Increase performance by turning into the wind

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Back in college, I captained my dorm's intramural volleyball team. Our haphazard collection of residents coalesced into a surprisingly formidable squad, boasting a nearly undefeated season before advancing to the playoffs.

Paradoxically, we dispatched good teams with little effort while struggling against far weaker opponents. Facing capable players, we rose to the occasion and performed like stars; against inept teams, we fell apart and played like bums.

Human psychology explains why. When approaching an easy task, our lazy brains calculate the least amount of energy necessary for success. Once we've defaulted to less-than-maximum effort, we easily slip to an even lower threshold and end up flailing at completing a job that should pose no challenge whatsoever.

Which brings us to this week's entry into the Ethical Lexicon:

Tack | verb

To chart a zigzag course by turning a ship's bow into the wind.

Even those who have never taken a step off dry land grasp the basic idea of sailing: The wind fills your sail and carries your boat across the surface of the water. Whether you're crossing New York's East River or the Strait of Magellan, the principle is the same.

But if the wind is in your face, blowing from the direction you want to travel, what do you do then?

You tack. By turning the prow of your boat 45 degrees from the oncoming wind, first to the right and then to the left, you can zigzag your way against the wind to reach your destination.

Tilting the sails at an angle produces a lateral force. However, a boat can't move sideways; the keel is designed to slice through the water, always driving the boat in the direction of the bow. As a result, the hull channels the angular force against the sail to propel the vessel forward into the wind.

But that's not the most interesting part. What's really fascinating is that by tacking into the wind you sail faster than you can with the wind at your back.

Don't ask me to explain the physics, but the phenomenon is genuine. Harnessing the oncoming wind at an oblique angle actually drives the boat at a higher velocity than it can travel with the wind fully behind it.

For sailors and non-sailors alike, the lessons of the sea translate into compelling lessons for life and business.

In 2012, Nassim Taleb introduced readers to the concept he calls antifragile — the property of building strength by confronting resistance. What's remarkable is how he successfully marketed this idea as revolutionary in a culture where everyone already took it for granted.

How do you structure a new workout regimen at the gym? You start by lifting five-pound weights and setting the treadmill's resistance to zero. As you grow stronger over time, you move incrementally to heavier weights and increase the resistance setting.

Why don't you stick with the lighter weights and leave the setting where it is? We all know the bodybuilder's mantra: no pain, no gain.

This is why Olympic gold rarely goes to the high-diver who flawlessly executes a simple swan dive, but to the one who not-quite-perfectly pulls off a triple back somersault with a double twist. Effortless perfection encourages mediocrity. Stretching beyond our comfort zone propels us toward greater achievement.

This doesn't mean we need to go looking for problems. It does mean that we should always seek to set the bar higher for ourselves. Every difficulty provides an opportunity to grow stronger. Every obstacle summons us to conquer the next horizon.

So, when life gives you smooth sailing, take advantage of the calm to prepare for the next storm. Generate a little internal resistance by contemplating ways of pushing yourself to an even higher level of performance.

With the wind full at your back, enjoy the moment. But remember that the inevitable change in the wind allows you to move ahead faster and grow stronger in the process. Embracing each new challenge provides the best preparation for successfully conquering it as it arrives.

Rabbi Yonason Goldson graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in English, which he put to good use by setting off hitchhiking cross-country and backpacking across Europe. He eventually arrived in Israel where he connected with his Jewish roots and spent the next nine years studying Torah, completing his rabbinic training as part of Ohr Somayach's first ordination program. After teaching yeshiva high school for 23 years in Budapest, Hungary, Atlanta, Georgia, and St. Louis, Missouri, Rabbi Goldson established himself as a professional speaker and advisor, working with business leaders to create a company culture built on ethics and trust. He has published seven books and given two TEDx Talks, is an award-winning host of two podcasts, and writes a weekly column for Fast Company Magazine. He also serves as scholar-in-residence for congregations around the country.

Previously:

• Balancing the Equation of Intentions vs. Outcomes
• To be Human is to be Exceptional
• If You Get Where You're Going, You've Taken the Wrong Road
• Think Twice Before You Take Advice
• Taking intellectual humility seriously
• What are we?
• Are we Pillaging our own Moral Depository?
• Why Sharp Tongues Lose the War of Words
• Good Intentions Never Prevail Over Cold Reality
• Sarcastic Wit Carries Too High a Cost
• Character, not as a bank account. Rather, an investment portfolio
• Are We Programming Ourselves Out of Existence?
• The bigger they come, the harder we try to make them fall
• How to Transform Fallacies Into Actionable Reality
• How to make life worth living --- no, REALLY!
• What Do Opposites Attract? Truth and Wisdom
• Groucho Marx and Embracing Tension
• Toward a more civil civilization
• Break Down Barriers of Thought to Build Towers of Innovation
• 'Tis the Season for Reflecting Beyond your Reflection
• Why Antisemitism Is Not Just a Jewish Problem
• The rank stupidity of 'Just let it go'
• To create a functioning, biblically-based civilization
• The difference between optimism and hope
• The Next Piece of the Puzzle Might Fill the Hole in Your Heart
• Self-Esteem Isn't Given -- It's Earned
• Remember the Past to Promote a Successful Future
• Are We Making Failure the Price of Success?
• Demoralization Is More About Culture than Feelings
• The Lesson We're Missing From the Death of Charlie Kirk
• Invest in Your Own Success by Building Up Others
• The Most Valiant Heroes Fight on a Different Battlefield
• How Pundits Came to Give Punditry a Bad Name
• The Wisdom of Knowing What You Don't Know
• Success Thrives in the Light of Purpose and Passion
• When Seeking Peace, Don't Release the Dogs of War
• Greta Thunberg Sails Toward Moral Hypocrisy
• Checking More Boxes Is Not the Solution
• Why Sometimes NOT Seeing Is MORE Believing
• A Healthy Diet for the Brain Promotes Ethical Clarity for the Mind

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