CHAPTER 4Competition
“Competition gives you a focus. Lots of times you need a mission, a bull's‐eye that keeps you focused, and competition can do that.”
—Anne Mulcahy, former CEO, Xerox
Behind every great achievement, behind every person who has accomplished something worthy, stands the spirit of competition. For those who cower in the comfort of complacency, waiting for others to give them something they haven't earned, competition is a stranger. The stranger invites them to rise up, which takes initiative and courage, two dwindling resources in the social media–laced haze of watching instead of doing. Competition extends a hand and invites you to meet your better self.
The ancient Greeks called it aretas—attaining excellence through competition. This Grecian virtue's endgame is not victory, although a common result, but rather the discovery of unseen reservoirs of effort that enhance performance. And this enhanced performance is boundless, occurring in the arts, music, athletics, business, science, medicine, engineering, and other areas and disciplines. Prolific American inventor Thomas Edison only turned his attention back to designing the phonograph because his rival Alexander Graham Bell was coming out with a similar product. Edison said, “I don't care so much for a fortune as I do for getting ahead of the other fellows.”1
The term “compete” comes from the Latin competere, which means “to strive together,” from the roots com (together) and petere (to seek).2 Simply ...
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