A Run, Business, and Dinner

This is a long entry.

Today, I ran at a time I do not usually run.  I ran in the afternoon.  In the morning, I needed to be prepared to take my two younger children to school.  The youngest had his third grade play today.  A play about Moses called, “The Child of the Nile.”  The school is not religious but does a lot with both Christian and Jewish traditions and uses the Old Testament as literature for third grade.

Usually my wife would have just taken them and I would have tagged along after dropping our oldest son off, but my wife and oldest left for Michigan immediately after the play. The oldest one auditions on two instruments for the School of Music at the University of Michigan tomorrow.   

After the play, I took my middle one for a call back for his visual arts audition at the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Then I went to work.  Got about a half day of work in.  Picked up the kids and went to the Y to run.  At this point I would MUCH rather run outside.  And the temperature was right.  But with busy streets and many still un-shoveled sidewalks in front of people’s houses, I decided to take at least one more day to run inside.

Today’s run?  My now very familiar 8 min/mile pace for one hour.  So 7.5 miles to bring my total for 2014 to 170.7 miles.  60.2 of them have been in the Brooks Launch.  Definitely liking the shoes.

The run was uneventful, although I do have to say that it is much more exciting to people watch at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Thursday than in the morning most days.  Not that any one person was particularly interesting.  Just that the number of people was so much greater that it made it more interesting.

Where does this put me? I am now continuing west on Pennsylvania Route 31.  I am really in between towns, having left Somerset (actually, my wife and oldest stopped at the Somerset rest stop today on their way to Michigan and ate a fast food lunch).  Having left town, the only real landmarks on today’s run were the Pike Run Church and the Laurel Hill Creek and a few ponds near a camp ground more or less just off Route 31.

A comment on work two days ago.  I mentioned that I had been asked to be the master of ceremonies for an event organized at the behest of the Dean but which the Dean could not attend.  I was given cards with speaking points.  Having been asked once to hold the cards while holding a hand held microphone, I now know why the Dean usually has a wireless microphone and will ask for one (or a podium) next time I am asked to emcee.  I stuck to the talking points to introduce the guitar duo that was performing.  What I enjoyed was the opportunity to adlib a little bit afterwards.

In particular, the guitar player who did all the introduction of the pieces played mentioned that the guitar was a very versatile instrument and was suited to many types of music.  I appreciate that.  As an easy start there is country, rock, jazz, and classical.  Then, within classical there are any number of genres.  As I sat in the front row and watched the musicians play, I thought about the how the guitar players played, what it said about their effort, and how business students who will turn into business leaders could take some lessons from the experience.

So, after giving the basic post performance “Let’s give the performers an extra round of applause” and before wishing people a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year and inviting them to the reception in the lobby, I reflected a little bit on the playing.  I first pointed out how much better they were than I had ever been.  I was sort of able to play some chords for camp-fire sing along type of songs at one point.  But I was not really very good. 

Then, I mentioned versatility, precision, teamwork, and second nature.  How do those relate do the musicians?  And how does that relate to business?

Well, not only is the guitar a versatile instrument but the musicians played a mix of Spanish and Chinese music (and perhaps one other).  The musicians were versatile as well.  When we train students in the business school, we hope that they are versatile in the types of business problems that they will be good at dealing with some day.  Some problems for which much time can be taken.  Some problems where decisions need to be made immediately. Some problems with very clear decisions.  Some problems with very difficult decisions that raise all sorts of ethical questions.  Some personnel questions.  Some financial questions.  Our students, particularly our MBA students, should be able throughout their careers, should be able to address them all.

Precision?  Well, watching the musicians play amazed me.  I have always been amazed watching guitar players. I got good enough at piano as a child to call myself a bit above a beginner.  But not really very good.  But I could imagine how pianists fingers move quickly over the keyboard.  I have always been even more amazed at the precision on a fret board with six strings.  How to know which fret to press down for which string and which string or strings to pluck or strum.  When our students go out and become business leaders some day, they will need to have the same level of precision.  Precision in their analysis.  Precision in their decisions.  Precision in their consideration of different options.

Teamwork?  Clearly, for the performing duo, their playing complemented each other quite nicely.  In business, we are training leaders at the business school.  But even leaders have to understand teamwork.  In my position, I have five direct reports.  But I am also one of nine who sit at the table with the Dean each week to discuss the school and make decisions.  I have to work with others.  I have to get others to participate in their teamwork.  And given that no one person knows everything to run the organization there is a need for a lot of teamwork generally.

