In the next few weeks kids of all ages will cautiously, nervously, virtually head back to some form of school. That includes my class at Columbia University, which as of now, I will be doing as a hybrid class, with some students online but a majority of the students in the classroom. I was shocked when I saw how many had opted to come from around the country to take the few classes our program is offering in person, and then I was pleasantly surprised.
We have always talked about the value of just showing up, and although these circumstances are not ideal, showing up, as I have been asked to do, will be maybe more important to these students than at any point in the 35 years I have been working and 15 plus years I have been teaching, including the last dozen at Columbia.
And although “Showing Up,” and “GSD” (Getting Stuff Done) and “Listening” will be key topics in class again this semester, there is another element that is also going to be vital that I will raise, as will all those parents trying to navigate school and those small businesses everywhere trying to stay afloat …Grit.
I was reminded of the value of Grit in Jerry Seinfeld’s Op Ed in the New York Times where he battled back against James Altucher’s Op Ed in the NY Post last week outlining why “New York City is Dead,” and I was reminded about it in yet another NY Post Op Ed which talked about the business signs of why The Apple will be starting to come back. I was also reminded of the quiet turn by a colleague of mine in the search business who deals with the behind the scenes hiring of concerts and theaters. She said, last week, she started to get calls about hiring…not for now, but into the fall as shows start to find ways to ramp up for a 2021 return.
I was also reminded by a longtime colleague and fellow Brooklynite this week that those talking about New York, and other cities, coming back need to stop thinking about “back.” There is no coming back, what is needed is a look forward to where we are going, what we have learned, what we are still learning and how we will adapt the skills we have to a different workplace, just like New Yorkers and others have done before. “We may not always score,” he said to me. “But we are great at taking the misses and rebounding! It’s a shame Rodman never played for the Knicks!” he joked.
I keep telling my colleagues in the sales and marketing and event spaces that reinvention, as I have had to do several times, is brutal but it can lead to great learning and a new engagement of skills. It is the same thing I have started to tell students; don’t come to us and say “I want to work for the NBA or the Yankees…” Think about what skills you have to create new opportunities and then make yourself irresistible to those organizations down the road with the new skills…cause marketing, analytics, coding, social responsibility, gaming, health and wellness…that you can bring to them. Many teams have cut and furloughed, but at some point down the road…maybe its 2022…they will be back looking for people who can lead them with new skills, and now is the time to figure them out, and positively grow.
Back to Grit. It is a trait needed now in any business, especially events, sports, media, and entertainment…than ever before. Those of a certain age remember the city when it was a mess…and it changed and evolved. Those who adapted to the mess of the ‘70’s and the early ‘80’s drew from the grit the city…and other cities…gave us. It is the grit referred to in another Times piece a few weeks ago by Alex Vadekul, where he talked to a Columbia physics student Ben Markam, new to the city and someone who embraced the Grit of today…his quote is one we should frame…
“Physics is beautiful & random. I see that chaos in NY.”
What is Grit? In her book on the subject Angela Duckworth says is best exmpalined this way… “the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence…she calls “grit.”
It is what we need today more than ever. It is why I am excited about going to Columbia this week, my first trip into Manhattan since March 2. It is why I am excited to read about all the ways leagues are innovating, and how even with positive tests, MLB pushed forward. It is why I am pleased to see the US Open, the toughest of all tennis tournaments, make its run starting next week. Now I do think there is a difference between Grit and foolhardiness, especially driven by that other G…Greed. Sadly, I think that other G is what drives the decisions for college football in some places to be returning…maybe I am wrong, but my gritty gut says no.
So yes, we are all a little down, but I am positive that we will find a way…and those a little younger, and those a little smarter, will help us get there.
Thanks, Jerry, for the kick today…we hope you are back at the Beacon Theater next year…it will be a fun and gritty show. Just like us.
