The Competition Myth (1)

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be exploring life beyond competition. I’m not exploring life without competition (for now)... just beyond it.

Among the many reasons I am suspicious of competition is its pervasive presence in Western world view. Biologists see it among cells; astronomers see it in celestial interactions. Starts to feel a little like that cave Plato is famous for describing (yes, yes—among other things).

In my preliminary research, I was reminded of John C. Maxwell’s The 360° Leader. I found some interesting discussion about it at the (no longer active) Black Belt Productivity blog, where Jason Echols examines “Competing vs. Completing”. His mention of how competition is at odds with building trust struck a chord.

Trust is something that the best leaders in my life have built with their teams. Over time, I realized I was more proactive, and more creative, around leaders who expressed trust in me. My greatest team victories happened when there was a high level of openness and trust, not only from leadership, but also among team members. Until I saw that bit in Echols' post, though, I never considered the connection—or is it the conflict—between trust and competition.

Addendum: I’ve done more writing on this subject here.