“Are you kidding me? Bending over to pick up the newspaper in the driveway is a major athletic event for me. I’m so glad it’s not timed.” I’m not referring to athletic conditioning. Consider the athletes’ preparation and performance as a professional. Do you share any characteristics in common with those super-athletes? Can you learn anything from their work ethic and practices?
OLYMPIC JOB REQUIREMENTS
Their journey to the Olympics involves the following dozen attributes. These are the job requirements of an Olympian:
• major work commitment and ethic
• commitment to excellence (aka “to be the BEST”)
• unwavering focus on the prize
• ability to overcome obstacles and setbacks
• ability to deal with pressure and stress
• ability to persevere in spite of physical pain and injury
• engaging in your quest because you love doing it
• positive attitude toward attaining the ultimate outcome
• commitment to years of rigorous training
• serving as a role model for the next generation
• willingness to make significant sacrifices
• obtaining financial support for training and preparation
YOUR JOB REQUIREMENTS
Although the Olympians get to march in the opening ceremonies and you don’t, think of the above list as your job requirements. Do you possess any of those attributes as a professional in academia, business, or a semi-illegal activity on 24? Let me ask this another way: Which of those requirements DO NOT apply to you? They seem relevant to faculty and administrators. If some of them don’t apply, you might need to carefully examine what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
What are the differences between Olympians and YOU? The next blog will answer that.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
WHAT'S AN OLYMPIC MOMENT?
Are there any memorable, special, or inspirational moments in the Olympics over the past 3000 years? I can’t think of any. What about you? “What about Dorothy Hamill’s hairstyle in 1976?” That’s memorable, but not really inspirational. “How about Franz Klammer’s downhill race with total abandon in Innsbruck?” As the last one to ski, he even said: “I thought I was going to crash the whole way down.” That event would qualify.
CRITERIA FOR A MOMENT
Just what criteria or ingredients make up a memorable and inspirational Olympic moment? As an avid Olympics fan for over 40 years, I suggest the following:
• Overcoming pain and/or injury to win or just finish the event
• Overcoming emotional tragedy or trauma during the event
• Overcoming major obstacles with unusual drive and perseverance
• Unbelievable, mind and heart boggling performance that stunts the audience
• Racial, ethnic, or national barrier-breaking performance
Overall, these moments may not involve medals or breaking records, but rather exhibit the BEST OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. They move us in a very special way.
BERK'S FAVE MOMENTS
My baker’s dozen examples are listed below. Interestingly, most are from the summer Olympics. For further info on any of these moments, Google the athlete or event. You may or may not agree with my picks. Let me know yours. Here they are:
• Cathy Freeman (Sydney, 2000)
• Kerri Strug (Atlanta, 1996)
• Muhammad Ali (Atlanta,1996)
• Dan Jansen (Lillehammer, 1994)
• Derek Redmond (Barcelona, 1992)
• Jamaican Bobsled Team (Calgary, 1988)
• Lawrence Lemieux (Seoul, 1988)
• Greg Louganis (Seoul, 1988)
• U.S. Ice Hockey Team (Lake Placid, 1980)
• Nadia Comaneci (Montreal, 1976)
• Franz Klammer (Innsbruck, 1976)
• Wilma Rudolph (Rome, 1960)
• Jesse Owens (Berlin, 1936)
I hope these names trigger incredible memories in your noggin. May the story behind each one of these athletes inspire you and pump you up to fly over tall buildings in a single or double bound. (Question: What if Superman took more than 1 bound? Did anyone know?)
VANCOUVER
I can’t wait for the stories to emerge from the Vancouver events. I hope you all will have the opportunity to experience an amazing event so you can fist bump everybody within your reach. We all need a motivational jolt to press on to overcome the challenges and obstacles in our professional and personal lives. There’s probably no substitute for courage, hard work, and determination. Somehow, it's so motivating to see those attributes in the athletes to jog your mind and heart so you can emulate them.
Enjoy the Olympics! I know I will. I hope it lights a professional fire within your belly or spleen.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
