The 'Most Influential High School Gym Teacher In American Pop Culture,' A Mysterious Red Hand On A Flag, And Naming A Chain Of British Pubs: Why Proving Someone Wrong Can Be Rocket Fuel For Creatives
The 3-Word Quote: “Doubters Manufacture Motivation”
***3 quick notes:
the3mix is back - I was unable to do much reading/writing for last two months but will try to get back on the 3rd, 13th, and 23rd schedule heading forward- I hope you’ll continue to follow and read
a book based on the3mix articles is coming soon - more information on this in the next month, if you are interested
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1.
Mr. Skinner was born on January 11, 1933, and died in September 2010.
He spent much of his career as a gym teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
He was described by most as a no-nonsense teacher and basketball coach.
Skinner's daughter, Suzie Moore, described her father's parenting style, saying he believed "there was a right way and a wrong way and you better not deviate."
He was an army veteran who, as a teacher in the 1950s and 1960s, saw much change in society and in kids during those decades.
But despite these changes, Mr. Skinner always upheld the rules. He was a stickler and made his students follow each and every rule.
Once, in the late 1960s, he sent several boys to the office.
They had broken a school rule - not an uncommon occurrence for high school students at the time.
The boys he sent to the office had very long hair - and very long hair on boys was against the Robert E. Lee school rules.
Mr. Skinner was a rule follower and expected others to follow the same rules. He also didn't particularly care for the style, which saw boys growing their hair long either.
So Mr. Skinner sent the boys to the office.
He didn't realize this action would put him in the limelight for decades and thrust him into music history.
2.
The Irish flag is nondescript.
It consists of three colors - green on the left, white in the middle, and orange on the right.
Three equal-sized rectangles of colors - no pictures or other adornment.
A simple design. Basic.
Ireland is divided into four provinces, each with its own flag.
These province flags are more elaborate than the nation flag.
The northern province of Ulster has a flag with a gold background. It has two thick red lines equally dividing it - it looks like a red cross painted on a gold sheet of paper.
But in the middle of the flag where the two red lines cross sits a small white shield.
In the shield is a red hand.
The hand is open, palm facing out - it looks like someone is holding up a 'stop' command.
The hand is known as 'the Red Hand of Ulster.'
But the origin of the Red Hand of Ulster is a mystery.
However, there is one legend about what the hand represents and why it is red.
And that legend is particularly gruesome.
3.
Tim Martin is the founder and operator of many pubs in England.
Like most, Martin's pubs offer good food and a decent price for a pint.
Martin founded the company in 1979, and the chain of pubs was known for its unique locations. Some pubs were placed in abandoned bank buildings and deserted movie theatres, for example.
The company grew quickly and now operates hundreds of locations and is even listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The chain's success comes from Martin's attention to detail and innovation. He visits different locations across the country for frequent checks.
Nothing is left to chance. He pays attention to detail.
And when he named the pubs, this was not left to chance either.
He called his pubs Wetherspoons.
However, the name Wetherspoons comes from an unlikely source—and the name reveals a great deal about the founder.
The Takeaway:
So what do a strict gym teacher from the 1960s, a mysterious red hand on an Irish flag, and the names of hundreds of British pubs have in common?
They are examples of motivation, driven by proving someone else wrong -- and how others' negative expectations can actually be a driver of our success.
So how did the flattop-wearing, hard-nosed Mr. Skinner become 'the most influential high school gym teacher in American pop culture'?
This quote from The New York Times is from Mr. Skinner's obituary.
He didn't revolutionize gym teaching or invent a new game used in physical education classes - his notoriety had nothing to do with that.
During his career, Mr. Skinner's school had a rule about how long boys' hair could be.
And one day, the strict Mr. Skinner sent one of the Robert E. Lee students to the office.
The teen, Gary Rossington, was like many teens of the time - he had grown his hair long as a symbol of rebellion.
But this was against the school rules, so Gary was sent to the office. Mr. Skinner wouldn't tolerate the lengthy locks.
Gary was annoyed that he had to go to the principal's office. And so were several of his high buddies - Allen Collins, Bob Burns, Larry Junstrom, and Ronnie Van Zant.
They didn't like Mr. Skinner telling them what to do and dictating how long their hair could be.
The boys were mad and wanted to get back at Mr. Skinner in some way.
So, when the boys started a band, they decided to name it after their strict teacher, Mr. Skinner.
Mr. Skinner's first name was Leonard.
Leonard Skinner.
The long-haired boys, who felt Mr. Skinner picked on them, changed a few letters of their teacher's name and used it for their band.
The name of their band, they decided, would be Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The few changed letters were to avoid a lawsuit from their teacher.
If you're unfamiliar with the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number 95 on its list of the 100 'Greatest Artists of All-Time.'
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
They've sold over 30 million records, and their hit songs include classics Free Bird, Simple Man, and Sweet Home Alabama.
They are Southern Rock royalty, the quintessential Southern rock band.
