Can you remember a time in your career when you defied the odds, kept calm under pressure and performed like you planned or dreamed? Even if most of us can think about a time when we were at our best, we probably did not do it under the watchful, hopeful eyes of millions of people worldwide in the Beijing Olympics.
As I watch Usain Bolt, winner of the Men's 100M final sprint in Beijing, do his chest-thump before he even crosses the finish line in world record time of 9.69 seconds, I think I know exactly what he is saying to himself. He is saying, "Is me dat!" I know this, because I too am Jamaican by birth.
Translated for my American friends, that chest thump and outspread arms, means, "I did that".
Some of the broadcast media in print and on air have called it bragging. Those of us who know the history of Jamaica and the spirit of the Jamaican people, know that it is not about bragging. It's about reinforcing to one's self that barriers exist only where one sees them. It is about acknowledging one's own achievements, whether the rest of the world notices it or not. It's a kind of self assuredness that says, "I am in control of my destiny and I can do this, whether or not the world thinks it possible." It's what I call a personal high five.
Author Colin Channer in a pre-Olympics article for the Wall Street Journal, explored the spirit of the Jamaican people and how it manifests itself in a sprinting tradition that goes back for decades. Channer says, "The Jamaican love of sprinting, something you see when a hundred 12-year-olds take off across a dusty field after school, a phenomenon as spectacular as seeing a herd of antelope fleeing across a plain, is rooted in the notification of flight, in the perception of defiance and aspiration expressed in the grammar of the body. "
Of course as a career development professional, I can not help but be inspired by athletes like Usain Bolt, with limited resources and an abundance of heart, perform under tremendous pressure. Rather than focus on his chest-thump and outspread arms, I wonder what kind of career advice we can glean from such a performance. We still get nervous in job interviews, when we have to do presentations at work or when we get assigned an important account or project at the office. I am certainly not speaking for everyone, but I know I do. Here, on the other hand, is a professional athlete at the top of his game who is performing with the whole world watching. It certainly gives me pause to check myself as I put the pressures of my own care and workplace stress in perspective.
The key point to remember is that when we see Jamaican sprinters, like Usain Bolt, perform well on the world's stage, we are actually witnessing the end result of hours of personal preparation and practice and centuries of high expectations from the residents of the tiny Caribbean island. What we see in a few seconds of brilliance takes place years after Bolt made the personal decision to put himself, his body and his credibility on the line to achieve a personal best and execute this amazing race.
Bolt's body, by the way, is 6 feet 5 inches tall; well outside of what tradition has deemed good for sprinting. If that does not deserve a personal high five, I do not know what does. It is not unusual for Jamaicans to excel like this. Remember that this is the same island that produced the Jamaican Bobsled Team and had the nerve to participate in the Winter Olympics, long before other residents of tropical regions thought it was possible.
Looking at Usain Bolt doing what he does, makes me think that career nirvana is indeed possible for all of us who are willing to do the hard work to prepare for our own big show. My hope is that Bolt will keep his wits about him and remain true to the radical Jamaican roots that encourage people to break records and push beyond the limits.
It may not be the Beijing Olympics of 2008, but we owe it to ourselves to do what it takes to be ready for own big show. When we do, we should know that it is perfectly legitimate to give ourselves a personal high five.
