Wrestling vs Olympics
I was flipping through the channels and saw the coverage of the Olympics in Beijing, and then saw on another channel a wrestling match.
Suddenly, I had this insight: Most working people in society are either "wrestlers" or "Olympians."
The differences between the two are huge and, in fact, can determine whether a person becomes rich or not. Just take the case of Shawn Johnson, the 16-year-old American gymnast who is already a millionaire thanks to her many sponsorships and endorsements.
You see, wrestling matches are fake. They appear real, and they feel very, very realistic with all the massive bodies being thrown up, down and sideways. It's just a show to allow people in the audience to vicariously experience some intense emotions.
The Olympics are different. You have judges to evaluate each performance, and all performers are ranked according to their performance.
What I'm about to say will shock many people, especially office workers. But I owe you the truth:
Many office workers are like wrestlers; they put on a show and "pretend" to work. Of course, they do "real" work, but usually for only 3 hours every day. The rest is spent doing insignificant things.
It's not entirely their fault, since the corporation is NOT structured for people to work and perform like Olympians. For instance, employees don't know how well (or badly) they're doing until they get their performance review -- every six months!
Things are slowly changing, however, with companies like SuccessFactors.com which enable managers to track their team members' performance almost in real-time.
In other words, the workplace is becoming more and more transparent, and it will become increasingly easier to separate the REAL performers from those who are only putting on a show.
The funny thing is that not only is it more profitable, in the long term, to work as an Olympian, but it's also more gratifying psychologically since you are always growing as a person and are continually reaching out for excellence. This is very different from wrestling where, fundamentally, it's all about throwing bodies around for the sake of entertaining the audience.
There is no doubt that the New Economy is becoming more and more like the Olympics, with the best in each country competing against the best in other countries.
China and India, for instance, are using the Internet to compete for jobs that are located in North America and Europe. Nobody's job is safe.
The only security lies in your decision to become an Olympic worker or creator, and to leave behind the "wrestling" show business where everybody is only pretending to work.
To be an Olympic worker or creator means you are constantly, and obsessively, tracking your performance every hour. You understand what you are supposed to do, and you manage yourself, your time, your skills, and your resources so as to deliver, always, the very best performance you are capable of.
Suddenly, I had this insight: Most working people in society are either "wrestlers" or "Olympians."
The differences between the two are huge and, in fact, can determine whether a person becomes rich or not. Just take the case of Shawn Johnson, the 16-year-old American gymnast who is already a millionaire thanks to her many sponsorships and endorsements.
You see, wrestling matches are fake. They appear real, and they feel very, very realistic with all the massive bodies being thrown up, down and sideways. It's just a show to allow people in the audience to vicariously experience some intense emotions.
The Olympics are different. You have judges to evaluate each performance, and all performers are ranked according to their performance.
What I'm about to say will shock many people, especially office workers. But I owe you the truth:
Many office workers are like wrestlers; they put on a show and "pretend" to work. Of course, they do "real" work, but usually for only 3 hours every day. The rest is spent doing insignificant things.
It's not entirely their fault, since the corporation is NOT structured for people to work and perform like Olympians. For instance, employees don't know how well (or badly) they're doing until they get their performance review -- every six months!
Things are slowly changing, however, with companies like SuccessFactors.com which enable managers to track their team members' performance almost in real-time.
In other words, the workplace is becoming more and more transparent, and it will become increasingly easier to separate the REAL performers from those who are only putting on a show.
The funny thing is that not only is it more profitable, in the long term, to work as an Olympian, but it's also more gratifying psychologically since you are always growing as a person and are continually reaching out for excellence. This is very different from wrestling where, fundamentally, it's all about throwing bodies around for the sake of entertaining the audience.
There is no doubt that the New Economy is becoming more and more like the Olympics, with the best in each country competing against the best in other countries.
China and India, for instance, are using the Internet to compete for jobs that are located in North America and Europe. Nobody's job is safe.
The only security lies in your decision to become an Olympic worker or creator, and to leave behind the "wrestling" show business where everybody is only pretending to work.
To be an Olympic worker or creator means you are constantly, and obsessively, tracking your performance every hour. You understand what you are supposed to do, and you manage yourself, your time, your skills, and your resources so as to deliver, always, the very best performance you are capable of.
posted by Super Peter at 2:17 PM
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