Okay, I admit it, I am hooked on ABC’s The Bachelor. I don’t know why. It’s like a car accident I can’t look away from. I get myself so emotionally invested in these people. On Monday nights I am glued to my television watching them analyze their relationships and themselves. The sad thing is, out of 17 seasons, they have only had 3 successful relationships that have lasted. Three out of 17! The divorce rate in this country still hovers around 50%. Sadly those are better odds than The Bachelor’s chances, yet we still watch the program like these poor saps have a chance.
Last week was two-time Bachelor Brad’s finale (if you haven’t heard, he chose Emily.) During the After the Rose episode, host Chris Harrison brought out the three former Bachelor couples who have beat the odds and asked them to mentor Brad and Emily. All I could think was, how embarrassing that the show only has 3 couples to bring out. I was embarrassed for myself for dedicating 3 months of Monday nights to watch this (and if I’m being totally honest, I’ve been dedicating Monday nights for 8 or 9 years now!) But mostly I was thinking Brad and Emily have got to be thinking the same thing: we have a 3 in 17 chance of making it.
So for me, the mentoring role in this scenario was lost and overshadowed by the terrible odds. I found that I wasn’t even listening to the mentors’ advice to the newly engaged couple, because my head was still stuck on the odds.
If you have been thinking about presenting a corporate mentoring program as an option at work, be sure to promote mentoring in a positive way. Mentoring can play such a huge role in so many aspects of our life whether work or play.
Obviously the producers of this show did not stop to think about the fact that these odds were so negative that they might outweigh the positive…these couples actually DID make it and beat the odds. For me, that message was lost. Please be sure that your message about corporate mentoring is not lost by some small oversight.
As for me, I am a sucker for The Bachelor, and will no doubt be watching again when the next season airs.
I’d love to hear your comments. Do you think the other couples’ mentoring role was lost to the staggering odds?