Next Play

Witzdom has been on a bit of an extended hiatus these past few months.? Hopefully some of you have anxiously awaited its return – much like we anxiously anticipate the next season of our favorite streaming series, right? Speaking of next…

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“Next play.” Fans of college basketball know this catch phrase, credited to Duke University’s legendary head basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K used “next play” as a motivator for his teams to not look back on what happened on the last play – good or bad. He taught his players that the most important play was in front of you – how you get from the current moment to the next one. You can often hear him and his players shout “next play” after each basket (or attempt) as they race back up the court. Too often, both in sports and in life, we tend to dwell on our last play. If we miss the basket, we shake our heads, look back and perhaps blame the shooter, the referee, or even ourselves – and before you know it, the other team has darted past us and scored. Similarly, great shots that go in the basket are moments to be relished, but the game hasn’t stopped.? Enjoy the moment, but get moving toward that next play.

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The gap between my last Witzdom and this one can be explained by our own version of “next play,” and was completely unanticipated when 2024 began.? What started as a winter snowbird trip to Arizona in early February was interrupted by a rainy-day adventure exploring open houses in suburban Scottsdale. ?This led to a life-changing series of events.? Ultimately, and in a period of less than three weeks, a decision was made to downsize, sell our current home and build not one, but two houses.

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The connection between the motivations one gets from “next play” versus staying in the current moment may be subtle, but we learned that once you start to look ahead from the present moment, you stop dwelling on the successes and failures of the past.? You don’t FORGET them – in fact, the learnings from them are critical to how you react on that next play. But you learn to focus on the more important things that lie ahead.? Looking much beyond what is planned or needed for the next several months, possibly the next year – has always been an aspiration for David and me, versus taking actions designed to lay out long term plans in detail.

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We knew we’d get to this point, but we mostly avoided discussions about our “next play.”? We were well aware that the house and property would someday get to be too much to maintain. We wanted to be closer to the grandkids. And while career commitments took us all over the globe, we still have a desire to see places not yet explored, and perhaps revisit a few of our favorite spots. What stopped us?? Perhaps it was not having the “X’s” and “O’s” mapped out on the chalkboard before each move we made. But the reality is nothing truly stopped us – other than us failing to listen for that next play. At least not until that rainy day in the desert.

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Oddly, I think we DID hear Coach K’s voice in the past, but we were just not sure we knew what was driving the motivation. Career moves, corporate relocations, even job eliminations pushed us to new places, and with each of them, new opportunities. Some of these were planned, others were not. But we moved forward.? The lesson learned was not to let one situation – job, boss, business relationship, disagreement or any other unexpected event – affect how we played the rest of our game.

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So, how do you fit the good parts of your past into the next phase of your life?? From a career perspective, this is similar to taking the valued learnings from our past experiences, the advice from the good bosses and mentors we have enjoyed, and yes, even the reminders of things we may want to avoid doing as we move ahead. All the while, the next move affords you the opportunity for new experiences, work relationships, and possibly new lifelong friendships. How much effort and focus you turn into that next play is highly dependent on how you managed the plays you ran in the past.

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The message of “next play” is one that can positively influence how we tackle numerous life and career challenges.? This thinking, whether active or subconscious, has guided my actions and decisions throughout my career. Perhaps it’s the underwriter in me – evaluate the facts, understand the risk, but go with your gut. Make the decision and deal with implications: enjoy the success – or take the learning and move forward.?? You may think that this advice is more rooted in age (I am a grandfather after all) and experience (a career spanning 40+ years). I’d be lying if I said my current station in life doesn’t influence decisions to a degree.? But my age only guides me on timing, not action.? Tying this back on the connection made earlier to new streaming shows, I am reminded of a dialogue from one my favorite new TV characters, Debra Vance, remarkably played by veteran comedic actress Jean Smart in the series “Hacks.” Debra is an aging stand-up comic, working feverishly to remain relevant. She hires a younger and fresher writer to help her extend her career. During one scene in the most recent season, Debra becomes frustrated with her younger colleague, who seems to be always procrastinating on the pursuit of her overall dreams and goals.?? As Debra tells her, “One day, one day, I will do this, one day I’ll accomplish that. The magic of one day is that it’s all ahead of you. But for me, one day is now. Anything I want to do I have to do NOW or else I will never do it. That is the worst part of getting older.”

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I’ll accept that there may be a bit of Debra’s self-reflection that prompted us to pursue the craziness of 2024.? Getting older is still better than the alternative. But this is also our “next play,” and we feel there is still a lot of time on the clock (at least that’s our hope).?? Regardless of your age or experience, look for your next play.? Don’t simply look at what’s around the corner, look toward a destination.? Any destination will do, as you can always change where you are once you get there.

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Reisenwitz, from the German, translates something akin to “travel joke” in English. It explains why many a German-speaking border agent would snicker as I passed through passport control when I was working in Europe. I would subsequently translate the name to mean traveling fool – a jester, or a “wit,” given my career on the road. Throughout that career – and my overall life journey – I have acquired insight I have found beneficial that I’d like to share in this periodic newsletter. You can decide if it’s wisdom – or “witz”dom.? Hopefully you’ll find a little of both.