HSBC Bank had to spend $10 million on a rebranding campaign in 2009 because their catchphrase “Assume Nothing” was mistranslated in numerous countries as “Do Nothing.” The damage was done, but it had to be repaired. Another mistranslation occurred in the 1950’s in Japan. A chocolate company mistakenly suggested that women present chocolate hearts & truffles to men on February and what was thought to be customary remains until this day. Japan eventually established March 14th as a day in which men can return the favor. Not to dwell on mistranslation, however in 1980 an 18-year-old unconscious patient was brought to a Florida hospital by a group of family and friends that only spoke Spanish. A bilingual staff member incorrectly translated “intoxicado” as “intoxicated” which is closer to poisoned rather than under the effects of a drug or alcohol. The doctors treated him more as if he was an overdose patient rather than from an intracerebral hemorrhage, which is what he suffered from, and his delayed treatment led to him being a quadriplegic! The mistranslation of one word resulted in the hospital being on the distributing end of a $71 million malpractice settlement. In every one of these situations it was a small mistake that created an enormous problem. That same application can occur in reverse. I recently was in an engaging conversation where someone stated “one-hundred pennies still make up a dollar.” Winston Churchill said it best regarding one’s attitude, it’s “the little thing that makes a big difference.”
An individual’s attitude often does not receive the credit it deserves. It is often not until after adolescence, sometimes after the damage has occurred, that a person realizes that behavior reflects attitude. The perspective, the fixed way of feeling or thinking about something or someone, will eventually produce a behavior or result. So just think for a moment. What do you really want in life? After you have identified everything, begin to reflect on if your attitude matches what you are wanting to achieve. A modern-day philosopher often states, “where you mind goes, your energy flows!” I recall a situation when I was requested to provide council with a young male student and his mother. I did not teach him, but my Principal believed that I had the ability to penetrate the boundary that he placed around himself. While sitting in the conference room I grabbed a sheet of printer paper and drew a large number nine on the side facing up for him to see. I did not identify what I did, but simply asked him what he saw on the paper. He immediately looked at me in anger because he thought I was challenging his intelligence but said the number six. I confirmed his response, and then told him that I saw the number nine aloud. His frown softened because he could not deny that we were both right. A slight smirk started to appear on his face. I explained how we were both looking at the same sheet of paper but had a different response due to our varying perspectives.
The lesson that I expounded on with that young man was that his life was like that sheet of paper. He had a perspective, or attitude, and so did both his mother and teachers. All parties involved wanted him to be successful, but he needed to take the chance to see their perspectives. No one intentionally was doing anything to make his life miserable, but himself. He began to share about what his life goals were and how his education did not play a major role in achieving it. I then looked at his attitude towards education, and to be honest, he made a few valid points. I confirmed a few of his statements, but then explained how some of the specific content he was learning did not affect his future career ambitions, however the principles acquired through the process were key. I identified a few things that were a part of his school day ritual and explained how they could be applied to his career goals. I even through in a movie reference from the remake of “Karate Kid” where the main character had to do a repetitive task that his mentor later revealed was a fundamental technique used in Kung Fu. Then entire time the character from the movie thought he was doing a boring menial chore as a form of punishment!
As an Educator, we strive to develop the character of our students, but how often do we check our attitudes. Everyday or every student will not be perfect, but that does not mean we will result with a horrible day. “It only takes a spark to get a fire going” so our continuous positive attitude will eventually spread from our classroom, to the school, and then throughout the community…and that is what makes you a Next Level Educator!
The Jeremy Anderson Group