Two Lessons From Pat Sajak

On Friday June 7th, Pat Sajak hosted his last Wheel of Fortune.

When previously asked about his long tenure with the show, he was quoted as saying, "Sometimes you just stumble onto something that works, and here I am a quarter of a century later."

It's worth noting that this quote was from 2008.

Fast forward to today, and it's now been a full 41 years since Sajak first "spun that giant wheel" into American's hearts back in 1983.

It's sobering to think of all that's happened since:

• 7 different US Presidents have been inaugurated.
• 21 Olympic Games opened and closed ceremonies all over the world.
• 10 Fast and Furious movies came and went.

To me, it's hard to imagine doing anything career or business-wise for 41 years, especially given today's connected global economy and fickle work transformations. Throughout the years (many times actually), I've stumbled upon the show while channel surfing and always wondered, how is this STILL on-air?

But now when I look back on Pat Sajak’s four-decade run, there are new thoughts that come to mind. One is about discovering significance in the seemingly mundane. The "seemingly mundane," to Pat Sajak, may have been countless spins and guesses, and purchases of vowels. To me, especially when working as a business owner, it was things like running payroll, wrestling with DocuSign, and filing business tax returns.

But, perhaps with a heightened sense of nostalgia now that I know that Sajak has passed the torch to another, there are other lessons I glean about the significance of the work that he did and the legacy he created.

The first is that he created a safe and welcoming space that allowed for people from all over to come and meet new people in a common place.

On any given night, the Wheel of Fortune welcomed a hodgepodge of 3 total strangers from all over America, (a 3rd grade teacher, a car mechanic, a chiropractic student). It always sounded like the beginning of a joke where they all walked into a bar, but instead they walked into our living rooms with a shared goal: A potential financial windfall from solving puzzles while America watched and cheered from afar. Most every night was civil and family-friendly.

The second is that he reminded me about the importance of clapping for each other.

While we’ll never know who the genuine clappers on the show were vs. the other clapping contestants (who did so because it was being filmed and broadcast) - it made for a nice, nightly scene of human decency. A place where contestants knew a chance of personal success was there, yet could live with the results if the wheel didn’t spin their way that night.

These moments of significance were there throughout the 41 years. It was just a matter of whether or not I had the ability to recognize and appreciate them. With this retrospect and a clearer line of sight on what to look for in the midst of the "seemingly mundane," I bring with me a new appreciation for my new role as VP of Demand Generation at Fist Bump (hence the fitting photo posted above!)

It has allowed me to share space with new people and to clap for others in a genuine way.

Hubert

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