Lesson 22: Expectations

Today is the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, and for the next two weeks athletes will compete from hundreds of countries to become Olympic champions. Simone Biles is one of those athletes. She is the most decorated gymnast ever with 34 medals across the world championships and the Olympics, plus Simone has five skills named after her. However, what I admire most about Simone is her decision to leave the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo for her own mental health.

High expectations can drive you to accomplish great things, but they can also lead to a decline in mental health. Simone’s decision to step away from gymnastics to take care of herself reminds me of the level of care we need to provide our scholars. 

I plan to acquire and lead a school for technical training where scholars can enter a vocation, such as welding or electrical work. Annual hiring for skilled roles is projected to increase by 22 times by the year 2032. We will see thousands of scholars enroll with high expectations to enter the workforce, and this school will provide an excellent education as well as an environment that takes care of their mental health. Our program will prepare them for both a successful and sustainable career.

You do not have to be Simone Biles to have high expectations for yourself. When I zoom out and think about this plan to lead a business, my mind races with endless possibilities for growth. We could grow organically through hiring more teachers to teach more scholars. We could grow through acquisition by acquiring more schools across the country. We could even develop an online learning platform like the company Instructure, who was acquired by KKR for $4.8 billion this year. However as CEO, I do not want to let high expectations impede our ability to support scholars as they take care of themselves. 

My values are to act with love, humility, and wisdom. Loving scholars looks like providing both excellent training and excellent care. Although my scholars might not become Olympians, I fully expect them to have high expectations for themselves. As they become excellent in their careers, more people will notice and seek out our school to pursue skilled trade. As more scholars enroll, the school can grow sustainably over time. As the school grows, we can quite possibly become a billion dollar company.  

Expectations is Lesson 22. Next week, I will share Lesson 23: Relationships.