Category Archives: Teaching
Lessons learned: When we can learn from situations in which bosses dismiss your talents…
Here’s the situation. I am an author of sports books as a hobby. Sometimes, my bosses might ask me what I am up to. I don’t normally discuss my books unless I am specifically asked.
On one occasion, an ex-boss asked me what I was writing. I told him. I explained why. He scoffed and said, in response to my explanation, in a patronizing tone, “So what?” I was offended and let him know that. The next day, he texted me something and I was still annoyed so I didn’t engage. A couple days later, when I was back to normal and reached out to him, he did not respond. He never responded again. It was as though he had disowned me for being upset the second day.
On another occasion, my then-boss asked me what I was writing. I said what the topic was and explained the reasoning. This boss also scoffed and said the same, “So what?” What can be learned from these experiences?
Essentially, I had two different encounters where I shared information about my writing projects with bosses, and both times I was met with dismissive responses. Here are some potential takeaways from these experiences:
Different Perspectives: People may have different interests and priorities, and what seems important or meaningful to you might not resonate with them. Your bosses might simply not appreciate the significance of your creative projects in the same way you do.
Communication Styles: The tone and manner in which you communicate your projects could affect how they are received. While you could be passionate about your work, your bosses may not care enough and thus perceive your explanation as insignificant or uninteresting, leading to their dismissive responses.
Managing Expectations: In professional settings, especially with superiors, it’s essential to manage expectations about the level of interest or engagement they may have in personal projects. Not everyone will be as enthusiastic or supportive as you might hope, and it’s important to be prepared for varied reactions.
On the other hand…
Resilience: Rejection or dismissal is a common experience for many writers and creatives. Learning to bounce back from such encounters, maintain confidence in your work, and continue pursuing your passion despite setbacks is a valuable skill.
Disrespectful Attitude: It’s evident that these ex-bosses lacked basic respect for their employee’s passion and hard work. Their dismissive and patronizing responses were not only unprofessional but also demeaning. It’s unacceptable for anyone, especially those in positions of authority, to belittle someone’s creative endeavors in such a manner.
Lack of Understanding: These encounters highlight a fundamental lack of understanding or empathy on the part of these ex-bosses. They failed to grasp the significance and value of the aforementioned writing projects, demonstrating narrow-mindedness and a limited perspective.
Unsupportive Environment: In a healthy work environment, colleagues and superiors should encourage and uplift each other’s interests and passions, even if they don’t personally share them. The fact that your bosses responded with indifference and condescension reflects a toxic and unsupportive workplace culture.
Asserting Boundaries: In such situations, an employee’s reaction to being disrespected is entirely justified. It’s essential to assert boundaries and stand up for yourself when faced with such dismissive attitudes. An employee has every right to express his/her feelings and expect to be treated with respect, especially by those in managerial positions.
Seeking Validation Elsewhere: While it’s disappointing to encounter such negativity from bosses, it’s also a reminder that not everyone will appreciate or understand your creative pursuits. However, don’t let their ignorance discourage you. Seek validation and support from communities, friends, and mentors who value your passion and understand the importance of your work.
Fuel for Success: Use these negative experiences as fuel to drive your determination and prove those who doubted you wrong. Let their dismissiveness be the catalyst for even greater achievements in your writing journey.
In conclusion, these encounters serve as a stark reminder of the importance of standing up for yourself, surrounding yourself with supportive individuals, and never allowing others’ ignorance to dampen your creative spirit. Keep writing, keep striving, and let your success speak louder than any dismissive words.
Being appreciated
Over the weekend, I did my 99th play-by-play amateur hockey broadcast, and the PA announcer (a gentleman named Rick Chin) got wind of the information and did an announcement before the game, saying, “We’d like to acknowledge Mr. K.P. Wee’s 99th career broadcast in amateur hockey!”
I did not expect that acknowledgement, but it’s one of those things that cheer me up.
I can think back to the times when I would take Uber/Lyft to get to work early (non-hockey work) but not get acknowledged or be thanked. I would be saying that I wanted people to come and talk to me and tell me a joke or story to pump me up, but I would get ignored.
So, I’m definitely appreciative of the acknowledgement received at the rink. It’s a small gesture, but I appreciated it very much. Very cool.
“So You Want to Work in Sports” in paperback
My publisher for my 2022 book So You Want to Work in Sports is going to release a paperback version of it this fall. That’s awesome! The publisher informed me late this week.
While I appreciated the opportunity, the feedback was absolutely ridiculous…plus I was railroaded
Two summers ago, I was asked by the afternoon school that I helped out with to give a trial lesson on the school’s online platform.
I was told this was a group of beginners who wanted to learn public speaking. I asked for a list of names but wasn’t given any information beforehand. That was fine; I could easily get it during the lesson.
However, when I started the trial lesson and got each person to introduce him/herself, I realized that all of the students in attendance were high-level kids and/or advanced. That did not faze me, as I was already prepared (as I am always prepared).
