Rockstar Arrogance In PDR
According to John Elderage, In the 19th century a Scottish athlete made an iron discus that he read about in an official rule book. He wanted to compete as a discus thrower and didn't have the money or Amazon.com to simply order one, so he made it himself at a local blacksmith. What he didn't know was that the official discus was made out of wood and only the outer rim of iron. As a result, his discus weighed four times more as those used by other discus throwers. He marked out the record distance in his back yard and he trained day and night to match it. For years he labored until he finally broke the record. When he arrived at the games, in England, he set a new record and remained the uncontested champion for years. He labored under a burden that made him stronger, more patient, more courageous, than could have been obtained otherwise. This is also true of so many dent technicians, but the burden isn't metal, its ego.
For many new technicians in PDR, they are obliged to "fake it till they make it". Its promoted, celebrated, and encouraged: in all truthfulness, we have never seen a technician succeed without it. Anger and ego, are the driving force behind quality technicians, at least in their tender years. If spited, the alpha male in them, will rise to the occasion and dominate, filling their ego with all of the fuel they need to outlast, outdrive, and beat competition. Even if its just all in their head, its the most effective tool to success. Ill never forget my mantra as a young tech, "I'm going to outlast you", it was the driving force behind every push I made in those early years: ever push was made in-spite!
Techs grow up, youthful phases pass just like the changing of the seasons but arrogance must take a back seat to confidence: nothing will slow down the amateur to advanced stage, like arrogance. Many older techs never leave this amateur phase, its simply hardwired into their psyche; after all, it has served them well over the years. However, if this phase is not surpassed, it can develop into mental "rockstars". As a result, all future stages of learning are only versions of their arrogance, rather than versions of humility and confidence. It's this crucial piece, just like that last 10% of a repair, that must be handled with care.
We are in a renaissance within the PDR community, and the older ways are being discarded as newer innovations are coming to the forefront. The newer generations are learning from the mistakes of their fathers in the industry and a paradigm shift is taking place. The amount of information and help, is all around us. Regardless, at the end of the day we are the ones sitting behind the panel and making the pushes, it is up to us, to bridge the gap of that last 10% within ourselves as technicians. Here is my suggestion, to a way out, or rather, up. First, we must identify what is really happening and why.
What is happening and why? Techs have had to overdevelop self-confidence in order to survive and justify a litany of errors. Yes, we have all walked away from a panel that we were not proud of, even after we gave it our best. The level of justification mentally, does take a toll. No matter how amazing or perfect a tech wants to portray themselves to the outside world, its just a smokescreen in most cases. This is not to say that their work is not amazing! This smokescreen is not inherently a bad thing, as long as you understand it. That is to say, they are not truly satisfied with their work and it deeply bothers them, so they build mental walls around it. This lack of satisfaction worries them and occupies most of their time, and it is the driving force behind greater and greater quality. As a result, they know their work is never truly finished, even if the customer is scratching their head because the work looks flawless. In reality, it is an unobtainable goal, because it is unrealistic, no matter how much smoke screen is provided by the tech.
The problem with arrogance is the inability to see the errors. They either start looking through the eyes of their customers, or they simply demand to themselves that this is the very best there is. The bottom line is, they have "arrived". This doesn't mean that they are not doing quality work, but the mindset is dangerous for a number of reasons. Primarily, the cartesian self. The cartesian self, is the self that you cannot see, but everyone else can. We all have a vision of who we are to the outside world, and the outside world has a vision of who they see us as. Lets call it the blindside of our personality, its dangerous, and it can grow into something that would shock even the owner.
In reality, regardless of the cartesian self, you made it. You beat the record years ago using the lead weight, now you are taking on heavier and heavier discus mentally. The solution is not to stop pushing to achieve more and more, its to understand that your not a special cupcake, who reinvented the sport. Its time to own your confidence in humility and stare your arrogance in the face, call it by its true name, and master it. No matter what we show to the outside world, to thine own self be true. This will allow us to fill that last 10% in our personalities so we can grow past arrogance. After all, confidence and pride is not the weaker cousin in a dog-eat-dog industry, its the path to balance and perfection within ourselves as techs.
