We live in a time where "participation" gets you a trophy. We (as a culture) work very hard not to hurt any feelings and to play nice in all situations. There are many times when this makes life less unpleasant.
But it doesn't lead to results. And sometimes, results are what really matters.
My oldest daughter is in the process of looking for a summer job. She has gone and applied. She has interviewed. She has followed up (multiple times). She could be given a trophy for effort. But she doesn't have a job yet.
The same is true for sales, business and many other endeavors in life. We spend hours showing that we are spending hours. We hide behind activity to justify our existence. But in the end, let me know what you sold.
Don't get me wrong. The right effort, applied consistently will (most often) lead to results. But just know that the results are what you are measured by.
Sometimes...only the results matter.
I don't know exactly when it came into vogue to give kids trophies for participation, but it went from what might have been an innocent gesture to a frantic requirement for kids and sports that everybody wins. That is perfectly fine for parents to love and adore their kids for everything they do, but it only confuses kids when as the get older, games are won and lost by the score. It would actually make more sense to me for no one to get trophies rather then everyone. At least with no trophies, kids would hopefully learn to love the game for it's own sake.
ReplyDeleteOn the more extreme side, we would not want to find out, as we're being wheeled into surgery, that our Doctor was given A's in medical school as positive affirmation and ensure a great self image.
We want to be productive adults and that requires that we...well...be productive! Each of us has skills and gifts that should be developed to become part of the fabric of our community, business and social fabric. It's up to us to own that simple fact that we must demonstrate our ability to produce some product or provide a service that an organization needs and values. Being a reliable, professional member of the team should have it's own reward. At some point, we should love the fact that we are productive and using our gifts and talents productively. And if we have friends and family who provide positive affirmation, all the better!
Great stuff! Thanks for the feedback!
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