Dean of Studies
Success starts with effort
In 2016, John Donahoe, the retired CEO of eBay, addressed students in a keynote lecture at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. The subsequent article* by Luke Stangel was titled, 'Dump the Myth of the High Achiever'.
“The myth of high achievers is a straight line: They grow up wanting to be entrepreneurs, earn straight As, attend top-tier schools, join a world-class team, climb the corporate ladder, and then lead major companies. The truth is, that line is rarely so tidy. People face adversity and personal setbacks. They hit career cul-de-sacs, experience failing relationships, and are forced to make trade-offs to achieve their goals. Twelve-hour days at the office can feel lonely and anxiety-inducing. Failure happens.”
In sharing with the students Donahoe offers reflections about points in his life and career where he faced difficult choices and leaned on others for support and help, and he urged students to develop a great life, that extends beyond just a great career. Using an analogy from elite sport (baseball), his primary message is that of dealing with failure (i.e. not performing to your goals and expectations). The greatest importance however, is that you must first commit to the attempt. In the same way that an elite athlete is required to perform in the competition, the time devoted to maintaining mental, physical, and emotional health as part of the routine of preparation is equally important.
“That takes the form of small things, like eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. It could also mean hiring a therapist or a life coach to help build a framework to understand the world. Being able to travel through life with supportive communities of people is key.”
The message to apply for students is that, performing at your best requires you to build habits for health, seek the feedback from your teacher(s) and lean on the support of others when challenged by the feeling of being overwhelmed.
In addition, Donahoe highlights that, “Most high achievers like to win”, and early in his career, Donahoe said he felt anxious, particularly when he had to make big decisions. In one of his first positions as a management consultant with one of the big consulting firms, his boss offered the following sports analogy to overcome the fear of failure:
“A gifted young baseball player played [from] Little League through [to] College, hitting an average of nine out of 10 pitches. Now, taking his first at-bat in the Major League, he was wracked with anxiety that he would fail. The fact is, an average of .900 [9 out of 10 pitches] in the Major League is impossible. The best baseball players in history are lucky to hit .350 — they miss two out of three swings. They sometimes strike out in a crucial moment, costing their team the victory. They drop balls, make bad plays, and disappoint their fans. The difference, is that world-class baseball players wake up every game day ready to swing the bat.”
For Donahoe, having been the CEO of two companies, the father of four children, having dual careers and countless life challenging experiences, is that:
“You can’t bat .900 in life. All you’ve got to do is bat .350 and don’t be afraid to get in there and swing.”
The fear of failure can be crippling to a student, and lead to not making any attempts, or being disappointed with anything less than perfection. Therefore, achievement occurs when a learner develops a mindset that encourages the effort to achieve a personal best, to think about the range of strategies that can be applied and to seek out the guidance and expertise of supporters (i.e. teachers) to assist. In other words, ‘get in there and take a swing’.
*https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/john-donahoe-dump-myth-high-achiever
Academic Achievement
Further to the outstanding achievements of students from the Class of 2018 who were previously acknowledged, the College wishes to extend congratulations to Samuel Eaton and Jayden Smeschkal on their achievement of the Certificate of Merit. Samuel Eaton achieved an ATAR of 93.9 and is taking a gap year before deciding his course pathway, and Jayden has been offered a place in the highly competitive Diploma in Screen and Media, while also completing an additional Certificate IV to enable him to obtain a dual qualification in IT. Jayden has also been accepted into IIBT, a university course pathway provider for Curtin University and Edith Cowan University. Congratulations again to Samuel and Jayden.
The Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA)
The Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment will commence at St Norbert College on Tuesday March 5 through to Tuesday March 12. All students are required to demonstrate the minimum literacy and numeracy standards for the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority awards the WACE at the end of Year 12 to students who have met all the requirements.
NAPLAN Online
Please find attached a copy of the NAPLAN Online Information that has been distributed to students via their Homeroom. The dates for the Online NAPLAN will be from May 14 through to May 24. Further information will be included in the next College newsletter.
Mr R Dowling (Dean of Studies)