Michael Phelps, Valadimir Putin and Going For The Gold

"A man's worth is no greater than

the worth of his ambitions”
Marcus Aurelius

What do Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Vladimir Putin have in common?
The answer would seem to be that they both know exactly what they want and are willing to do what it takes to get it. Granted, Mr. Putin’s objectives are not as honorable as Mr. Phelps (and I meant no disrespect to Mr. Phelps by linking him with Mr. Putin) but they represent the power of ambition that has turned to concrete objectives.

As you probably know by now, Michael Phelps has won a record breaking eight gold medals at the Olympics. I was struck by his response to an interviewers question as to how he achieved this feat. “I eat, sleep and swim” was his reply.

Michael Phelps is a competitor who realizes that he can not only exceed his own accomplishments, but in doing so prove that he is the best of the best. No, there doesn’t seem to be any malice toward other swimmers, nor is there any hint of cheating on his part as he pursues his goals.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of a meeting I was in several years ago with a group of people who were trying to figure out how to increase market share. One of the industry veterans continually used words like compete, vie for, win, contend for, and beat the competition. While I was silently agreeing with the concepts he was presenting (there was nothing underhanded or unethical about his strategies), most of the other individuals in the room made it clear that his approach made them uncomfortable. Finally, the Marketing Director interrupted him by saying, “John, while I can appreciate the contributions you’ve made to this company’s growth in the past, your thinking is too old school for the business model we are following in today’s sophisticated market.”

He then went on to say, “Today, everyone in the industry understands that we are not competitors, we are colleagues sharing the same goal who happen to work for different companies.” From there he went on to explain that in his opinion, emphasizing the competitive differences between products created a mental mindset of “winning at any cost. We are all focused on serving the customer, which means we must restrain ourselves when it comes to allowing our ambition, as a company or individually to govern us.” I instantly understood why, under the leadership of this marketing director the company’s market-share had nose-dived.

This gentleman and his colleagues had bought into the notion that competition results in unethical practices and a win at any cost mentality.

Personally, I prefer to be like Michael Phelps—know what I can do, raise the bar, set high goals and “eat, sleep and swim” as I compete with the best of the best for the gold.
How about you?
Have a great and profitable week!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com
roberthidde.com