Weekend Wars: Top of Heap vs. Bottom of Barrel

Every last one of us wants to make it to the top. In a hypercompetitive environment such as Wall Street that desire is maximized to a degree which is difficult to define. Some want to prove their worth, some are just money hungry, others seek security, others recognition. Whichever one of these categories you do (or don’t) fall into, there is the other side of the coin to look at.

The side which nobody thinks about on their climb up the ladder, but the side which is just as, if not more important. That side we all ignore is called adversity, or better yet…how big of a player are you when the whole game turns against you?

There is perhaps no finer example of the rollercoaster that is success today, than one Eldrick Tont Woods, better known to us all as Tiger.

As we discussed when the story first broke, Tiger’s divorce is going to be costing him more than a pretty penny. His current mortgage is also the stuff of MBS nightmares. Talk about a jumbo loan. The guy drops nearly $500,000 per year on property taxes alone. Considering that his PGA tour earnings dropped more than 50% from 2009 to 2010 and that this year ain’t exactly been stellar for him, Tiger is definitely getting a taste of adversity that I doubt he had ever sampled in the past.

None of this would be that big of a deal if Woods had his usual smorgasbord of commercials to turn to. Once the spokesman for everything from Nike to Accenture, (not to mention his own EA video game) Tiger was cruising towards billionaire status. Now things are looking like he is a lot closer to working Wall Street stiff territory, if the malaise continues.

Fellow besmirched sports hero Kobe Bryant went through the same drama. The difference, however, is that Kobe was acquitted and exonerated of his witch hunt. Kobe also thrived in his professional career as a result of the drama, going out and becoming the undisputed king of the NBA, winning scoring titles, championships and even coming within 19 points of cracking the century mark in a single game.

Since his troubles started, Tiger has been conspicuously human on the golf course and has even reverted to doing commercials for the Japanese audience. This is something Tiger hasn’t done since the late 90’s when he was not as of yet, a household name.

As the link above clearly illustrates The Tiger PnL I won’t get into details about it. I will, however, say that Woods is not showing me much in terms of his greatness and legacy. When you are given a gift and a talent head-and-shoulders above your peers, you have no excuses.

A bearded and sullen Woods now seems like a giant ego balloon that has been eternally pierced and is squeaking helium like an Alvin and the Chipmunks tune. I certainly hope Tiger gets his house in order and comes collecting green jackets like he was a St.Patrick’s Day street marshall.

This, however, is not my concern. My concern is how Tiger’s lack of preparedness to fail is leading his charge towards failure. I wonder how many of you guys are prepared for real adversity. in your lives? If there was no more job to have? If your business went ass up? If the people you thought loved you the most, turned out to be little more than an entourage?

How many of you have planned for adversity? How many have failed miserably and learned from it?

Few of us are born to be superstars. Yet many rise to the top, but what about the fall from grace?

Are you ready for it?

Can you handle it better than Tiger has?

 

I think preparing for failure is essential both in business and in life. Always be ready in case things just don't work out. When things go very well for a while, it can turn into complacency and take people unawares. I think that's definitely what's caught Tiger here.

It's a smart move to have a plan in the event of total failure--hell Midas, that's one of the many reasons you love to throw rocks at marriage!

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 
In The Flesh:
I think preparing for failure is essential both in business and in life. Always be ready in case things just don't work out. When things go very well for a while, it can turn into complacency and take people unawares. I think that's definitely what's caught Tiger here.

I also think having been the best at what he does since Pampers is a huge factor. We always think about having the stuff it takes to succeed, but who knows if we have what it takes to fail?

hell Midas, that's one of the many reasons you love to throw rocks at marriage!

I throw rocks at windows and wives out of them, but an excellent point nonetheless.

 

I have no experience in this but Eddie has always said that once you've 'been there' its always a hell of a lot easier to get back. Not sure how well this applies to sports, particularly someone who was so incredibly dominate, but there has to be some truth in that.

That being said, no one has ever handled anything worse than Tigger (yes tigger) handled his mistresses. Period. Ever.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Fail big. Like the markets, our lives go up and down, and it seems to me that Tiger Woods bull market has turned quite bearish. Failure is inevitable, and we need to attribute more of life's successes and failures to randomness. Yes, adversity is a true test of man's volition, but adversity is as likely as raging success. So how a man handles success, he will also handle adversity. It seems to me that success got the better of Tiger, and successes opposite is currently handling him the same way.

 

Error voluptatum error temporibus eveniet molestias. Voluptatem vel eaque vel error qui. Dolores aliquam ullam harum aut eligendi accusantium cum rem. Repellendus modi qui voluptate harum enim.

Magni saepe optio magnam labore distinctio ad omnis. Sint voluptatem blanditiis explicabo doloremque sapiente. Autem autem ea ut molestias sit dicta in. Incidunt debitis quidem hic. Sit consequatur delectus odit molestiae odit itaque cupiditate.

Est recusandae est magni eius provident consectetur. Et enim voluptatem quisquam est. Sunt et porro est laboriosam numquam laborum dignissimos voluptates. Dolores quisquam eveniet unde. Asperiores et quaerat aut quo laboriosam vel doloremque aut. Et dolores impedit eos ipsam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (99) $225
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Senior Consultant (329) $130
  • Consultant (586) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (145) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (342) $102
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1046) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (547) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”