Competition –To Win or Avoid Losing.

There are many theories and conjectured analysis about “ competition”.  These are a few

thoughts and indeed conjectures.

Is the spirit of competition inherited or is it an environmental factor?

Does it matter?

A former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles  related that he is highly

competitive because of an insatiable  need to be 1^st – to be recognized, to be

the best at whatever he attempts to do in life: athletically, social status,

 financially. Life revolves around  the 24/7 conquest of winning …everything-

every time

 The challenge is a core focus.

 

The emphasis on being a champion is one of his earliest childhood memories.

To lose at board games, or sports  was always unacceptable in the household.

Anything less than total victory was unacceptable..  Rewards for “trying” , or being a good teammate

were nonexistent.

You either won or lost – finishing 2^nd or 3^rd was considered a failure. Taking “prisoners” of

those whom you defeated – unconscionable !

 

 Long faces, glowering looks, furrowed brows all accompanied family diatribes.

 Epic stories, like those of ancient Greeks  about family heroes in business, war and on the baseball

Diamond – he knew what was coming if his team lost – and he was the starting quarterback.

No pain no gain: risk has its rewards- these and dozen s of similar platitudes filled

the conversation over dinner.

Victory carried with it family accolades: promises of better things to come: hugs, cheers,

Calls from relatives near and far.  Each step up the corporate or financial ladder earned a

grand celebration – and anticipation of even greater triumphs in the future.

 He was groomed to be a competitive champion on the fields of Eden as the English proclaim.

 

In a different setting,,  there are individuals who compete in order not to lose.

A type of life long  preventive defense.   Deploying their talents and skills, these individuals

perform  at a level designed to   avoid finishing last and avoid  being embarrassed. Failure is to

be avoided at all costs.  Winning is not a moral imperative. Indeed, how does one relate to others

who you have competed against – and defeated them?…. Such an awkward moment in time.

 

Finishing a contest, maintaining a struggling friendship, being financially stable are victories  – a

challenge met, a  competition won. Being invisible in  the middle of the pack,

 Safe, secure.  minimizing risk of any type or dimension ;these are desired

outcomes.

 Being a secure follower is seen as being comfortable and safe. The rewards accrued are in line with risks

taken and Individual psychic capital expended.  A guiding philosophy is “to get along, go along”.

An advantage that the chance of failure is minimized .. life is comfortable,  predictable,  and generally

without the dramatic emotional ups and downs of those who take risks.

 Looking cautiously forward with a reliance on past events is preferred to experimenting outside of ones

social class or educational peers.

Competition is a caricature with many faces, voices and personalities.

Both of these approaches to competition have a common DNA  -> they  are conscious choices.

As such they can be changed or modified.   Not easily, but modification is possible.

From a competitive viewpoint – who are you and is that whom you want to be?

FOLLOWERSHIP – A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION FROM LEADERSHIP

Always #1 in her class: star athlete on the soccer team: class president, Then a meteoric rise up the corporate ladder of an international manufacturing firm. Hired as a financial analyst she soon was sitting with the suits in the board room. Travel abroad, An influential voice, she led others to buy into and implement the firm’s vision. Charismatic, verbose, she has been a recognized leader wherever the waves of career life have taken her.
The economic downturn crushed her upward climb. It’s not easy for a 35 year old with a base salary of $300,000 to land on her feet after being “downsized” by a firm which soon shuttered its doors forever.
With a rolodex of hundreds of contacts, networking her way into interviews was relatively easy. The employment offers were, to say the least, startling. Positions at the top of organizational pyramids are limited during a time of economic contraction.
Eventually a position as a vice president of this and that in a stable, family owned firm became available and she accepted.
She found herself posited in a nondescript office, no windows, no executive assistant . A minion in a company where change, out of the box thinking, and the aggressive charge to gain market share are anathema to the family decision makers.
The suits walk past her office on the way to the board room. Arms filled with binders, charts, and folders with power point slides. Determined, shoulders back, and air of confidence that she remembers well. The chit chat of decision makers fills the corridors.
Meetings end, the directors head off for an extended lunch . Fond memories of when she was a power broker.
Afternoon arrives, and it is time for the post board – 2 o’clock “ status meeting”. It is the time where an “overview is presented” – where she is expected to sit, listen, smile, and agree. Then it’s delegation time. Study this, get statistics on that, develop a strategy for program implementation. Oh yes, she has the opportunity for input, ideas and recommendations. But the real gutsy broad strokes of decision making are made in the board room.
She knows better strategies and more efficient ways of moving the company forward. Biting her tongue, suppressing her intellect are the challenges of the moment. Being a follower requires loyalty, patience, and caution. Three qualities that she expected of others on her way up the corporate ladder. A visionary, she is now expected to think in the immediate – the short term. The subtle permutations of decision making are not of her concern.
Can she suppress, until the next opportunity presents itself, her natural gifts of leadership and charismatic decision making?
Being a successful follower requires a somewhat different/ but complimentary skill set of a leader. For our former executive, the following are some characteristics of being a successful follower:
• Self management
• Commitment
• Focus
• Skill mastery
• Courage – credibility and honesty
• Critical thinking- leaning forward into the situation at hand while anticipating future requirements
• Highly participative
• Courageously dissents, shares credit, habitually exercises superior judgment
• Active (not passive) team member.
As a follower do you embody these characteristics?
As a leader – do you expect followers to embody these characteristics which ultimately serve as the foundational skills for leadership development? Perhaps you might want to consider them as part of your next leadership skills program.

There are leaders and then there are followers