A Cautionary Tale About Quizes and Questionnaires
Al's Story:
I received a 51 on the ECQ(ns) questionnaire. I think it was the lowest number in my class and I also think that's very funny since I will be going out in the next few months to raise capital for D. G.
This reminds me of a story. The first year on the National Ski Team, I was 20 years old, and they had the group fill out a questionnaire to see if you had the mental ability to be an elite athlete. I also had the lowest market, if not the second lowest mark on that questionnaire. Surprisingly, they removed me form the main team the following year. They actually changed the criteria at the end of the season so they could pick someone else for the team. That cost my Father a lot of money. I didn't receive any carding money, I had to pay to go to Europe, I did not get the full sponsorship ride, but more importantly, they changed the criteria - the selection method to pick the team.
Now, that was 1984. After I mentioned to the head coach, that what they did was not right, they said sorry Al, that's the way it is. So, I lowered my head, believed in myself and kept on training, racing, and learning. In 1989, I achieved the best result ever by a Canadian at a World Championships, finishing 7th in the 50km. To date, no male Canadian Cross Country Skier has come close to that result.
That skier who the team believed in and scored a high mark on that test (because I remember that very well) went to the 1988 Olympics. He didn't do anything there and he quit after that. It was his goal to 'just' make the Olympics. It was never my goal to make the Olympics. It was my goal to win the Olympics and not just to win one set of Olympics. A true winner in my mind is someone who can repeat their success. So to me, going to the Olympics was part of the process of winning the Olympics. And that's probably why I don't tell many people that I was an Olympic athlete. It was never a goal of mind, it was a great achievement, but never a goal.
This has made me think. I don't consider myself an 'Entrepreneur'. I see myself with developing an excellent service that can provide an invaluable document for many reasons with the opportunity to expand this across North America and maybe into Europe. I see myself as someone who wants to build a company, how long I stay in it I don't know. There are many factors involved in that.
Al P.
Thanks, Al, for sharing this cautionary tale about quizes and questionnaires. You're right- they can't do much more than be the most approximate of guides into human behaviour or future achievement. BMF