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Understanding the Power of Competition

I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it. – Walt Disney

Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away.

A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man completed his form and sat down with seven other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. Why had this man been so bold? They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming the young man who went into the office would be reprimanded for his presumption and summarily disqualified for the job.

Within a few minutes the young man emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young man.”

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and then one spoke up, “Wait a minute! I don’t understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair.”

The employer responded, “All the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse code: ‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. So the job is his.”

If you are like me, you are a competitive person, especially in sports. I do not like to lose and will play my heart out to win. But in our story we see what can happen when you don’t have a competitive edge and what happens when you do. Do you understand the purpose of competition?  When you understand the purpose of competition then you will understand why it is good. Here are three observations to help you understand.

Competition brings focus. When the young man entered the office his focus was not on the seven other job applicants. In fact, it’s reasonable to conclude that he paid them little attention. And in spite of the clatter of the noisy office he got the Morse code message loud and clear.

The lesson here is simple. Don’t lose focus of what’s really important. Rather than worry about who your competition is and what you can’t control, focus on your priorities and you can control. Tune out your distractions so that you can concentrate on your objectives and achieve your goals.

Competition is a neutralizer. Because the young man was focused, he was able to hear what the others could not. This gave him the advantage he needed and the job he wanted. His competitors were rendered ineffective because his ear was trained on the code.

The lesson here is simple. Smart leaders will neutralize their competition not by obsessing over them, but by training their own teams to outsmart them. How? Through strategic planning, focused leadership, and a superior understanding of their product and service.

Competition is a motivator. It would be naïve to think the young man did not expect competition for the job. And as it turns out, he was one of eight who sought the position. Healthy competition is a good motivator.

The lesson here is simple. Whether the forum is in sports, business, or academics, etc., competition will motivate you to be your best. The secret is not to be distracted by the competition so as to lose your focus, but to allow it to bring out your best qualities that will give you a competitive advantage.

Competition is good and competitors make great teachers.  Key for you is to learn from them, respect them, but never be intimidated by them. Let them bring you focus, neutralize them, and let them motivate you to be your best.

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Dirty Business

A Fast Co. story (http://bit.ly/H3xTKj)  illustrates how one company is turning one person’s mess into profit by collecting “used” diapers and recycling them and turning them into park benches.  The company, Terracycle, will station diaper collection stations at various hot spots like daycare centers and then remove the pooped- filled diapers and pay the host site for their trouble. After an exhaustive and complicated process the material from the diapers are used to build park benches.

Running a business can be difficult and messy at times. So can working with others. But just as Terracycle is turning a messy situation into something profitable and useful; so too can you learn to turn a nasty situation into something good. Sometimes it takes a little creativity to see beyond the mess and see what can be.

How about you? The next time you are in a mess, look for a park bench, take a seat and think it over.  And after you do, send me a note—I’d love to hear from you!

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

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What Are You Complaining About?

When confronted about her complaining ways, Lucy proudly boasts that it is the only thing that she is good at. What about you? Are you a complainer? Are you a whiner? While it’s certainly nothing to be proud of, the sad truth is, complainers live among us.

In a LinkedIn survey of 17,000 members globally, respondents listed as their number one pet peeve “people not taking ownership for their actions.”  And the number one pet peeve among hiring managers is people showing up late for meetings.

Let’s face it; we all have pet peeves and something that sets us off. What about you? What is the one thing that really gets your goat? I’d like to hear from you! Just don’t whine about it. 🙂

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

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Don’t Worry, Be Happy?

A current Forbes.com column shares the results of a new survey citing the top 10 happiest professions in America.

Read the story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/03/23/the-happiest-jobs-in-america/

I read the story with interest not out of a curiosity to know what those occupations are, but to frame it from a “happiness” point of view. Is “happiness” an important factor to you on your job? Had you rather be “happy” or productive? Can success exist outside of the framework of personal happiness?

Happiness is subjective I suppose and how it is defined at work can be complicated. But is that important to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Have a happy day!

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Pat Summit: A Model of Exceptional Leadership

Author’s Note: This column was written a few weeks ago. It is shared here in light of Tennessee’s loss to Baylor in the NCAA tournament.

In a recent Sports Illustrated story honoring Pat Summit and Mike Krzyzewski as Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year, a fascinating story of hope and encouragement is shared about Pat Summit.

In 2008 as the team boarded a chartered jet for a game Coach Summit took her accustomed seat in the first row. The flight attendant, settled into the seat next to her, begins to sob. “What is it?” Summit leans forward, “Tell me, what’s the matter?”

Nothing’s the matter. It’s just that, years ago, Pat Summit left the floor after coaching a game against Louisiana Tech; she spotted a girl in a wheelchair at the mouth of the tunnel. She dropped to one knee and told her, “Don’t let the way you are now define who you will be. You can overcome anything if you work at it.”

