The Key to Success: Work Hard, Play Even Harder

It takes drive, determination, and passion to become a successful executive and to stay successful. It takes focus and an ideal combination of smarts and leadership. Some throw all they've got into a career, but some have a bit left over to devote to play. Larry Janesky, president of Basement Systems, finds those qualities both at work and at play.

Motocross, the sport of riding dirt bikes on a dirt track with jumps and tricks, is something Janesky took up eight years ago. His younger brother took up the sport first, but soon Larry Janesky jumped on board.

"He's still better than me in freestyle," he acknowledges.

In order to race motocross, you need to be in very good physical shape, from head to toe. This is especially true in the beginning, he explains: "It's very physically punishing. It can be violent in the beginning when you're still learning the sport."

If people saw Janesky doing his sport today, he knows they might think he's nuts, but for him, it's just another day at the track.

"I love it," he says. "It's thrilling to get in that zone. It requires total concentration."

Motocross is mainly a self-taught sport, so Janesky rides twice a week, honing his skills while pushing the limits.

"More than that is too hard on the body to recover," he says. "You're going about 25 feet high and jumping up to 80 feet horizontally." And we all know that what goes up must come down and in motocross, the landing isn't always soft.

Janesky has his own track and is always building bigger and better jumps. He has been racing, but he prefers to simply to ride.

"You get more riding in when you're not racing and waiting around for it to be your turn," he explains. "With three kids and a business, I don't have a whole lot of time. Now I'm getting really good at this and I'd like to compete and show my stuff."

Janesky may bring his sport to work, but he doesn't bring his work on the track. Riding takes the stress away from work, he says.

"When you're out there, you're in the woods and you forget about everything.," he explains. "Physically it keeps me in shape, which gives me more energy and allows me to handle my day much better."

In addition, "It has changed the way I approach risk and difficult situations," Janesky says. "If you can handle what I do, it makes some of the day-to-day things seem more manageable. If I can jump a motorcycle 100 feet, I can handle a little bit of challenge here in the office."

Around the office, photos of Janesky in action are a good reminder to employees that the boss knows how to have fun. Several men who work for Janesky and are around his age (42) ride together.

"Some people view it as a rebel teenager thing to do, but mature people are into this," says Janesky. "Most of the people in motocross are into their 30s. They ride all the time and it is these guys who love it and stick with it. I hope that my employees [he has 135 of them] see what I do and it encourages them to go out and do things they love, too."