Finally, second nature.  The musicians looked like the playing was second nature to them.  They occasionally had to look at the fret boards or at whatever music they had.  But generally they just glanced at each other, looked out to the audience, or appeared to be concentrating.  The key is that they could just play.  When we are training students, we do not expect them to “just know” or “just make decisions.”  But as the students develop in their careers they should evolve to a point at which they can make decisions that are second nature to them.  They should take the lessons we teach, their motivation, and their wisdom, and make decisions that should become second nature to them.

After thinking about that while running today, I came home and made dinner with my two sons who are home at the moment.  We had angel hair pasta; some garlic pressed and lightly cooked in olive oil; some of the water from cooking the pasta; the fat from cooking pancetta mixed with the olive oil and water; mixing in the crumbled pancetta; and then topping with some fresh ground pepper and Parmesan to taste. 

It was wonderful.

So, lots to contemplate today.  Family activity.  My running. Steady progress toward my 2000 mile goal.  Music and business.  And very good food.

Life is good.

Pragmatic Visionary Spirituality

In a discussion at my office yesterday, someone referred to me as a pragmatic visionary.  That is an interesting compliment, and I spent some time thinking about what I had said that prompted that comment and whether I would think of myself that way.  It is not the first time I have been called a visionary about the business of education and health, so maybe there is something that other people are seeing.  I certainly have never thought of myself as a visionary.  But perhaps that is just being polite and not giving myself too much credit.

In any case, the previous comment about being a visionary (to set the context was with respect to bringing cost-effectiveness analysis to eye care and to nursing.  Was I single handed responsible for it?  No, absolutely not.  But, did my efforts make a difference in bringing this new way of thinking about resource allocation, new techniques, and new language to structure resource allocation efforts in these two areas--yes.  Does that make me a visionary?  I certainly had an idea of why the new methods would be important, whom to reach, and how to communicate them. The last of those may have been the most important--storytelling.   But I'm not at all sure it makes me a visionary.

Today, I will borrow heavily again from my professional blog.  And then, I will expand just a bit.  

In a discussion at my office yesterday, someone referred to me as a pragmatic visionary.  That is an interesting compliment, and I spent some time thinking about what I had said that prompted that comment and whether I would think of myself that way.  It is not the first time I have been called a visionary about the business of education and health, so maybe there is something that other people are seeing.  I certainly have never thought of myself as a visionary.  But perhaps that is just being polite and not giving myself too much credit.

In any case, the previous comment about being a visionary (to set the context was with respect to bringing cost-effectiveness analysis to eye care and to nursing.  Was I single handed responsible for it?  No, absolutely not.  But, did my efforts make a difference in bringing this new way of thinking about resource allocation, new techniques, and new language to structure resource allocation efforts in these two areas--yes.  Does that make me a visionary?  I certainly had an idea of why the new methods would be important, whom to reach, and how to communicate them. The last of those may have been the most important--storytelling.   But I'm not at all sure it makes me a visionary.
Yesterday, the conversation was one in which I simply reflected what I thought I heard a colleague saying, acknowledged that it was important, and built on it.  If there is one business skill that I have (and I really never thought of it as a business skill until I found myself in a business school), it is listening, reflecting, and improvising in the reflection. The aspect of improvising in return, I think is particularly critical for being thought of as a visionary.  Anyone with a take on modern communication skills for business or relationships has heard of reflective conversations.  What I do is expand.  Use my creativity.  Use my imagination.  Use my sense of being part of something bigger to make a difference in how I think and what I say.  It is one of the reasons that I have written before that if I ever get a second tattoo I have thought about including the mockingjay from The Hunger Games. The fictional bird did not simply mimic but changed.  Not always for the better--as I hope to in the sense of being considered a visionary.  But definitely improvised.

It is the improvising that I think appealed to my colleague and led him to the visionary comment.  What did it have to do with?  It had to do with thinking about online education and the role of individual courses versus the role of the program as a whole and the role of thinking about the university-wide reputation and context in which it fit.  Most importantly, acknowledging the importance of thinking not just about the quality of each course but the bigger picture and being able to articulate that bigger picture.  Again, I'm not sure that makes me a visionary.  But it does reflect my view of life.  Always having the bigger picture in mind.  My say is not the end of it.  My experience is not the end of it.  My thought is not the end of it.  I have spent 17 1/2 years as part of a bigger culture and bigger sense of an expansive imagination of what can be.  That is what Johns Hopkins University represents to me. 