But their initial reason for naming the band after their teacher was spite - to get back at the strict Mr. Skinner, who sent some of them to the office.
The name was a 'we'll show you,' tongue-in-cheek effort to prove to the teacher he couldn't tell them what to do.
Mr. Skinner's disapproval made the boys lean into their long hair and 'hippie' style and music - and this spite changed their lives, including Mr. Skinner's.
Later, the boys in the band and Mr. Skinner became friends. But that initial negative interaction in high school motivated the band.
***
And it was a disapproving and doubting leader that led to a red hand being placed on the Flag of Ulster.
Legend has it that almost a thousand years ago, two chieftains were sailing in separate boats with their crews toward an unclaimed area in northern Ireland.
The leader of the two chieftains told the two men whoever was the first to lay his hand on the approaching land could claim the kingship of it.
Both men wanted to rule the land.
So, the two chieftains mustered their crews and used all their energy to race to the land to be the first to touch it.
The race was intense. The men gave all their effort.
Finally, after much time and effort, one ship began to pull ahead just as they approached the unclaimed land.
The leader of the second boat realized his dream of claiming the land was slipping away from him.
The crew of the losing boat began to chastise their captain.
But the leader of the trailing boat refused to give up.
As the legend goes, just before the leading chieftain claimed the land, the second-place captain quickly created a plan to win - motivated by greed and shame from possibly losing.
He pulled out his sword.
With his sword in one hand, he placed his forearm and hand of his other arm flat on the deck of his ship.
And then he took a mighty swing - and proceeded to chop off his other hand at the wrist.
As the lead boat was ready to claim the desired land, the trailing chieftain grabbed his recently chopped-off hand in his other hand.
And with his good hand, he threw the bloody detached hand with all his might.
The detached stump of a hand flew over the leading boat and landed on the shore.
Remember the contest - the first man to touch the land could claim it.
The one-handed man was declared the victor and was allowed to rule the land.
Because he was the first to 'touch' the land.
While the legend is highly improbable, the one-handed victorious chieftain did what Lynyrd Skynyrd's co-founder did - he used spite and doubt to propel him to action.
***
And what of the famous British pubs called Wetherspoons?
Founder Tim Martin had a similar story to Gary Rossington, one of the founders of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Tim Martin had a teacher who was particularly hard on him.
In fact, Martin said his New Zealand teacher told Martin he 'wouldn't amount to anything.'
Harsh words. Especially from a teacher.
And those words stuck with Martin.
And what was the teacher's name?
Mr. Wetherspoon.
Mr. Skinner was tough; Mr. Wetherspoon seemed uncaring.
Wetherspoon's words stuck with Martin, and the pub founder explained that he had purposely named the pub after the teacher for two reasons.
First, Mr Wetherspoon never drank, so Martin thought it was funny to name the pubs after someone who abstained from alcohol.
Secondly, Martin was thrilled with the thought that if Mr. Wetherspoon ever drove around London, he would be forced to see his name on these pubs - and be reminded of the success of the kid he said would never amount to anything.
***
For some, doubters and negative words can provide tremendous motivation.
The founders of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the one-handed chieftain, and Tim Martin all realized that being doubted fuels motivation to achieve.
Many of us can recall similar stories of doubters. We can remember a negative comment about our efforts.
In fact, an article in Harvard Business Review, 'The Upside of Being an Underdog,' backs up what these three men demonstrated.
Most of us, regardless of our roles, have a boss and expectations placed upon us.
But when those in charge believe - and tell employees - that they don't have what it takes to succeed, well, those words often serve as rocket fuel to prove those in charge wrong.
The article calls expectations that we won't succeed 'underdog expectations.'
The article goes on to explain that studies say that underdog expectations were a significant predictor of performance,
Sometimes, publicly doubting someone can help people perform better.
In fact, those who 'experienced underdog expectations performed better than those who experienced high… expectations' from supervisors.
Seems counter-intuitive.
Obviously, simply telling someone they can't complete a task won't make them capable of doing it.
The article's studies on low expectations were varied and small. And in the studies, it mattered who had the low expectations.
Those who were doubted still have to have the skills and talent to perform.
The pathway from inspiration to implementation is a long path - proving someone wrong can certainly increase motivation. Still, it is often not enough to sustain the journey.
For many, the words of naysayers can provide that fantastic spark of motivation needed for success. Still, they are usually not enough to sustain the effort required for longer and larger projects.
We often dismiss and forget the positive comments we get, but we seem to internalize the negative ones.
Turns out that proving people wrong can be particularly powerful.
***
3 things before you go (audio version):
listen: have linked to several of their songs before; this one just released last week, called Summer Fling; they’re often described as the ‘happiest band on earth’
listen: best part of this cover is the second half when audience becomes the musician; always find this clip interesting
listen: good advice - and a simple and catchy song too
Hope you have a great first week of June. See you on the 13th.
-Jeff