Kevin Rutherford

Chief Eternal Optimist

By InnerVoice

January 27^th, 2017

Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Being a Chief Eternal Optimist (CEO) is an amazing place as you can affect change in so many ways. However, it can also be a lonely place. Recently, I found myself in a mental and physical funk where there were a lot of challenges that took time away from training and from my family. My training was barely happening which caused me more stress and then when I got home I didn’t seem to have any energy to properly engage with my wife.

So how did I break the funk?

I forced myself to focus on what I am grateful for. I’m a firm believer in building on your strengths, so focusing on what you are grateful for will result in inner strength. I thought about the nuun business and how we have doubled it in the last couple of years. I thought about the culture of the team and how this is the most amazing and inspiring group of people that I have ever worked with. On a more personal front, I know I have the most supportive wife and life partner that anyone could ask for. I also knew that within a few short days of training I would feel as strong as ever. So I kicked myself in the butt and thought "stop feeling sorry for yourself". People would give anything to be in my position. People that are closest to me are looking up to me and counting on me. I have a lot working for me and I just need to lace em’ up and take action. The steps will rebuild the mojo and accelerate.

THe Power of the team.

Over the years, I have gotten better and better at going into a meeting, training session, or even a party already knowing what success will look like. By getting clarity on what I want to accomplish in whatever I’m about to embark on, it results in making that end-game a reality. I firmly believe that the key is to be in the moment. I don’t multitask in meetings. In that moment, I’m focused solely on my team. This allows me to make better decisions, remember more, and help others feel valued around me.

If there was one common string that brings these successes to light, it’s the power of the team. You are whom you surround yourself with and that means we all have a role to play. Connect and surround yourself with people that motivate and inspire you, and in return, lead with your positive energy to uplift them.

MY FEAR of Swimming is still there.

The biggest influence on my decision to get into triathlon was my friend Allison Fowler, who I think of as a little sister. We worked together at Miller Brewing Company on MGD. She asked me to enter the Chicago Triathlon (Olympic distance) with her. I told Allison that I couldn’t really swim and therefore there is no way I could do it. Well, Allison has a positive mojo about her and she convinced me to sign up. Needless to say, the swim was terrifying. No, really! I was terrified before I jumped in the water and must have taken close to an hour to finish the swim. I thought I was going to die and mere survival was my victory. Allison didn’t stop at Chicago; a couple of years later she asked me to sign up for Ironman 70.3 Oceanside.

My memory must have been really short because somehow she convinced me that an ocean swim is no big deal. I think her words were something like “come on Kevin, you basically did the same distance in Lake Michigan”. It’s worth noting that I have a weak spot for peer pressure so obviously I caved. This time I got myself a coach to help me with the swim. It helped, but not that much. My fear of swimming was there and is still there today, but thankfully to a lesser magnitude. At Oceanside, the racers swim out about 50 meters to the start line. I was exhausted by the time I got there, and we hadn’t even started the race yet. My anxiety was so high that I couldn’t exhale when I put my face in the water. I thought to myself, what am I doing? Then the gun goes off. I start to swim and bump into the person in front of me. I stopped and looked around for a clear path. There wasn’t one. I tried again and a few strokes later I bumped into someone else. Now my heart was pounding. I flipped on my back and backstroked as hard as I could for the entire swim. Have you ever tried to backstroke through people in the ocean? I didn’t think so. Don’t do it, it’s not ideal.

I was about 300 meters from the finish of the swim when a lifeguard asked me if I want to rest on her surfboard. I said, “hell ya”. Then she said to me “you are almost there, just put your goggles down over your eyes and bring it home”. Wait, I didn’t have my goggles over my eyes this entire time?

It wasn’t until after mile 30 of the bike that I saw my first age group peer. But then I saw more and more as each mile passed. I got stronger with each person I passed on the bike and run. One benefit of being a bottom-tier swimmer is that you pass people on land all day long, and virtually nobody passes you.

vision. culture. mojo.

Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to lead teams at companies like Loblaws, SC Johnson, Miller and Kashi. In every situation, we created a vision and then created initiatives that would bring that vision to life. Then we built on the wins consistently and the momentum eventually became a groundswell of success both internally and externally. It wasn’t rocket science. My charge was to lead and inspire the team with 1) Vision – create possibility in the minds of the team so they could “win” and feel part of something great; 2) Create a culture of positivity so that we feed off of each other’s wins versus avoiding mistakes; and 3) Mojo builds mojo: build off of the wins to create an upward spiral with focused priorities while always welcoming new possibilities. My role was to start the flame and then to keep it burning brightly by motivating the team.

I believe that business needs to be used to make positive change for the world. In essence, using a Spider-Man quote "with great power comes great responsibility". Nuun has reached the number one share in the sports speciality market for hydration, and we owe it to the athletes and planet (our outdoor playground) to use that success to create positive change, not chase the dollars at any cost.

“What is so ironic is that my ambition of taking on triathlons, including Ironman, started when I worked for beer company. Perhaps I was more focused on the celebration after the achievement of racing.”

integrate your training into your work life.

I’ve thought about quitting triathlon a lot of times. I’m not proud of it, but it's true. It’s not easy to be consistent at training with the time and travel demands of business. The reality is that the discipline of training helps me be a better leader. When I train; I rarely get sick, I’m more confident, more alert, and just feel more optimistic. These are traits that help me be a better leader.

One way to help is to integrate your training into your work life (if you can). Consider going out on a ride or a run with your work team rather than sitting in a meeting room. You also get some mental clarity during the easier sessions, with the oxygen and blood flowing through your body.

My other tip is to number your priorities in order. If the choice is between business and training then ensure you are clear on which is first and which is second. When a choice needs to be made you will easily pick the more important priority with absolute certainty. This clarity reduces stress and brings clarity to all facets of your life.

Just feel it, dude.

Have you ever tried surfing? I used to live in San Diego and one day I took a lesson. After a quick dry-land lesson on how to get up on the board, we paddled out past the break of the waves. In response to my question of how to do this, my surfer dude coach says “you will just feel it, dude. When I say paddle, then you paddle. When you feel the momentum of the wave, just pop up.” 'Just feel it' was the genius advice?

You know what, though, he was right.

The same can be said for the swim, bike, or run. They say time in the water results in a better awareness of your body position for balance. Getting more time on the bike makes you agiler on the turns and downhills. You can’t read it. Just feel it, dude. Then, like rapid prototyping, keep adjusting to get better. It’s also important to remember to never stop adjusting, as you can always be better.

“I convince myself that there is more in the tank. I tell myself to give it a little more for just a little longer. The reality is, anybody can do anything for a few minutes or a few metres. So play games with your mind to reach the smaller increments and nothing seems impossible anymore.”

Prioritise what is most important.

I hope I have a clear message when it comes to the combination of being a Chief Eternal Optimist and training for an Ironman. The message is that there is always time if you prioritise what is most important to you. Leading a team and an amazing company takes a lot of time and energy. Investing in your relationships (like mine with my wife) takes energy and commitment. Investing in training for a race requires consistency and energy. Those are the three things that I focus on being the best that I can.

All other priorities are important but I have come to terms that I can’t do them as well as the first three. So yes, you can do an Ironman and work full-time and be in a relationship. But in order to do it well, you need to recognise and be comfortable that other priorities will only get addressed opportunistically.

“I am a free-spirit at heart. I don’t need control of everything. I just know that I can work with the tools that I have to accomplish my goals.”

i guess i better get started.

I really want to redefine how people consume sports drinks. We have it all wrong. Drinking from single use bottles with artificial ingredients and excess sugar is not the formula for success. Nuun is going to change that paradigm in the next 3-5 years.

Athletically, I’m focusing on the 70.3 distance for triathlons right now. My goal is to qualify for the World Championship IM 70.3. I have no doubt that I can do it. I just need to commit the energy, time, and priority. I guess I better get started.