The pragmatic side--I kept referring back to the timeline my boss has set.  Acknowledging that while the "big picture" thinking is great, I also have to be careful to meet deadlines.  

The two concepts (being a visionary whether I am one or not) and pragmatism are often at odds.  However, I think it is possible to pull them both together and make them work in harmony to lead to new and interesting ideas being implemented in a timely way.  That is the business of business in general, is it not?  To bring in new ideas, new methods, and new approaches to getting things that need to be done completed.    

So, in addition to my added comments about spirituality above, what else is it that ties any of this to spirituality, my running, and in particular my running a virtual pilgrimage this year.  Well, yesterday I ran 11.3 miles.  A total of 4.3 round trip jogging over and back to a track and a workout that among my friends (and apparently in running circles in general) is called "The Michigan".  As  graduate of the University of Michigan, I was intrigued to find out what workout was so strongly associated with my graduate school alma mater that it had attained this notable status.  

What I found was a variety of opinions and different websites that my running friends directed me to.  The one that seemed to most directly draw on what Coach Ron Warhurst actually did was the following...a workout of approximately 6.9 miles.  

Fast 1600 meters (defined as 15-20 seconds slower than the fastest I can run.  My interpretation, aspirational 5K race pace).  I did it in 5:59 yesterday morning.  Alone on the track  Great way to start the workout.

Then, it called for a 3 minute jog.  I just ran a slow lap.  Probably a little less than 3 minutes but plenty of time to recover.  Each supposedly 3 minute jog as described in what I read was translated into a slow lap around the track.  Cumulative distance 2000 meters.  

Then, 1600 meters about a minute slower than the first one.  This, for me, translates into aspirational 10 mile to half marathon race pace.  (I have run each before but never in a race setting on a hilly course.)  Time--7:00 even on the first one.

Another slow lap.

Next, 1200 meters at the same pace as the first 1600. My time?  4:31.  Just a teeny bit slower but exactly in line with the 6:00-6:05 pace I had planned out earlier in the week.

Another slow lap.

Another 1600 meters at the slower pace.  I ran a 6:56.  Good timing.

Next, 800 meters continuing at the fast pace.  Here is where I really started to feel it but hung together enough to run a 2:58.  

Another slow lap and another moderate 1600 meters.  The latter was run in 6:55.  I actually felt for the first time in the workout that I had to think about running that pace and not going too slowly.  The 7 minute mile on the track usually feels like second nature.  But by the end of the 1600 meters, I had accumulated 10800 meters just on the track (more than 6 miles) with more than 5 being at half marathon pace or better.

The final 400 meters was supposed to be all out.  I was not sure what I had left.   I knew I could do better than the six minute mile pace but really wasn't sure.  I took off.  I ended up running what was essentially a tie for the fastest 400 meter I have run since coming back to running in 2006.  I have run what shows up on my Garmin database as a 1:14 three times.  Once in July 2013 and once in June 2012 besides yesterday.  Given the inexact nature of self-timing and the challenge of running a workout alone, I'm quite satisfied to say that at the end of a workout with more than 6 miles total on the track and more than 5 miles at "speed" level, I was able to pull off my fasted quarter mile effort.  That is pretty amazing.  To the degree that the spirit of toughness of a "wolverine" characterizes Michigan sports and Michigan graduates, I think I lived up to that value.

Again, even my workout can be put in light of a bigger picture.  The spirit of Michigan.

And, I as I continue on my trek, where does that leave me?  Well, with 94.3 miles accumulated so far this year, I am would have run past McConnellsburg and then on to US 30 where I will spend many miles headed west.  It sounds more like a hitchhiking trip than a run at this point, but I keep moving along.  Thinking of a bigger picture.  Thinking of a goal.  And being able to tell the story well enough that I now have started to get information about the diocese and the church toward which I am running in my virtual pilgrimage.  I will share that on a day that is not so full of other work and family stuff.     

And I will continue to think about the concept of pragmatic visionary spirituality and what the three terms together might mean to me.