“The person who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after” – Newton D. Baker
This post is based on my comments at our 2010 Master of Engineering Management Graduation Hooding ceremony. It is always great fun to see our students so excited to receive their degrees and to be able to meet many family members who have been so supportive of the students. I do not know who first coined this phrase but I think it holds some valuable lessons for us.
“Life is a marathon, not a sprint”
A marathon is 42 km and the world record is about 2 hours and 4 minutes.
The 100 meter sprint has a world record of under 10 seconds.
If a world class sprinter ran the marathon at a sprinter’s pace for the entire race, they would complete it in about 67 minutes. Obviously this is not possible and there are some lessons there for us. Surprisingly perhaps, the fastest marathon runner would finish the 100 meter sprint in less than 18 seconds!
Life is a marathon, not a sprint
Sacrifices – There are so many meanings to this analogy that life is a marathon (assuming perhaps that you are exhilarated by the challenge and accomplishment of running a marathon). For example, you will need to make sacrifices early on in your career to get the most benefit in the long run. Sacrifices might include the number of hours you work, the type of work you do, the boss you put up with, etc. These activities will strategically position you for the long race that lies ahead. On the other hand, since it is a long race, do not use up all your energy early or will find that you are burned out and adrift after a short period of time. A sprinter will not last beyond the first few hundred yards at full speed.
Of course, there will be times when you need to sprint in your career. I remember pulling all-nighters when I was younger and simply working more hours than was healthy at times. But even when you need to do this, remember that the race keeps going and if you think about a marathon, anything can happen. So this is one of the important points I want to make. You cannot see what is ahead and if you consider your career as a long term endeavor, you will act quite differently than if you think of just the short term; from your networking as being transactions vs. being relationships to build on; from your activities filling a short term need vs. building a platform for future endeavors; from cutting corners for short term gain vs. understanding that the quality of your work will follow you for the long term. (Side bar: I fully believe that “perfection is the enemy of completion” so I am not talking about a perfect job but I am talking about a job well done and understanding what constitutes a high quality job to your stakeholders).
Life is a marathon not a sprint
Future Options – Let’s put all this in finance terms since the MEMP students reading this have all had Professor Skender’s course. Think of your activities not only as investments in your future but also as “real options” on your future. So by completing the activities, practicing continuous learning, following an ethical, high-quality, high-character path, you are acquiring an option for future activities and career paths. Remember that the value of an option is proportional to how long you can exercise that option. If you view your life as a sprint, there is not much value to acquiring an option! But in reality, an activity or experience now might be just the thing you need years from now. It might “keep you in the game” – allow you to follow a path that otherwise would not have been open to you.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint
Networking – One of the most important areas that I want you to think about the long term is in your business relationships. If you are networking only for short term gain and for the next job, you are missing the point and a real opportunity (an option) to build a mutually beneficial relationship, even just an acquaintance, for the long term.
For example, consider my involvement in the MEMP. Some of you I have heard were under the misguided impression that you wanted me teaching in the core courses of the MEMP rather than in my current Sr. Associate Dean’s role. (Now we have a real expert in that role; Professor Ryan, so that is why I say “misguided”, but let’s put that aside for the moment). For the short term, I can understand the feeling that you would like me to be teaching, but if you think about the marathon of life, you should actually prefer that I am in the Dean’s Office. My influence on the MEMP degree from the Dean’s Office is actually much greater than it would be as an instructor! But it is longer term. It is about creating the environment where the MEMP can thrive in the Engineering School, not about short term operation of the MEMP.
That reminds me of those of you who asked to meet with me this past year to discuss issues with the MEMP. I gently referred you to the people who actually run the program (Dr. Fox and Dr. Murray and their team) because I would simply need to pass on information to them and it would be more efficient to discuss it with them directly. Imagine my apprecitation to those of you who replied to me that this made sense and then you let me know when you met with them. Some of you even shared what they were planning to do with your suggestion. You just took a big step to a long term relationship with me. And those that never even replied to my email. Well, you viewed the exchange as a short term transaction and put up a barrier to communicating in the future.
Life is a marathon not a sprint
So as you head out into the real world, please consider that the activities, the actions, the daily small decisions you make today will lay the foundation for your life. It is an exhilarating, enjoyable, unpredictable journey. There will be beautiful surprises and difficult challenges. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
“I wish you good luck and Godspeed as you embark on this exciting and rewarding journey” – Warren Bennis
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