great deal of time. Inspired by Jeff, I bought only one type of running sock, and when it was time for them to be washed, they went into a small nylon bag and were washed together.
There was no need to sort when they came out of the wash, and they went back into the draw together.
With dress socks, I followed something my grandson does. He wears mismatched socks on purpose. “It’s the style,” he told me. Again, no need to sort or scramble for clean, matching socks. For him finding two socks is enough.
I’m sharing this story for two reasons. The first is Jeff passed away unexpectedly this time last year. The socks experiment was something that came immediately to mind as I spent time remembering our friendship.
The second was a connection to Ikigai. Jeff had his sock process; I have mine, and my grandson has his.
Socks may seem trivial, but as my actuarial friend pointed out, we spend a great deal of time dealing with them. This is true for many routine things in our lives.
Finding better ways to deal with those routine needs that serve us leaves us more time and energy to focus on the bigger things.
Finding the best ways for us is the most Ikigai thing of all.
The picture above is from the flight home on the second trip on the company plane. I had narrowed the pool of vendors, and we were visiting a hospital that served as one of the finalist's showcase clients.
Landing in Denver reminded me of a Jack Ryan movie. Our private jet taxied to a small hangar and was met by three giant black SUVs. Men in dark suits with sunglasses and earpieces jumped out and held the doors for us, and in a matter of moments, we were whisked away to the hospital.
We were impressed by the hospital’s program and the results. Their strategy was aligned with my plan to make improving the employee experience and cost savings goals co-equal. As I was leaving, the head of the hospital’s initiative took me aside, ostensibly to shake my hand.
Instead, he had a message for me. After seven years, he was being forced into retirement by a new boss, and the program was being reprioritized.
“Almost all of these programs run their course, and most last about seven years. Keep that in mind,” he said, shaking my hand. “Good luck,” I heard him shout as I was rushed into the waiting black SUV by the same men in dark suits and sunglasses.
Back on the jet, we took off our suit coats and loosened our ties. It was customary for the senior executive on the flight to ‘serve’ food and drinks to everyone. The CEO's right-hand man (though a woman) seemed to relish the role.
When she finished with us, she went to the back of the plane to serve the rest of the group. There we were just four of us in the front cabin near the pilot.
Something about us kicking back in dress shoes on a private jet struck me, and I took the picture. Three executives and another guy. A former Marine (the one with still perfectly shined shoes) who had the crazy idea to transform a centuries-old company.
Seven years later, three of the four in the photo were ‘given’ early retirement, and the program was reprioritized.
They brought in some guy from another insurance company, a former Marine, to run a new program. He lasted two years. I wonder if he sat in the CEO’s seat on the company plane.
These days, I almost never wear dress shoes or fly in private jets and my socks are mostly of the running variety.
Word of the Week
Telos (n.)
‘tɛlɑs
1: an end or goal; ultimate purpose
2: the last in any succession or series
3: that by which a thing is finished, its close, issue
4: the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose
The earliest uses speak to revolving or moving around, sojourning, and dwelling, suggesting the notion of a turning point.
In Greek philosophy, ethics, and natural sciences, telos refers to attaining the highest good for what one was made. In other words, purpose.
In case you missed it…
I enjoyed being Lisa McGuire’s guest on Your Purpose Passion and Personal Brand podcast, kicking off a season of deep dives into purpose.
In this episode, we covered:
How David became known as the “The Ikigai Guy”
Common misconceptions about Ikigai
The importance of integrating purpose into every aspect of life
How purpose is driving personal and corporate transformations
David’s advice for finding and living into your Ikigai
The value of experimentation and growth in discovering your purpose
Podquest
I’m excited to announce all episodes of Podquest are now available on Apple Podcasts for listening or downloading.
Ikiquest+
This week’s Coffee Contemplation for Ikiquest+ subscribers takes a unique look at Curiosity.
Last week, I shared about Humility, and while I often merge those two topics this week, I talk about curiosity in a way you have probably never heard explained before.
Ikiquest+ subscribers can listen to it in audio narration or read the transcription.
Comment of the Week:
This week’s comment comes from Monte on last week’s Musing topic Valentine’s Day with a glimpse into my own ‘love story’ of 40+ years.
As only you can capture the topic and moment. Thank you my friend. Illuminating to me and others who have lost the spirit of what Valentine's Day is about and stands for.
I can't think of a more excellent thing someone could say about this article or more in line with what I hoped this story would inspire.
Here is the article for those who haven’t yet gotten a chance to read it.
Quote I’m Pondering
This thought is from Anthony de Mello…
“Most people end up being conformists; they adapt to prison life. A few become reformers; they fight for better lighting, better ventilation. Hardly anyone becomes a rebel, a revolutionary who breaks down the prison walls. You can only be a revolutionary when you see the prison walls in the first place.”
Few of us face a literal prison and, instead, get trapped in one of our imaginations. My goal is to be a revolutionary in breaking free and supporting you in being a revolutionary in your own life.
Interesting Thing I Saw This Week
Untranslatable is an attempt to be the first multilingual urban dictionary delving into “the hidden aspects of languages by explaining words, idioms, and expressions contributed by native speakers. It goes beyond traditional translation, offering insights into usage, context, and cultural significance.”
I picked a word at random to try it.
Sterkte (stair•k•ta), which, according to the post, is an Afrikan word used to tell someone to stay strong or bless them with strength.
They explore things like something easy being called ‘a piece of cake.’ As it turns out, there are sayings for this in more than just English.
Final Thoughts
This week, I’ve thought of socks, jets, and the impermanence of life. Paul the apostle spoke of this to the ancient people of Corinth, pointing out that all things will someday pass away save for three. In the end, remain faith, hope, and love…and the greatest of these is love.
Only what we do in love will last.
Quest well.
I had a good friend whose mantra was "If you've lost your socks you won't find them in heaven".
To this day I have no idea what that means.
As I posted over on LinkedIn - I only wear socks for suit and tie events. But when I do, they are all black for exactly the reasons you posted.