How You Finish
If everything occurred according to plan, we would be watching global athletes represent their country in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, as we all have come to realize, nothing in 2020 is unfolding according to any plan. While we cannot distract ourselves from the daily news updates or relieve ourselves of the uncertainty we face, we can reflect on the Rio 2016 Olympics, when we watched record setting performances and perseverance of the human spirit. From the individual performances of Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Simone Manual to Fiji’s gold medal win in rugby, the world witnessed history in the making. These athletes trained relentlessly and consistently for the opportunity to compete on the world’s stage.
During the medal ceremonies, we watched every athlete as the medal was placed around their neck and their country’s national anthem was played. We saw the culmination of hard work, sustained injuries, disappointment, and even self-doubt. However, despite the challenges, these thoughts were not what the athletes remembered during their post-competition interviews. The theme throughout the Rio games was focused on enjoying the moment, loving the sport, making a difference, and striving to be the best.
On August 14, 2016, as track and field events started, Usain Bolt prepared for his third consecutive 100-meter race. At 9.81 seconds, Bolt is the only person to have won the Olympic 100-meter three times. He made it look effortless. Usain Bolt is a unique sprinter. At 6ft 5in, his height appears as though it would work against him. He is generally slower than the other competitors off the blocks and his first 50 meters are at best average. What makes Bolt the world’s fastest sprinter is not his first 50 meters, but his second 50 meters. And it is his second 50 meters that are most impressive of all. We can learn an important lesson by remembering Usain Bolt’s performance on that Sunday night four years ago, even if it might be a little cliché. It is not how you start the race, but how you finish it.
Globally, we are all in a race. A race to find a vaccine, to find employment, or to just make ends meet as we struggle to reach the finish line and hope that everything returns to normal. As we enter August, many higher education institutions continue participating in the race for innovation and enrollment while others are just entering. Along the way, we have seen the struggles institutions face as they are forced to change their delivery modality, to pivot their approach to educating students, and struggle to maintain enrollments for the coming year. Many of these institutions have a mission that goes something like this, “to educate the leaders of tomorrow in a rapidly changing global economy.” It sounds good given all the changes we have had to embrace and might even initially spark inspiration. It reminds us of the wide-eyed excitement we felt when we said goodbye to 2019 and anticipated the opportunities that 2020 would bring. We were motivated to make a difference.
This excitement parallels the roar of the crowds when Usain Bolt steps onto the track. We watched each sprinter back up into their blocks, adrenaline flowing as they envisioned the race of their lives. They recalled their training and preparation that allowed them to qualify for the Olympics. This, too, is how most institutions feel as they prepare for upcoming fall semesters. They review their mission, programs, policies, as they welcome the “leaders of tomorrow” on campus. After the race begins, quickly one sprinter takes the lead. He receives an additional surge of adrenaline as he realizes his position out in front. But it is still the first 50 meters. Institutions, too, understand their position and all the critical components needed for successful operations, including relevant curriculum, qualified faculty, and adequate resources. However, all this is just average.
If you watched Usain Bolt that Sunday night run the 100-meter race, you would know that what sets him apart from every other sprinter is the 50-meter mark in the race. This is when an average Olympic sprinter became super-human. Bolt mastered the art of maintaining his top speed better than every other sprinter. As the New York Times article described, “No sprinters speed up at the end of a 100-meter race as it appears they do. That is an optical illusion. The winner is not the person shifting into another gear, but the one slowing down the slowest.” Usain Bolt maximizes the second 50.
For years, higher education has been approaching the education of future generations like Usain Bolt approaches the first 50-meters of a 100-meter race. Strong. Steady. Average. To meet the needs of students, especially in the middle of a global pandemic, higher education needs to maximize the second 50. Institutions need to revisit their mission, wipe off the dust and really ask themselves, why. What is the purpose of their institution? Why do they exist? But most importantly, how do we continue to meet the needs of students and society when what we have always done is not possible right now? When faced with circumstances that are beyond our control, it is not enough to just maintain business as usual. Higher education is tasked with developing leaders who are equipped to change the world. Now is the time for institutions to rethink how to deliver effectively deliver education that provides opportunities for all students who face an unknown future. If the goal is to make a difference, to truly change lives, then let us maximize the second 50. Dig deeper to leverage technology and ensure students can continue pursuing their academic goals. Let us close the gap between the curriculum offered to meet shifting employer needs. Let us focus on creating effective educational pathways instead of cluttering them with barriers. Let us focus on the student population who struggles every day to just survive. If we want to make a difference, let’s move beyond average and reach for the gold.
“There are better starters than me, but I’m a strong finisher.” ~ Usain Bolt