In a moment, that woman will get out of her jump seat and work this flight, serving the person who had prophesied it, and right now she’s emotionally overcome by this opportunity to thank her. “Everybody else was ‘Oh, poor you.’ You told me I could do it. And here I am.”

Jim Rohn said, “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.”  As you embark on the year ahead, consider these three characteristics of leadership and how you can instantly add value to any organization.

Take a knee. When Summit spotted that girl in the wheelchair, she went to her, took a knee, and spoke those inspiring words into her life. While some still hold to archaic views of position and power, great leaders are servant leaders and always will be.

Great leaders see what other refuse to see, approach the ignored, and give hope not pity. Harold S. Geneen said, “Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.” What is the defining characteristic of your leadership? The path to exceptional leadership is not found in pride or arrogance but in taking a knee in humility.

Lift up. In that brief encounter filled with destiny, Pat Summit spoke words of life to that girl in the wheelchair. It’s likely that no one would have remembered much less not have faulted her if she walked past her. After all, she has a schedule to keep, a team she is responsible for, so keep on walking.

It was Thomas Morell who said, “The first great gift we can bestow on others is a good example.” And this is a time-tested trait of leadership still worth practicing. All leaders make decisions, but not all leaders touch people. Make it your practice to never miss an opportunity to encourage someone in their moment of struggle. You never know the impact or difference it can make.

Speak hope. Although not revealed, it is likely the journey out of the wheelchair for the girl had its challenging moments. By her own admission, everyone who spoke to her took the “oh poor you” approach. Summit on the other hand, gave have her hope. Summit spoke words of faith that “you can overcome anything if you work at it.” The girl took those words and made them her reality.

What is your message to your team? What words are you projecting into your organization? And based upon those words, what outcomes do you anticipate? Clearly hard work is part of any formula for success, but the words and attitude by which it is approached goes a long way in determining that success.

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head-that’s assault, not leadership.” And he was right. When you learn to take a knee, lift up, and speak hope, there is no limit to where your leadership can take you.

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

 

The 68 Percent and Why They Matter

The most pathetic person in the world is someone with sight, but has no vision. – Helen Keller

Do you know and understand the vision of your organization? Better yet, do you understand the role you play in fulfilling that vision?  If your answer was no, you are not alone. In fact, sad to say, you are in the majority.

Recent research by European Leaders found that sixty eight percent of employees questioned did not understand their company’s vision. Which raises the question of why not? The report also revealed that only eighteen percent of respondents from the same survey viewed the company they worked for as a good organization.

John Maxwell said, “People who understand how important their part is are motivated to persevere and work with excellence, even in the face of obstacles and problems.” He’s right. Yet the glaring mistake made by many in management is an expectation to “fall in line” without their employees knowing where the line is going much less understanding it. This is not a management problem; it is a leadership problem.

Maxwell shares the example of what can happen when people understand their role and how they can make a difference. During World War II in a parachute factory, workers made the parachutes by the thousands. But it was a painfully tedious job. They spent long hours at a sewing machine stitching miles of plain white fabric.

Every morning workers were reminded that every stitch was a part of a lifesaving operation. Their husbands, brothers, or sons might wear the parachute they sewed that day. Those lives could not be saved without their efforts. The fact that the vision was continually before them and they knew it would not be completed without them kept them going.

In their international bestseller, Full Steam Ahead, Ken Blanchard and Jesse Lyn Stoner define vision as “knowing who you are, where you are going, and what will guide your journey.” And this is the heartbeat of your organization and without it you are drifting. Here are three guiding thoughts to help you understand vision and why you can’t lead without it.

Vision defines your values. Values are the guiding principles that your organization lives by. These are the bedrock principles that keep you grounded during times of prosperity, and stable in times of adversity. They do not change with your circumstances but give you clarity when they do.

Brian Tracy said, “Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.”  When the vision of your organization is built around shared values it makes going forward with clarity possible.

Vision clarifies your mission. Your mission helps you understand what business you are really in.  When 68 percent have no idea what their company’s vision is, then it is only logical to conclude that they do not have a grasp of their mission either. How effective do you think employees will be without this understanding? Consequently, how productive or profitable do you think that company will be?

Jack Welch said, “It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over time without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” When the mission of your organization flows out of shared values then you are on the fast track to fulfilling your purpose.

Vision directs your priorities. The sign of a clear vision is that you are governed by a shared set of values. When each person knows the mission and their role it builds a strong sense of purpose and destiny. The establishment of these priorities does not make you immune from problems or guarantee ideal opportunities; it simply helps you to look at them through the prism of your values.

The 68 percent matter not because they exist. They matter because you now know it and inaction about vision is no longer an option. Creating a shared vision empowers you to dream together, work together, and succeed together. Define your values, embrace your mission, and live out your priorities. Your vision is your blueprint to success.

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson