28 January 2010
Excel, Not Compete
Posted by Moss under: Working Successfully with Others .
As a runner, I never won a cross-country race. My high school team, though, would usually take first or second place in the state championships. What created the victory was the collective team performance of our top 5 runners.
Our coach’s strategy was to track each of our best times and encourage us to improve our personal best each race. He never compared any of us to our lead runner. As long as each of us focused on doing our individual best and contributed to the team effort, our team won.
As a partner, are you competing against your partner? Do you withhold or distort information? Do you focus too much attention on how poorly your partner is doing instead of looking at how you can use your talents to improve and contribute to your “partnership team” score?
To excel, you create and manufacture breakthroughs in your performance, while acknowledging and supporting your partner’s successes. To excel, you focus on maximizing your strengths and managing your weaknesses. To excel you focus your competitive instincts against those teams beating you in the marketplace. To excel, you collaborate by maximizing your mutual talents and strengths.
Bottom Line
- Your partner is not your competitor.
- Use your intelligence and drive to personally improve your contributions.
- Support your partnership team wins.
