Why do people still interview sport stars? Americans have an insatiable appetite for sports, just look at the myriad of sports channels on cable. However, when’s the last time someone truly learned something insightful from an interview on Sports Center?
Here are some sport interview cliches.
- Pressured? Lots of respect for our opponents, but not at all.
- Thinking about Game 3? No, a game at a time. Focusing on game 2.
- Are you concerned about player X………? He’s a good player, he’ll get his points, we’ll make adjustments.
- Will the [affair, injury, gossip] impact your game? No, not at all.
Then there’s the 110%, god given talent, love the game, student of the game, and “I just want to play [insert sport here]“.
I was watching ESPN today and it got me thinking…… how would a business executive answer an interview about the latest quarterly earnings in the tone of your average Amercian sports superstar.
Reporter: Were you concerned about the disappointing quarter?
Executive: No, not at all. These are challenges that we deal with as pros, so not at all.
Reporter: Are you concerned about next year’s quarter?
Executive: Of course not, we have to take it a quarter at a time.
Reporter: Are you concerned about product x from competitor y.
Executive: They’re a good company, the sells were impressive, but we’ll make adjustments and contain the competition.
Reporter: Will the class action lawsuits impact your sales?
Executive: No, not at all.
Reporter: Any other comments?
Executive: We’re very luck to do what we love to do as a loving, and I’m blessed with the ability to manage this great firm. We’ll definitely continue to lead this company with 110%. However we’re always a student of the business, and will continue to learn things along the way. Honestly I just want to continue to churn out great code man, I just want to code…..
[turns of ESPN]
One takeaway from my trip to the New York Technology Meetup was definitely the power of meeting people in person, something lost to many geeks like us as our lives are preoccupied with emails, IMs, and iPhones. (no, Facetime does not count)
One of my goals this year is to socialize more, and instead of just attending events, I’ve decided to coordinate some of them as well. From my position at Firstrade Securities, I’ve decided to launch a recurring meet-up for casual investors. The first meeting is scheduled to take place this Tuesday, and is open to everyone. The link can be found below:
http://www.meetup.com/ciofqns/
I also realized that I accidentally chose the same time as the July NYTM, guess I’ll need to rely on the webcast for that.
Anyone got any other meet-up ideas? Let me know and I’ll set one up.
At the suggestion of my friend and fellow iPhone developer Benny Wong, I attended the June NYTech Meetup at Skirball Center in NYU. A record crowd of 850+ turned up, and the even was even streamed live over the internet. This was the first of such meetings I’ve attended, and it was quite the experience.
I wonder if back in the day the computer club meetings had a similar vibe, where people gawk at the latest and greatest in the prevalent technologies being demoed online. I mean if the actor’s portrayals in “The Pirates of Silicon Valley” was accurate, this is just a modernized version of such events. Just being here, felt like I was a part of history.
With that said, there was also this eerie feeling knowing that most of the 850 participates will likely see their ventures fail. We’ve come a long way from the late 90s, and people (or at least the audience) now have realistic expectations for start-ups.
Can’t wait for the next one, maybe I’ll even get to demo at some point.
