HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
Professionally, we get smacked and whacked all the time from end-of course student ratings, peer evaluations, annual reviews, promotion and tenure reviews, journal article and book rejections, and grant rejections, to name just a few. Some of these can be difficult to swallow on a regular basis and you may scratch your hairy or bald heads for answers; others can be devastating to your career path. We encounter all types of disappointments and failures on our academic journey. (See September 6, 2009 blog on “Rejection and Failure in Academe.”)
As noted in a previous blog, the issue is not whether we will fail, because we will; it’s how we respond to failure that our bosses, colleagues, family, and friends will be watching. It’s our response that counts.
ARE YOU A RISK-TAKER?
The athletes we watched for 16 days are risk-takers, baring it all mentally and physically for us to observe. They push the largest envelope you can imagine on the slopes, rinks, and halfpipes. When they cross the finish line, most wear their emotions on their tights.
What about you? Do you consider yourself a risk-taker or do you usually play it safe and operate within your comfort zone? Those of us who teach, write, and conduct research on the edge will take more hits than the rest of you.
A FEW LESSONS ON LOSING:
So what can we learn about “losing” from observing Olympian winners and losers? Although we’re not wearing their skates or ski boots, their messages are loud and clear:
1. A bad loser is always ugly.
2. Take risks, but be willing to take the hits.
3. Put 200% effort into anything of significance worth doing.
4. See beyond your failures. Don’t dwell on your failure; look toward your next event.
5. Learn lessons from your failures. Make adjustments before your next attempt.
6. Don’t let your failure define you. Failing is just a single event; you’re not a failure. Even a long string of failures does not define who you are.
7. After you fail, “KEEP MOVING FORWARD.” Persevere in spite of any setbacks—large or small.
BOTTOM LINE: Maybe this blog said nothing new to you. Sorry about that. Perhaps, at minimum, it’s just a reminder that if you’re a player in the academic game or any other game, you should play because you love it. It’s not just another job, like greeter at Walmart; it’s more of a calling. The operative word is “passion” for teaching, writing, research, clinical practice, or service. The sacrifices are too great and the journey is too hard if you’re only in it for the awards. There are so many winning gold medal professors, but so few awards that recognize them.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
DOES LOSING MEAN FAILURE?
Of course! That’s the way many of us see it, except in the context of “The Biggest Loser” weight loss program. And even those losers fail.
After years and, in some cases, possibly a lifetime of commitment, training, and limitless personal sacrifices, what happens when you attain a medal other than gold or rank 4th or below? How do Olympians perceive that performance? How do they feel? As we heard in interview after interview, any of those performances can be extremely disappointing. But frequently, that disappointment may be tempered by the circumstances and whether the athlete felt he or she did his or her best. How did it happen? Is any rank less than gold seen as “failure”?
Perhaps, some athletes perceive it as failure, especially when their country heaped tons of pressure on top of them to bring home gold, as in the cases of the Korean and Japanese medalists in the women’s figure skating and every Canadian athlete, particularly the hockey team. Probably the media from most countries piled high expectations on its athletes, which were usually not attained, at least, by medal count. However, putting the event into a broader perspective, it’s only a few minutes in the life of an athlete, albeit significant, possibly life-changing minutes. Most athletes may have failed to achieve their goal in their respective events, but they are not failures. Failure does not define who they are.
REACTION TO FAILURE
Unfortunately, there are a few athletes who receive silver or bronze medals who exhibit screamingly bad sportsmanship because they feel they deserved gold. One example is Evgeni Plushenko in the men’s figure skating. His behavior was reprehensible. His verbal comments and body language were ugly. The net result: His distinguished quad performance among his competitors will be dwarfed by his bad sportsmanship in the memories of the viewers. Despite his skating virtuosity, his bad behavior may be his legacy in his attempt for gold in successive Olympics.
Contrary to Plushenko’s previous Olympic success, many 2010 Olympians failed miserably in their previous Olympic appearances. Others who prepared just as much never made it to the Olympics? How did those athletes overcome those failures to try again? Their reaction to persevere instead of giving up in spite of the major hits that they already experienced is what the Olympic spirit is all about. That’s what can inspire all of us to tackle our daily challenges in the workplace and at home, which are not nearly as grueling, maybe.
So how do you respond to disappointments and failure in your professional world? Some suggestions for how you might respond will be offered tomorrow.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
