The Final Grade

The Final Grade

"Professor, I need to talk to you about my grade."

The young man stood at the edge of my desk, clutching his syllabus like a shield.

"Okay, have a seat," I replied. "What seems to be the concern?"

"I got an 85 on the final project. I need at least a 92 to keep my A."

I looked at the student. He was bright, articulate, and very anxious.

"You did a very good job on your final project," I said. "But the grading rubric was clear in terms of required content, writing style, number of cited sources, and overall presentation.

"But I need the A," he insisted. "If I don't get the A, this whole semester was a waste."

“A waste?”

I sat back in my chair and thought about the past fourteen weeks.  I thought about the lively class debates we had on business ethics.  I thought about the lightbulb moments when the class finally understood conflict resolution and negotiation. I thought about how we discovered that the clear path to leadership rested in servant leadership.

In our race to be perfect, to get an “A,” we often lose sight of our true goals, our true purpose.  We tend to grade our success by a number, our titles, or the size of our paychecks.

·       But what about the learning?

·       What about the personal growth?

·       What about kindness, hope, charity, and joy?

This Friday, take a moment and write down what your life’s grade is through this semester of your life.  Make note of your leadership, the wisdom you share, and the souls you touch and love.

The semester is far from over, and there is time to turn your final grade into an “A.”  The final grade will be weighted by the goodness you have extended to others and the lives you have changed for the better.

Until Next Friday,

Rob