One of my friends and mentors once told me that if I walked into a room full of horse manure, I’d ask, “where’s the pony?” Optimism mixed with idealism has always been part of who I am. There is no question that is one of the reasons for many of my accomplishments. It’s also the same reason for most of my failures. I tend to have a high pain tolerance, and it would seem that I have a similar high tolerance for risks of a certain type. My one exception is my fear of heights. I have jumped into a number of business relationships that I might look back upon as mistaken, but I’m often reminded that hindsight is 20:20, and that I have also had success in areas I was warned to avoid. Perhaps the real question is identifying the high interpersonal risk environment. How do you know who is telling you the truth? How does one know what kind of business partner they’re choosing to work with?
How does one avoid the lion’s den? That’s a question my wife asked me yesterday. It’s a great question, because I seem to have a tendency to seek out the lion’s den. I’m not sure if there is an ironman corollary, but there probably is, especially after I’ve competed in some of the most difficult ironman races of all time! Therein lies the message. If you don’t know how to avoid the lion’s den, at least know how to look for a way out! I will never forget, as long as I live, being in the middle of a tempest in Sand Hollow Reservoir (during the 2012 Ironman St.George), thinking that someone might die that day, and it wouldn’t be me. That’s the one constant response in an ironman; slow down, relax, get your wits about you, take care of your mind and body, and then figure out your plan.
I’ve had plenty of experiences in my life where I’ve walked into the lion’s den. In fact, I do seem to gravitate in that direction! In many ways I’ve always been a bit of a risk taker. Skipping the 8th grade, leaving my geriatric fellowship after one year to join Kaiser, leaving Kaiser to open a Senior Health Clinic with GeriMed, leaving GeriMed to go into private practice. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that when I retired for the first time, I quickly jumped into a website business venture, when I retired for the second time, I stepped into the middle of a large nursing home chain, and 8 months later, literally entered the lion’s den that is the inner sanctum of the nursing home industry.
The interface between business and human nature is the ultimate conundrum. What drives people? I know what drives me. I have devoted my life to helping others. It’s never been about money, although one must be profitable if they are to sustain a successful program. Or, at least we’re supposed to think that. Bankruptcy laws might actually provide a counterbalance to this concept, as does the structure of publicly traded companies. In the 1990’s, most of the publicly traded nursing home chains went into bankruptcy. Today, many are on the verge. With that background, as well as my idealistic and optimistic outlook, I jumped in head first. Perhaps the outcome can be compared to my experience at the Long Course Ironman World Championship in Perth, Australia in 2009. That was my only DNF, but not for lack of trying. A bike crash which resulted in a fractured clavicle, pelvis and hip socket forced me to quit after biking for 48 miles and walking 3 1/2 with the aforementioned injuries. I must be a glutton for punishment.
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