Mark C. Winters uses a personal skiing anecdote to illustrate the difference between people who thrive on methodical, uphill work and those who thrive on high-speed, downhill flow, mapping that contrast onto the roles of integrators and visionaries in business. He advises listeners to focus on their natural "downhill" strengths, partner with complementary people for tasks that feel like "uphill," and to enjoy the ride; he closes with a call-to-action to Rocket Fuel Ventures resources (assessments, website, book).
Chapters
Hi, everybody. It's Mark C. Winners. And last week I had an opportunity to take a little trip with my family to the mountains in Colorado for some snow skiing. And when we got there, I'm working with a gear technician to kind of get everything set up right the way that I needed it, the way I wanted it. And in that conversation, he drops this comment that, well, you know, he likes this one setting a certain way because he likes to ski uphill. Uphill. I'm like, what are you talking about? Ski uphill? And he starts talking about, you know, cross country skiing and skins on his skis and all this kind of st. And candidly, my ears kind of glazed over because my mind went directly to all of my experience in skiing uphill, which kind of looks like this. That's me in red, trying to ski uphill, where on the other side. I feel good. You know, it's nice over there, but going uphill, my mind went to, you know, sidestepping in skis, trying to do kind of the skate thing when you've got to go up a little hill or that crazy rocking back and forth walk that kind of makes the fishbone thing all. All of which for me mean tremendous energy, exertion, extreme shortness of breath, especially at altitude, and just not a lot of fun. So that was the picture in my mind. And then it sort of dawned on me that there was a difference between he and I. And for him, his uphill was a lot like my downhill, and my downhill was a lot like his uphill. They were just sort of mixed based on our perspective. So for him, he just simply doesn't enjoy going downhills. And don't ask me why. I don't get it. For me, that's where the flow comes. That's where I can go fast. That's where I can be smooth. I can be in control. It's energizing. It's exhilarating. And for him, it's just the opposite. For him, the methodical progression of working his way up a hill is where he achieves his state of flow. And for me, that's just a pure energy drain. I don't get it. So the bottom line here is that we're different, and that's okay. That's the reality. And the reality of that polar opposite is very similar for the world that a visionary and an integrator operate in. So we've simply got to recognize that reality and play to it, play to our strengths and play to the strengths of others. Recognizing that, wow, these things that we hate these things that we don't like. There actually are folks out there that love that stuff and it just, it continues to amaze me and surprise me, but I continue to find it to be true again and again and again. Alright, three key things to wrap this one up today. Number one, ski downhill. Whatever your downhill is, ski downhill. That's what you were born to do. So please do that. Number two, team with others where the things that feel uphill to you feel downhill to them. It's their gift, it's their strength, it's their unique ability. So team with them. Number three, enjoy the ride. Right? So when you can go fast, when you can play in that space that you were born to play in, it is a fun ride. So please be sure to take time to soak it in. Thanks for watching. Today at Rocket Fuel Ventures, we're all about creating the most powerful visionary integrator duos on the planet. And we do that by helping you crystallize what it means to be a visionary and an integrator. So you can understand if that concept can help you and if you decide it can, to get connected with with your complementary counterpart and then finally maximize that relationship to make it everything it can be to help you take your company to the next level. So if you want more Rocket Fuel, please check out our website@rocketfuelnow.com and that's where you can sign up for the weekly videos like this. Be sure you're getting these on a regular basis. You can also take the assessments so you can understand as a visionary or as an integrator, where your strengths lie and what the shape is of your two piece puzzles that can help you find that complementary counterpart. And and finally, of course, read the book Rocket Fuel and keep those great reviews coming. So until next time, go Rocket.
