I keep a chip on my shoulder. I went to Georgia Tech for undergrad. It's a great school, but it doesn't have the pedigree of an Ivy League institution. And really it's not a big deal, but there's a subtlety in not having the "branding" and using that as motivation that I think gives me a small edge.
It doesn't work as well now that I'm going to HBS, but I still try to keep the underdog mentality. I certainly feel more Georgia Tech than I do HBS at this point, and that's probably a good thing for keeping my edge.
The trick is making sure a chip on your shoulder is only used as motivation and doesn't make you bitter or have any other negative side effect. It's a tricky thing to balance, but as long as you don't let it adversely impact how you behave day to day, it can be a very powerful motivator.
Addendum: sustaining an underdog mentality also entails never taking oneself too seriously and never losing one's humility. Inevitably, the underdog will be replaced as everyone moves up the ladder. But -- once the underdog finds that s/he is no longer the underdog (does that make one an "overdog" ... ?), it's critical to frequently eat large slices of humble pie. Without it, one can lose one's chip, one's edge, and one's modesty.
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteThe problem is it isn't much of a post if I had just written "stay humble" and left it at that. :)
Totally agree with you. Great comment. My readers are fantastic!
I think you could have written a fantastic post about being a modest underdog. Throw in plenty of quotes from "Dodgeball" and you'd be golden.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of an article I saw in the Harvard alumni magazine a couple of years ago, where they implausibly suggested that a bunch of tremendous people (e.g. Warren Buffet) had gone on to achieve great things because they had a chip on their shoulder from Harvard's rejection. I thought it was a self-centered load of crap from Harvard's part.
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with your post - I agree that a chip on your shoulder Can be a motivator. But I'd like to think that I do things because of motives I care more deeply about than the fact I was rejected by Harvard (plus, looks like they owned up to their mistake ;)
vp
Vicente - absolutely, I'd like to think the same thing - that I do things because of motives I care more deeply about. I certainly hope it's true!
ReplyDeleteBut in getting to the end result of something, I'd also like to think I use slights to my advantage without letting it change my (overall) positive outlook on life. It's great for keeping "an edge" and always staying humble, even when things are going impossibly well!
I think you've definitely hit on something in "using slights to my advantage". At the very least, make sure the slights don't take you down instead... and if you can get some motivation from there, why not!
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