From the President’s Desk: A Formula for Unleashing Your Team’s Power in the New Year

E=mc².

You’ve undoubtedly seen this equation before. But unless you have a very special kind of job, you probably don’t encounter physics equations every day. Yet, you’ve seen this one on mugs, shirts, and in cartoons. Why?

The simplicity of this equation hides its incredible depth. Let’s explore it together.

First, let’s give some context to numbers. We often hear big numbers, but do we truly grasp their magnitude? Here’s a striking example: if you were to count to one million, saying one number every second of every day, it would take you about one week (assuming no sleep, food, or water – it would be a long week…). Now, if you were to count to one billion (just one letter different!), it would take you thirty-two years (again, without any breaks)! The human species is generally bad at recognizing order of magnitude, which this example illustrates.

Now, consider the speed of light, another tremendously big number: light travels about 300 million meters every second. To compare that to your car on the highway, that’s roughly 671 million miles per hour. 

The speed of light squared, which is what’s represented in the equation, is another mind-boggling concept. We can talk about these numbers, but we have a hard time envisioning them. So, I’ll come back to E=mc² with this summary: Einstein’s equation shows that each unit of matter contains an absolutely epic amount of energy. Even the tiniest atom has a minuscule mass (m) – but when multiplied by the speed of light squared, we see how vast the energy potential is in just one atom!

So, why the physics lesson? Well, I view this equation as a parallel for people.

Think about the potential you have inside you. Reflect on everything you’ve accomplished, the people you’ve impacted, and all the good you’ve done. The power we’ve unleashed with our simple actions has been expanded, compounded, and magnified because our very existence is infused with incredible energy. Each human being may just be a dot of mass in our enormous universe – but one dot of mass brings an unfathomable energy to the world!

Now think about your team. Inside each tiny dot of mass, inside each person on your team, lies an awesome amount of energy and power. Can you imagine the energy that can be achieved by a group of these dots working together? Reflect on everything your team has accomplished this past year, and picture the expansive possibilities that lie ahead with your collective energy! 

I asked Curtis Brown, senior project manager at Woolpert with over 30 years of airfield design and management experience, to reflect on this as well. “I believe people are the most important thing for our businesses,” said Brown. “Whether our families, friends, clients, or co-workers, we do what we do for people and with people. The amazing thing about how people are made is that the more we invest in helping and elevating others, the more our own lives are enriched. Just as the energy released from a single atom can power a city, the energy sparked by a selfless act, an insightful conversation, or an empathetic tear can influence lives for generations.” 

Curtis is passionate about the development of others and has recently stepped into an elevated role at Woolpert, in which he gets to spend more of his time building a really strong team. “Each person carries untold potential to make an impact on the world. I believe our role as leaders is to invest in our co-workers and clients by understanding their needs and motivators and helping them enhance their ability to impact others and perform meaningful work. I find that the more successful I am at assisting others, the more fulfilling and profitable my work becomes,” finished Brown. 

Albert Einstein spent a lot of time with books and notes, but he also spent a lot of time with people. From what we know about him, if he were here today, he might not entirely disagree with my preposterous parallel or Curtis’ insightful perspective on energy. He might encourage you to see his coffee-mug equation not just as a tool for constructing particle accelerators, but as a window to the boundless energy within yourself and your teams. 

YOU have the power to act, execute, and make change in the new year, no matter who or where you are – even Einstein said so.

Sri Kumar is President and Chief Executive Officer at Connico. He can be reached at skumar@connico.com.