Learning from Reality Competition Shows
Oddly, I used to watch a lot less TV before I got a PVR/DVR/TIVO-kinda thing. However, since I like to try to treadmill and stretch regularly (yeah I don't always manage it but that's the goal), I try to record enough programs that I have something to watch while trying to do the mind over body thing.
I seem to have fallen in love with reality competition shows. There are some I absolutely have to watch, like:
- Canada's Worst Handyman - Seriously, I had US houseguests happily watch all of a season with us over a weekend, and they were still talking about it weeks later.
- Canada's Worst Driver - Just as awesome and painful.
- So You Think You Can Dance - The American and Canadian versions, we don't get the others.
Others that I like to watch but might not go out of my way for are:
- America's Next Top Model - And various international versions.
- America's Best Dance Crew - Seasons 1 and 2 were disappointing because of weird voters, but Season 3 was so much better.
- Project Runway - The US and Canada versions, we don't get other ones as far as I know.
There's some others like Top Chef and whatnot that are also good, but I don't seem to trip over them as often. Not that tripping is ever a good idea on a treadmill.
If you watch enough of these shows you start to notice patterns. Especially in the top model, design, cooking, and other shows like them. The things that the people who do well in these shows all do right (or wrong) are:
- Time management/Time estimation
- Ability to take and absorb criticism
- Being "the bitch"
- Know your strengths and weaknesses
Time Management/Estimation
When it comes to time estimation, the contestants may not start with a great sense of how much time a task might take, but they learn in a hurry if they want to stay in the competition. In the model shows this isn't such a big deal, but in the shows where you're making things, you have to have a sense of how much work something is going to be, and whether you can reasonably accomplish it in the purposely short time allotted. I confess that this is not one of my own strong points, though I have been improving over the years just from experience.
The second thing in the time management area is simply working efficiently. Those who take a lot of smoke breaks or let themselves get into a panic and freeze and can't get anything done are more likely to get knocked out. And then there's those who realize mid-project that they have taken on way more than they can do in the time allottted. How they recover from that--adjust their plans, etc.--is key to staying.
Usually in real life time constraints aren't so artificial, but sometimes they sure feel like it. There will be times that a project that's too good to pass up lands in your lap, and you take it even though the turn-around time they need is ridiculously short. But really, most of these issues are only intensified by the unnaturally short times involved. I know I'm not the only one who has some bad habits she needs to break. In my case, if I become very uncertain over what I should do with something, or if I've taken the wrong direction on something and haven't realized it yet, I tend to "spin" as one astute person put it. Basically I spin my wheels getting nowhere for a while until I finally realize what's going on and get myself back in gear.
What are the things that make you spin? That cause you to waste time, or get way too overambitious for what you have timem or resources to do?
Accepting Criticism
This applies to all of the shows. There are judges. These judges are typically experts and well-known in their field (that's why they were chosen as judges, right?) You, the relatively neophyte and unknown contestant, have these highly experienced and successful people sitting there willing to give you (usually) constructive criticism.
I've talked about handling feedback before, but it never hurts to talk about it another dozen times or so. Watch the contestants. Who is able to calmly listen to the feedback? Or at least not lash out in defensive anger? We tend to see ourselves as our work, especially those of us in the creative arenas. But a critique is not telling you that you're a bad person unless the person giving the critique is a special kind of jerk. These people, especially the judges, are trying to help. They may be blunt about it, but most people will never have access to critiques from people of this caliber. Showing that you can be professional, even if you don't agree, is essential.
Who defends their work reasonably and who defends, as some judges have put it, "the indefensible"? We've all done it, crossed that line where we've gone from politely disagreeing or trying to explain what we were trying to get at, and eventually found ourselves just going on and on like no one else has a valid opinion. We all screw up. The hard part is admitting it. Even if you don't agree, going on too long usually results in you either appearing ungracious or an egotistical jerk. Agree to disagree, or if you have to, just nod and don't say anything. Sometimes I find that last one to be the best way if I feel my snark level rising.
What do you tend to do when someone makes a comment about your work that isn't 100% positive? Do you get pissed? Can you maintain calm even when someone does it in a blunt manner? Sometimes people end up coming off as rude when they're mostly in a hurry or distracted. No point in leaving them with a feeling that you freak out at "nothing" even though what they said wasn't necessarily phrased in the best way.
Attitude
There's always at least one person in the show's chosen who throws around a lot of attitude. "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win." Sure, being focused is good. Take it seriously, treat it as business, though there's nothing wrong with having a bit of fun too.
But being bitchy and rude to people and beyond self-centered is just not a good idea, not to mention just, well, bitchy. You may need to rely on the people around you for help. If you tick them off enough, some might even try to obstruct you in some way. As entertaining as the bitch may be on TV, generally these people are their own undoing. Especially since the experts will cut them far less slack (things get back to them, and if you're a nasty person, it's going to come out, especially in all of the stress people are in on these shows) in some ways than they might for someone else.
This problem is actually so bad in some sectors, to various degrees, that there's books on it. An excellent one is Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
Do you tend to sling attitude? Do you do it only in situations where you feel threatened, or is it just your preferred mode of interacting with the world?
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Finally, it's important to really understand your skill level. We all have parts of our work that we completely rock at, and other parts that we're adequate at. There's probably a few things we even stink at. The problem is that we don't always know which aspects are which. Whether it's underconfidence and too much second-guessing, or overconfidence to the form of self-delusion, it's something all professionals have to get a handle on. And it's easy to discover we actually do both of these things, just about different tasks.
While I certainly have my "I'm a rock star and I rule" moments, often my problem tends more toward underconfidence. I think. I suppose others may disagree.
Where are your areas of high and low confidence? Do they reflect on your actual abilities? How might you correct your weak areas, and who might you trust to help you with your self-assessment? It's hard sometimes to be really objective about ourselves. Though sometimes it's hard to find someone who we trust to be honest and be able to recognize good work from bad. Mom doesn't always count on this (but if you end up unhappy from the assessment she might be good for a hug after.)
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