Run silent … run deep!
What does the expression ‘run silent, run deep’ really mean? Discretion? Stealth? Foresight? Silent power? Let’s get to the bottom of it, and hopefully we can understand how it relates to business strategy.
The instances of raw power that you have ever encountered in your life, probably didn’t need to loudly broadcast their power to you: the stern father entering the home; Mike Tyson before a fight; the late Queen Elizabeth entering a ballroom. Now, we can’t all be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, or the sovereign of an empire, but we can learn to tap into the power of silence.
The saying originates from how a submarine should run when in attack mode. Now, don’t confuse this with the term, ‘silent, but deadly’, which more often refers to a lethal emission of gas. Neither should you misinterpret it for the description of the personality type, which is basically an introvert. Let me get technical for a moment. Whilst the latter expression is said as a continuous sentence, the title of this piece is said with a pause between the top and the tail of the phrase; ‘run silent (pause) run deep’.
Why the need to broadcast oneself?
Have you ever noticed that the loudest person in the room is rarely the person you’d most admire or respect? The same is true for self-promoters, chest-thumpers, braggarts, bullies and all manner of people who tend to loudly project their perceived sense of self, or power.
You have to ask, ‘what is the value in having to proclaim yourself, your strengths or your virtues?’. Shouldn’t those great attributes, if they exist, be self evident, and need no proclamation…or accolades be given to you by other parties? So, it goes to the heart of the question, of the purpose that is served by such thunder and fury. I think we all know the answer. As the saying goes, ‘Confidence is silent, insecurities are loud’.
The power of silence
What is it about silence that gives us such power? Meditation and mindfulness practice have it that, this is the route to getting in touch with your higher spirituality.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is usually defined as awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings, by maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, in manner that not only cares for ourselves, but cares for those around us. It can help us to avoid destructive habits and responses, through this awareness of how our thoughts and emotions, affect our environment and those around us. When you run silent, you are better able to be in touch with this practice of mindfulness.
Closing outside distraction; being unfazed
Outside influences are what often jar us, and set us off course. Athletes often talk about their greatest performances coming when they are in “the zone”. This is a place where outside influences, noise and distraction, have no ability to set them off their path and their goals.
Channeling your energy
Running silent helps you to channel your energy to the places where it is needed most, and not expend useless energy.
The Michael Jordan versus Lebron James G.O.A.T. debate
This debate on whether Michael Jordan or Lebron James is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) has been raging for quite some time. You can see the objective accolades awarded to them by the National Basketball Association in the image above. It is without doubt, that Lebron would need another hall of fame career (akin to Kevin Durant’s outstanding career) in his remaining years, to even approach Michael Jordan’s achievements. But then, it is instructive to also look at their mindsets and respective characters. Let’s see if you can differentiate which words come out of the mouths of each of them.
‘I am the King!’ ‘I am the chosen one!’
‘A greater player than me will come down the line, and surpass my achievements.’ ‘I didn’t win without my teammate (sic), and that’s why I consider him the best teammate of all time’.
The former is from the one of the two of them, who chooses to broadcast himself, loudly and boastfully. The latter is the one who runs silent… runs deep, and is the G.O.A.T. in every imaginable way. https://bizlifesmarts.com/completely_present_mj23
This is the essence of personal power. Just as Michael Jordan exhibits it, we see it in others. Be they supreme athletes, or great listeners, or genius thinkers, or those who lead by example and not by just words. They are all inspirational leaders, who leave us in awe of their greatness, once we delve beneath the surface.
So…what has the shark attack got to do with all this warm and fuzzy stuff?
It is about personal power. Running silent places you in control of your own environment. And not only does it do that, but it gives you the power to do great things.
Ergo, the connection to sharks. Experts consider sharks to be one of the most evolved species, having been around for about 400 million years. You can say that they’ve learned the tricks of the trade. How to not just survive, but thrive. That saying, ‘run silent…run deep’, originated in the context of submarine stealth attacks. I am one who believes that the invention of submarines was inspired by sharks.
By us using this analogy of a 400 million year knowledge journey, we can learn a thing or two. Use silence to your advantage, to master yourself…and your environment.
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