Three by Three

I admit that numbers fascinate me. For example, did you know that by separating the numbers from 1 to 9, in order, by plus and minus signs, you can add them up to 100 (see the end of this article for the answer, but try it yourself first)?

The number 3 is quite interesting as well. It is the only number that is the sum of the two numbers that come immediately before it. There are three spatial dimensions (length, width and height).  When you move to the fourth dimension – time – there are three parts to time; the past, the present, and the future.  Earth is the third planet from the sun. There are three persons in the Christian Trinity, and the three-sided polygon (triangle) figures in many occult and other systems of thought including the Freemasons and Alcoholics Anonymous. The number 3 figures in a variety of personal and business management stratagems, as well.

For example, in marketing, it is commonly believed that in a relatively unrestricted marketplace, there is only room for three “generalist” competitors – organizations that offer a full line of products and tend to dominate the marketplace (often from 70% – 90% of the total market). The rest of the players tend to be specialists either in what they sell or to whom they sell it. Take the automobile industry for example. A generalist in the car business will have many models, from family sedan to sports coupe to SUV, and often either a range of models or an array of options within their models (or both) so that they can address affordability issues. A specialist will be more focused on types of cars, and may offer only speed/performance vehicles (Lotus), or utilitarian vehicles (Land Rover). Or the company may target big ticket buyers like Bentley does. When I was growing up in the Sixties, the “Big Three” car manufacturers had been historically Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Lately though Toyota has barged into that group, bumping Chrysler, which many think is now fifth after Honda. Speaking of Toyota and Honda, they are two of the Big Three/Japan group, with the addition of Nissan. In Germany, the BT are BMW, Volkswagen/Audi, and Daimler-Benz. See what I mean?

And what about auto insurance? The three dominant players in that marketplace are State Farm, Geico, and Allstate. You might guess that from the TV advertising you see over and over and over again. Lagging a ways behind these top companies are Travelers, Farmers and Liberty Mutual.

Think about something a little more mundane now, like breakfast cereal. Name the biggest cereal manufacturers. If you didn’t come up with Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Post(Ralcorp), I would be surprised! (Makes me wonder if having “General” in your name isn’t a good strategy for successful capture of market share!). The Rule of Three even at the breakfast table. Studies have been done that suggest that this rule applies to at least 200 industries in existence. Try it yourself and see if it isn’t so!

Historically, the classic elements of communication, as identified by Aristotle 2500 years ago. are Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Ethos relates to credibility and expertise, integrity and character. In the leadership arena this means are you a person I can trust, believe in, and follow? Pathos defines the emotional connection. Are you someone who can connect with others, talk with them – not down to them? Are your interactions characterized by attentiveness and an active interest in others? Are you compassionate, but can you also be a strong guide when that is called for? Logos relates to understanding and (not surprisingly) logic. When your ideas and plans make sense, and can be described in a way that your people understand, they are much more likely to be adopted. Can you show that you use Critical Thinking, strategic planning and analytical problem solving skills in your daily work life? If so, you stand a much better chance of bringing people along on whatever journey you are on. As the saying goes “Trust your gut, but verify the facts”.

On a personal planning level, the number 3 comes into prominence often. A recent guest on HBR’s Ideacast noted that every three months, he sets aside three uninterrupted hours to think about the three biggest goals he has for himself personally and professionally. Hand in hand with this, Lifehacker recently published an article reminding us to employ “The Rule of 3” for productivity by making sure we always have three prominent goals for the year, three for each workweek, and three that we set each day to keep us on track and maximize our success.

And if you really want to see commitment, consider the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of making a three year, three month and three day long retreat, in which the silence is broken only during teaching sessions and specific short periods. Could any of us be that disciplined? I’ll stick with taking three hours off each three months to do some serious thinking!

By the way, the answer to the number puzzle posed at the top is this: 12 + 3 – 4 + 5 + 67 + 8 + 9 = 100. Hope you got that.