Significant Career Lesson From a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho
Richard's significant career lesson is recognizing that "acute moments feel much more significant than they really are," emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between the intensity of a feeling and its actual impact to avoid overreacting, while also being aware that sometimes seemingly small events can have big consequences. Moreover, Richard stresses self-forgiveness and resilience, believing that there are "multiple shots" at success depending on one's willingness to try again each day.
Decision-Making, Impact Assessment, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Forgiveness, Resilience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Richard Clarke
Business Consultant and Professor
Lucid Morpho LLC
College of Charleston
University of San Diego (MBA, MS Finance, PhD)
Economics
Education, Manufacturing, Operations & Supply Chain
Consulting
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Acute moments often feel more significant than they are, applicable to work, education, and relationships. Assess the intensity of the feeling versus the actual impact of the situation to determine the appropriate response.
2. Differentiate between situations with high impact and intense feelings (like immediate emergencies) and those where the feeling is strong but the impact of immediate action is low. Also, be aware of situations where the impact is larger than initially perceived.
3. Practice self-compassion and recognize that setbacks are not final. Embrace opportunities to learn and improve, understanding that multiple chances exist to achieve goals.
Transcript
What is one lesson you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
What is one lesson you've learned that has proven significant in your career?
Those acute moments feel much more significant than they really are. This applies not just to work, but also to my PhD, teaching, and relationships with friends. Everything sort of zooms in during those moments, becoming really intense.
Not every single time that we feel like, "Oh, this is an acute moment right now, I need to solve this," is that actually the case. There's a need to differentiate between how intense something feels and its actual impact. You might feel something very significantly, but it could have low impact.
For example, if you don't make a decision right now on a particular issue, it might be okay. It's important to be able to pull those feelings and impacts apart. Sometimes there are genuinely high-impact situations happening right now, and you're also feeling them intensely.
Think of a deer running into the middle of the road while you're driving; that's both important to act on immediately and will naturally get your heart racing. However, not all experiences are like that.
It's also important to pay attention to situations where you underestimated the impact, and it turned out to be significant. Along with that, having kindness and forgiving yourself is crucial. There are many opportunities for this. As much as we all have our intense moments, I don't believe we only have one shot. I think we have multiple chances, and it all depends on how we wake up the next day to say, "I'm going to try again."