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Bulletin from Berlin
Published: Sunday | August 30, 2009
Ian Boyne
We are still on cloud nine as a result of the sensational and world- stunning performance of our athletes in Berlin, but it is time to come down to Earth and examine some of the key lessons from that history-making encounter.
As a people, we are quite fascinated with and taken in by the euphoria and drama of the finish, the end point, the product. It is the process that we have little interest in. We love the glory, the adrenaline-pumping, ecstatic smell and taste of victory. We care far less, if at all, about the path that leads to that destination.
It is perhaps because we pay so little attention to process why we seem to do so badly at implementation. In international business we are known as a "land of samples" - a reputation gained because we are adept at showing off our samples at trade fairs and exhibitions, but rarely follow through with timely, consistent deliveries.
sweet talk
Our politicians are known more for their pretty talk, sweet mouth and on occasion, brilliant conceptualisation, but not for patient, diligent delivery on promises and ideas espoused. It is a cultural problem. However, our successful athletes point to another way. They know how to finish, how to deliver the goods at the end of the day.
Some note the irony that most successful athletes come from situations of lack - sometimes appalling lack - social neglect, marginalisation and scarcity. But these situations, as deplorable as they are breed in the best of us resilience, resourcefulness, inventiveness, ingenuity, appreciation for the small things, among others. We must recognise that stumbling blocks can be turned into stepping stones and that lemons can be used for lemonade. Our ultimate limitations are in the mind.
I have just read a wonderful book, The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. (Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell are mentioned in this book, just published in May this year.) The book is written by Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author.
scientific studies
Coyle draws on a wealth of scientific studies on achievement and talent to illustrate his point that it is not innate talent which is responsible for mega-achievements in the arts, sports, business or the academy, but "deep practice". And it is some of the most difficult contexts which often bring out the greatest talent energy.
Guts, determination, and drive stem from a stomach on fire for success and achievement. Innercity and peasant community life provide the raw material for all that.
I remember Edward Seaga's telling me a number of years ago that the middle and upper classes had never really put this country on the map, but that it was the poor, marginalised and oppressed working and peasant classes who had done so.
Seaga had always wondered why the country's elite did not see that it was the working class and rural poor in whom we should invest, as they are the ones who have always made us famous and brought glory to Jamaica, from the arts to sports. Substantial personality interviews are not done with our Berlin athletes, but I am sure that they all have fascinating stories.
We all know that Asafa Powell is more constrained by his psychology than by his physical prowess. Even his MVP official, Bruce James implicitly acknowledges this by giving him the "This is what I can do when I relax" award for his Berlin performances. His coach, Stephen Francis, said he would not allow him to run in the relays if the Americans were in, for he would not be able to relax. Asafa needs more psychological coaching and mentoring than he needs technical coaching. I don't mean to be offensive.
When you reach the top league in sports (as in many other fields), it is the psychological which is primary. This is where Bolt is a master. You see it on his face. You see his playfulness, his boyishness, his child-like expressions which say "I can do anything; I can fly; the world is mine". His psychological composure is his trademark. He manages the feat of balancing confidence with endearing humility.
genuinely happy
Asafa will grow in confidence. He will need to if he must improve his performance. He already possesses a generosity of spirit and lack of bad-mindedness. He seems genuinely happy for Bolt's achievements.
Melaine Walker is another study in grit and determination. She was plagued with setbacks all year, including injuries. She had done poorly at meets in the year. Lashinda Demus had thrashed her in the two meets leading to the World Championships. It seemed things were over for her in terms of her clutching the gold. Demus went into the championships as the favourite. It was not prayers which gave her the goal. It was her own passion for gold and her sheer resilience and fortitude.
Melaine Walker knows about what researchers have now called the "10,000 hours rule" of the ten-year rule of high performance. Peak performance is not magic. It is as a result of hard work - "deep practice" and a mental toughness.
internalise the Bulletin
If this country could really internalise that 'Bulletin from Berlin', there would be economic life after the International Monetary Fund. Let's take time to tell the story of Shelly-Ann Fraser who was injured this year and who had her performance problems but who dazzled at the World Championships. Bolt was spectacular and out of this world in Berlin, but almost everyone's most touching moment was that 34-year-old woman, Brigitte Foster-Hylton's win, and the ecstasy etched on her face when she realised that she had finally achieved her dream - against the odds.
Her coach believed in her and told her she could do it. She had thrown in the towel, but it was handed back to her by a coach, Stephen Francis, who has become a master of honing the talents of the greats. The power of belief is demonstrated in the Brigitte Foster-Hylton story. The Pygmalion Effect is seen in Francis' empowering belief in Brigitte.
Now that we are calming down, it's time to read the full Bulletin from Berlin.
Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. He may be contacted at columns@gleanerjm.com.