The lesson went on, and I taught a few concepts that could help the students with giving speeches.
That was the only time I was asked to do that class. Maybe a week after that, I was given some feedback from the boss. He told me two specific “complaints” from the students’ parents.
- The boss had made up a flyer of me with a photo of myself wearing a suit. (I had worn that suit to L.A. a few years back when I was invited to join the Dodgers Nation podcast, and I went there to do the show in person. I really didn’t have to wear a suit, but I chose to for that occasion.) The complaint was that during the lesson, I was not wearing a suit(??????). I was dressed very casually, wearing an NFL jersey and a hat. My explanation to the boss was that I’m not doing a news broadcast, I’m not Stephen A. Smith doing a show on ESPN, I’m not a news anchor, etc. I’m doing a lesson. I’m not a businessperson. I’m not a salesperson. However, the parents expected me to have worn a suit. Apparently, they told the boss that the person teaching the trial lesson was not the same as the person in the photo. I explained that I would not be wearing a suit for any lessons because that’s not required and I don’t feel comfortable wearing that, and it would affect the way I teach. (I then pulled up a video of Clay Travis, who does dress up when he appears on FOX but dresses casually when he does his own podcast, to show the boss that that particular lawyer/radio host doesn’t wear a suit when he is doing a podcast.)
- The second complaint was that the parents, who were spying (watching) the session in a hidden spot (because I only saw the students on the webcams), said that I wasn’t paying attention when their kids were talking(??????). They said I kept looking down and not looking at their kids’ faces. My explanation was simple: As the students (there were eight) were taking turns to speak, I was making notes on a piece of loose-leaf paper to keep track of what they were saying so that I could give feedback or commentary later (which I did). So, when I was “looking down and not at the kids’ faces,” it was because I was making notes. After all, it was the first time I had met them. I wrote down their hobbies and goals, etc., things that they were saying. I even showed the boss later that piece of paper. I can totally see other lazy teachers doodling while students are speaking, and probably those parents thought I was one of those lazy people. I am not.
To me, these “complaints” were from parents (and a boss) who didn’t know what I was doing, and they insisted on a suit and they thought I was not listening to their kids. I explained my perspective to my boss. It did not work — because I was not asked to do this class again.
I’m not Stephen A. Smith on ESPN. I’m not a corporate person. If I were, I would wear a suit, but I’m not.
So, again, I was not given a fair opportunity (I was, in fact, railroaded by being told the students were beginners and then the excuse was the boss also didn’t know). Perhaps the marketing efforts were poor. The communication was definitely lacking. I mean, marketing is not easy; at the end of the day, if the deal wasn’t “closed,” so to speak, that’s on marketing.
My job is teaching, and I delivered an effective lesson teaching the students some key concepts. If I really wanted to do marketing, then I wouldn’t be teaching. If I wanted to wear a suit, I would be doing another line of work.
In spite of nonsense from afternoon school, it was a good week — a winning day every day this week with investments
Today is Friday – the end of the work week. The afternoon school has chosen to act passive aggressively against me….the entire month up to now (it’s the 22nd of September today). (For more, see the second paragraph here.)
However, I’ve managed to survive and thrive in spite of being treated poorly.
Every day this week, I have made a profit in my sports investments.
Monday was a winning day with Monday Night Football (both games and multiple plays) and the morning KC/Cleveland baseball game (morning on the West Coast).
Tuesday was a winning day with both WNBA playoff games as well as big nights from the Mariners, Cubs (point spread), and Dodgers (rally).
Wednesday as a winning day with the lone WNBA playoff game, Pirates/Cubs, and the Tigers’ victory over the Dodgers.
Thursday was a winning day with Thursday Night Football (multiple picks for the NYG/SF 49ers contest), Tigers/A’s, and Giants/Dodgers.
Friday (today) is already a winning day with what the Pirates/Reds did in the first six innings.
It’s already a big winning week Monday through Friday, so I’ll quit now for the week.
But I’m a winner in spite of passive aggressiveness from those around me, from those who are supposed to be on my team.
Well, the afternoon school that I help at might not want to pay me or talk to me, but I’m still not going to starve because I can find ways to make money. I’ve proved it all month and I’ve proved it all week.
UPDATE: Okay, I changed my mind. One hour after posting this, I decided to make a couple of plays on the Angels/Twins game that was already in progress. So, I didn’t “quit” after Pirates/Reds on Friday after all. Both the plays on Angels/Twins were accurate, and Friday’s profits (and for the week) from my sports investments went up even further.
UPDATE #2: Two hours after the 1st update (after I’d finished doing some errands), I went back to investing and made a play on Giants/Dodgers with the game already in progress (and won), and shortly after that I made a play on Boise State/SD State (won) and Air Force/SJ State (won). So, all in all, a nice run of profits on this day. Each day this week was profitable.
k. p. wee 