Keep putting the marker out farther and never stop throwing, keep pushing!
Join us at PDR THE WALL
For many new technicians in PDR, they are obliged to "fake it till they make it". Its promoted, celebrated, and encouraged: in all truthfulness, we have never seen a technician succeed without it. Anger and ego, are the driving force behind quality technicians, at least in their tender years. If spited, the alpha male in them, will rise to the occasion and dominate, filling their ego with all of the fuel they need to outlast, outdrive, and beat competition. Even if its just all in their head, its the most effective tool to success. Ill never forget my mantra as a young tech, "I'm going to outlast you", it was the driving force behind every push I made in those early years: ever push was made in-spite!
Techs grow up, youthful phases pass just like the changing of the seasons but arrogance must take a back seat to confidence: nothing will slow down the amateur to advanced stage, like arrogance. Many older techs never leave this amateur phase, its simply hardwired into their psyche; after all, it has served them well over the years. However, if this phase is not surpassed, it can develop into mental "rockstars". As a result, all future stages of learning are only versions of their arrogance, rather than versions of humility and confidence. It's this crucial piece, just like that last 10% of a repair, that must be handled with care.
We are in a renaissance within the PDR community, and the older ways are being discarded as newer innovations are coming to the forefront. The newer generations are learning from the mistakes of their fathers in the industry and a paradigm shift is taking place. The amount of information and help, is all around us. Regardless, at the end of the day we are the ones sitting behind the panel and making the pushes, it is up to us, to bridge the gap of that last 10% within ourselves as technicians. Here is my suggestion, to a way out, or rather, up. First, we must identify what is really happening and why.
What is happening and why? Techs have had to overdevelop self-confidence in order to survive and justify a litany of errors. Yes, we have all walked away from a panel that we were not proud of, even after we gave it our best. The level of justification mentally, does take a toll. No matter how amazing or perfect a tech wants to portray themselves to the outside world, its just a smokescreen in most cases. This is not to say that their work is not amazing! This smokescreen is not inherently a bad thing, as long as you understand it. That is to say, they are not truly satisfied with their work and it deeply bothers them, so they build mental walls around it. This lack of satisfaction worries them and occupies most of their time, and it is the driving force behind greater and greater quality. As a result, they know their work is never truly finished, even if the customer is scratching their head because the work looks flawless. In reality, it is an unobtainable goal, because it is unrealistic, no matter how much smoke screen is provided by the tech.
The problem with arrogance is the inability to see the errors. They either start looking through the eyes of their customers, or they simply demand to themselves that this is the very best there is. The bottom line is, they have "arrived". This doesn't mean that they are not doing quality work, but the mindset is dangerous for a number of reasons. Primarily, the cartesian self. The cartesian self, is the self that you cannot see, but everyone else can. We all have a vision of who we are to the outside world, and the outside world has a vision of who they see us as. Lets call it the blindside of our personality, its dangerous, and it can grow into something that would shock even the owner.
In reality, regardless of the cartesian self, you made it. You beat the record years ago using the lead weight, now you are taking on heavier and heavier discus mentally. The solution is not to stop pushing to achieve more and more, its to understand that your not a special cupcake, who reinvented the sport. Its time to own your confidence in humility and stare your arrogance in the face, call it by its true name, and master it. No matter what we show to the outside world, to thine own self be true. This will allow us to fill that last 10% in our personalities so we can grow past arrogance. After all, confidence and pride is not the weaker cousin in a dog-eat-dog industry, its the path to balance and perfection within ourselves as techs.
Keep putting the marker out farther and never stop throwing, keep pushing!
Join us at PDR THE WALL