Published: Sunday | August 30, 2009
Ian Boyne
We are still on cloud nine as a result of the sensational and world- stunning performance of our athletes in Berlin, but it is time to come down to Earth and examine some of the key lessons from that history-making encounter.
As a people, we are quite fascinated with and taken in by the euphoria and drama of the finish, the end point, the product. It is the process that we have little interest in. We love the glory, the adrenaline-pumping, ecstatic smell and taste of victory. We care far less, if at all, about the path that leads to that destination.
It is perhaps because we pay so little attention to process why we seem to do so badly at implementation. In international business we are known as a "land of samples" - a reputation gained because we are adept at showing off our samples at trade fairs and exhibitions, but rarely follow through with timely, consistent deliveries.
sweet talk
Our politicians are known more for their pretty talk, sweet mouth and on occasion, brilliant conceptualisation, but not for patient, diligent delivery on promises and ideas espoused. It is a cultural problem. However, our successful athletes point to another way. They know how to finish, how to deliver the goods at the end of the day.
Some note the irony that most successful athletes come from situations of lack - sometimes appalling lack - social neglect, marginalisation and scarcity. But these situations, as deplorable as they are breed in the best of us resilience, resourcefulness, inventiveness, ingenuity, appreciation for the small things, among others. We must recognise that stumbling blocks can be turned into stepping stones and that lemons can be used for lemonade. Our ultimate limitations are in the mind.
I have just read a wonderful book, The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. (Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell are mentioned in this book, just published in May this year.) The book is written by Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author.
scientific studies
Coyle draws on a wealth of scientific studies on achievement and talent to illustrate his point that it is not innate talent which is responsible for mega-achievements in the arts, sports, business or the academy, but "deep practice". And it is some of the most difficult contexts which often bring out the greatest talent energy.
Guts, determination, and drive stem from a stomach on fire for success and achievement. Innercity and peasant community life provide the raw material for all that.
I remember Edward Seaga's telling me a number of years ago that the middle and upper classes had never really put this country on the map, but that it was the poor, marginalised and oppressed working and peasant classes who had done so.
Seaga had always wondered why the country's elite did not see that it was the working class and rural poor in whom we should invest, as they are the ones who have always made us famous and brought glory to Jamaica, from the arts to sports. Substantial personality interviews are not done with our Berlin athletes, but I am sure that they all have fascinating stories.
We all know that Asafa Powell is more constrained by his psychology than by his physical prowess. Even his MVP official, Bruce James implicitly acknowledges this by giving him the "This is what I can do when I relax" award for his Berlin performances. His coach, Stephen Francis, said he would not allow him to run in the relays if the Americans were in, for he would not be able to relax. Asafa needs more psychological coaching and mentoring than he needs technical coaching. I don't mean to be offensive.
When you reach the top league in sports (as in many other fields), it is the psychological which is primary. This is where Bolt is a master. You see it on his face. You see his playfulness, his boyishness, his child-like expressions which say "I can do anything; I can fly; the world is mine". His psychological composure is his trademark. He manages the feat of balancing confidence with endearing humility.
genuinely happy
Asafa will grow in confidence. He will need to if he must improve his performance. He already possesses a generosity of spirit and lack of bad-mindedness. He seems genuinely happy for Bolt's achievements.
Melaine Walker is another study in grit and determination. She was plagued with setbacks all year, including injuries. She had done poorly at meets in the year. Lashinda Demus had thrashed her in the two meets leading to the World Championships. It seemed things were over for her in terms of her clutching the gold. Demus went into the championships as the favourite. It was not prayers which gave her the goal. It was her own passion for gold and her sheer resilience and fortitude.
Melaine Walker knows about what researchers have now called the "10,000 hours rule" of the ten-year rule of high performance. Peak performance is not magic. It is as a result of hard work - "deep practice" and a mental toughness.
internalise the Bulletin
If this country could really internalise that 'Bulletin from Berlin', there would be economic life after the International Monetary Fund. Let's take time to tell the story of Shelly-Ann Fraser who was injured this year and who had her performance problems but who dazzled at the World Championships. Bolt was spectacular and out of this world in Berlin, but almost everyone's most touching moment was that 34-year-old woman, Brigitte Foster-Hylton's win, and the ecstasy etched on her face when she realised that she had finally achieved her dream - against the odds.
Her coach believed in her and told her she could do it. She had thrown in the towel, but it was handed back to her by a coach, Stephen Francis, who has become a master of honing the talents of the greats. The power of belief is demonstrated in the Brigitte Foster-Hylton story. The Pygmalion Effect is seen in Francis' empowering belief in Brigitte.
Now that we are calming down, it's time to read the full Bulletin from Berlin.
Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. He may be contacted at columns@gleanerjm.com.
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