The most intense competitors in history haven’t always been the most well-adjusted people. I totally get these people. Maybe Bill Parcells, Bobby Knight or John McEnroe come to mind. People interested in achievement & not simply activity, like to “win”. If you like to win, you want these folks on your team. There’s no doubt they’ll give every ounce of themselves to the team. Their passion & drive is infectious. In dissection, however, there are some lessons learned about what it takes to be successful & ultimately “win”. Let’s start with something I always thought was true…
Work Hard to Beat the Competition
At first glance, this seems totally intuitive. When we “beat” others in our enterprise it seems like we’re clearing our path to increased success. When we work hard to beat someone else, however, we can’t remain focused on improving ourselves. We can’t run our best race by being concerned with the other guys. So, competition is actually the opposite of creativity & collaboration. We are wasting time trying to be better than someone else, another company, department, division, etc. As leaders, our time is better spent creating conditions where everyone can be successful. This will set the foundation for not only our success but create more opportunities for other people/companies to flourish which boosts everyone. If all fast-food was McDonald’s, pretty soon they would fail for lack of diversity in the marketplace. This and every industry depends on the success of others inside it. McDonald’s can only work hard to do McDonald’s the best they can.
The Hall of Fame UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, famously didn’t scout opponents much at all. He focused the team on doing what they could do & do excellently. They leveraged their strong points to improve as individuals to make the team stronger. Of course, we know this formula created a ton of success as they won 10 NCAA championships in a row. They just did themselves better than the other team did themselves. This model created more opportunities for other programs, coaches, athletes & universities. They didn’t work hard to beat the competition, they worked hard to create the best version of their team. This is the same for us. We simply have to just “do us” really well.
There has never been another person like you…ever. Everything about you is unique; your voice, walk, writing, etc. Therefore, everything you do is inherently original. Your viewpoint is just as viable as everyone else’s. The way you connect concepts/ideas has never happened quite that way before nor will again. In this spirit, you are what you want to accomplish now. If we’re trying to get to Paris & don’t realize we’re already there, we’ll just keep going until we figure out we’re where we need to be already.
Shhh….it’s a secret!
Maybe you’ve heard about the “law of attraction”, it’s no secret anymore. It’s so true! If we utilize this simple formula from The Master Key System we can begin our journey to success. Broken down in its simplest form it states: Be + Do = Have. We all have what it takes to “Be” what we want to be today. Figure that out & decide! After deciding, it’s time to “Do”. What do people do who are what you want to be? This focuses on how you’ll get there. After the effort of doing you’ll soon “Have” what you want. The universe will deliver opportunities if you believe in yourself, put the energy into it & remain open to receiving them. Seems overly simplified but if you are honest in the analysis you’ll find it to be true.
The person who thought about bringing the toilet inside the house wasn’t initially popular but history has proven it was a pretty good idea. Innovation isn’t doing things differently it’s doing different things. Courage to discover & persevere through the necessary changes makes all the difference. Tony Robbins says, “where focus goes, energy flows.” What amazing thing will you be the catalyst for?
My true confession? I still like to win, who doesn’t. If we were voting we’d vote to win over lose 100% of the time. “Lose” is my least favorite word. Always has been. It sticks out like a naughty 4-letter word in a conversation. Dealing with the jealousy of who won isn’t a healthy way to live. When we’re willing to give it our best, don’t we hope others will give their best as well? The interplay makes everyone better in the end. Best is just that….best. We’re only cheating ourselves if we don’t connect with our best.
Maximizing the team we’re on is all about connection & extension of the inherent talents/passions/gifts of the people on it. The more we help others achieve their goals in life the more opportunities we get to achieve ours!
All the best,
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