The Thrill of Competition

Actually, it was …

“The Thrill of Victory…and the Agony of Defeat!”

You can tell you’re a baby boomer if you can remember that opening for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. If you don’t remember, or want a quick refresher, Click Here for a moment’s reminiscing.

Saturday I asked what conversations you might want to have on the Bloomin’ Blog to start our third year. Julie offered hat her family had been discussing the topic of competition lately in light of the winter Olympics. I have been on a similar path of thought, not just regarding international sports, but competitiveness in business as well.

Humans thrive on competition. We seem to feel that it makes us our best. We run faster if someone is gaining on us. But sometimes, I think it just makes us paranoid, short sighted and miserly.

I’ve had two experiences in the last week that have made me feel much better about things that are normally very competitive in nature.

Here’s an example from the business world…

I have had many meetings lately to get to know the members of my Vistage Trusted Advisors group. These men and women rock. In some cases, they are internationally recognized for their business prowess and each of them is an undeniable expert in his or her field. And in every one of the last five meetings I’ve had, without fail, the conversation has included them saying, “And how can I help you?”

Marcy Maslov has provided insight and encouragement along with something else I really needed…data! She has collected all sorts of research to support the impact positive work cultures have on productivity and performance. And she shared it. Without hesitation.

Brad Kuluris, Jane Adamson, Tom Schramski and Jack Eberenz all asked me very direct questions that made me (finally) begin to realize how important it is to claim a narrower niche and define my brand. And Haze Walker reminded me that it’s okay for women to roar. (That is a great subject for another post!)

Each of these individuals is really busy. Many of them are consultants, just like me. We all vie for time with top executives to offer services or seek alignment with our cause. They could view me as a threat…another person cutting into a pie that is smaller and smaller. But they didn’t. Instead, they took time to lift me up; to openly share without a moment’s hesitation their time, their resources and their insight.

What is the result? I’ll be a better professional. And it’s good to have professionals out there who are constantly improving. Maybe we’re not working toward exactly the same objective, but sharing interests and helping one another along the way truly makes the journey more rewarding.

Here’s an example from the world of sports, but on a more personal level than the Olympics..

At last week’s track meeting at Desert Vista High School, the head coach talked not about winning a third National Championship (we are lucky to be part of one of the finest track programs in the country), but more about encouraging our sons and daughters to share their PRs with us.

I was prepared to hear PRs was an acronym for some track terminology—as I’m the least athletic person you know, it won’t surprise you that I sit through a lot of these meetings with my pleasant face on and not much of a clue as to what they’re talking about.

But PR is something we can all understand. It simply means Personal Record. The coaching staff emphasized that by helping each athlete become his or her best, the entire team will improve. They don’t just focus on the top performers. They believe each athlete should understand the importance of performing for themselves and knowing what it takes to improve that performance.

As I meet more outstanding professionals and watch outstanding Olympic athletes, I am inspired most by the ones who exhibit great humility even while achieving great success…and who find time to bring encouragement to others on the journey.  And I don’t mean encouragement just through “shared best practices” but through taking time to know one another and to understand the burdens others carry so you might lighten their load.

I guess I’d like to think we help each other out not for the sake of good sportsmanship, good karma or paying it forward, but for goodness sake. The thrill of…Goodness? I think it’s a great goal!

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