The Workedge Blog
Mark's RemarksA Successful Flop
I watched the high jump the other night on the Olympic TV coverage. I was amazed at how high the contestants could jump. They also all jumped using the same technique. When I was a boy, no one jumped that way. Let me explain.
In high school, Dick Fosbury was tall, skinny, and not a very good athlete. He liked sports, though, and he tried several before settling on the high jump in track and field.
He attempted many well-known methods as a high jumper, including the western roll, the straddle, and the scissors. At last, he did something weird; he approached the bar with great speed and jumped—head facing up and back facing down—with his head leading the way over the bar. Several officials initially protested, but since Fosbury jumped off one foot, the jump was ruled legal.
Great success did not arrive quickly. Fosbury spent years working on his technique. No one—NO ONE—felt inspired to imitate it. Many ridiculed him for it.
Finally, during college, he became one of the top fifty high jumpers in the world. In 1968, he made the U.S. Olympic team. Incredibly, in the Olympic games in Mexico City later that year, Fosbury won the high jump, setting an Olympic record of seven feet four inches.
Little by little, the style caught on. In 1972, Juri Tarmak won the Olympic gold medal for deploying the straddle technique. Since then, every winning jumper has used the Fosbury Flop. For years, it has been the standard in high jumping.
Last year Dick died of lymphoma. Today, you can look at his entry in Wikipedia and find this for the first sentence, “Richard Douglas Fosbury…was an American high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field.”
Not bad.
Sometimes, a leader is so far ahead of the pack that people cannot comprehend where he is going. If that is the case, the leader must build bridges with people, persevere, and lead on.
Focus
Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company and figured out how to make automobiles affordable. He once stated, “A weakness of all human beings is trying to do too many things at once. That scatters effort and destroys direction. It makes for haste, and haste makes waste. So we do things all the wrong ways possible before we come to the right one.”
A man died and woke up in the next world. He found himself in a beautiful place. He rested in that lovely spot, and then he grew bored. He called out, “Is anybody here?”
A servant dressed in white manifested himself and asked in a serious tone, “What do you wish?”
“What can I have?”
“Whatever you want.”
“May I have something to eat?”
Indeed, he could. Attendants brought him a gourmet meal filled with items he enjoyed when living on earth. Satisfied, the man went to sleep.
When he awoke, he asked for another feast and received it. But after a while, he desired more. He called for games. And many, many games were brought to him for his pleasure.
He then asked for books, and volumes and volumes were delivered to him–anything he desired to read.
At last, he had no unfulfilled desires, so he shouted and pleaded, “I want something to do!”
The chief servant reappeared and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but that is the only thing we cannot give you here.”
The man was desperate for something to do, and in his anxiety, he cried out, “I’m sick and tired of everything here. I’d rather go to hell!”
“Where do you think you are?” asked the steward.
That fable sounds like a creepy episode from The Twilight Zone. Yet this fictitious story offers insight into the human spirit. People need to be productive, which is why work is so important.
Work is not the most crucial thing in the world, but work is critical. Somewhere out there is a sweet spot of good old-fashioned productivity.
Not workaholicism.
Not unending days off.
But a reliable rhythm of work and rest.
Aim for the sweet spot of productive work. Find something worthwhile to do, and do it well.
Why Work?
Why Work?
A man died and woke up in the next world. He found himself in a beautiful place. He rested in that lovely spot, and then he grew bored. He called out, “Is anybody here?”
A servant dressed in white manifested himself and asked in a serious tone, “What do you wish?”
“What can I have?”
“Whatever you want.”
“May I have something to eat?”
Indeed, he could. Attendants brought him a gourmet meal filled with items he enjoyed when living on earth. Satisfied, the man went to sleep.
When he awoke, he asked for another feast and received it. But after a while, he desired more. He called for games. And many, many games were brought to him for his pleasure.
He then asked for books, and volumes and volumes were delivered to him–anything he desired to read.
At last, he had no unfulfilled desires, so he shouted and pleaded, “I want something to do!”
The chief servant reappeared and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but that is the only thing we cannot give you here.”
The man was desperate for something to do, and in his anxiety, he cried out, “I’m sick and tired of everything here. I’d rather go to hell!”
“Where do you think you are?” asked the steward.
That fable sounds like a creepy episode from The Twilight Zone. Yet this fictitious story offers insight into the human spirit. People need to be productive, which is why work is so important.
Work is not the most crucial thing in the world, but work is critical. Somewhere out there is a sweet spot of good old-fashioned productivity.
Not workaholicism.
Not unending days off.
But a reliable rhythm of work and rest.
Aim for the sweet spot of productive work. Find something worthwhile to do, and do it well.
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