Except for my interest in multi-function Swiss Army knives, I have never had any interest in knives, swords, or forges. Now all that has changed. I have become a fan of the History Channel’s Forged in Fire series. As you may know, in each episode, four bladesmiths compete in a three-round elimination contest to forge bladed weapons. The overall winner receives the title of “Forged in Fire” champion and a check for $10,000.
Ultimately, my interest in Forged in Fire is tied to my longstanding interest high-level, creative, human performance under the stress of severe time pressures. Much like grant writing, a Forged in Fire competition requires the bladesmiths to prepare a design, create a unique product, meet performance standards, and do all of this with imperfect materials, unclear processes, and the pressure of a strict deadline. I think the winners of these competitions display many of the qualities I see routinely in outstanding grant writers including decisiveness, effective time management, adaptability, and – above all – incredible powers of focus and concentration.
Grant writing is not as dangerous, or as fun to watch, as bladesmithing. Grant writers will never have their own televised competitions. Nevertheless, I think we can learn a lot by watching these bladesmiths in action. Moreover, we can take a craftsman’s pride in the way we quietly -often anonymously – secure millions of dollars to address the nation’s most urgent concerns – including active shooters in schools, fire prevention in homes, and gang suppression in high crime areas.
