The Purpose of Competition
By Gil Brady, Co-Founder Relationship Impact & President at Nativity Prep Academy
I had to share this picture from the Stanford vs Colorado basketball game this past weekend. Both teams were playing to win and fighting hard to win. Then a collision occurred between Oscar De Silva of Stanford and Evan Battey of Colorado. Da Silva was knocked out and required stitches to address a head laceration he suffered during the collision.
Was the reaction to lash out and blame? Was the reaction to demean and degrade each other in the name of competition? No- competition has its place- so does humanity- so does compassion- and so does being mature enough to understand why we compete.
The goal of competition is to win, that is true. But winning is not the purpose of competing. The purpose of competing, the true reason why we compete is because competition brings out the very best in each other. Competing brings innovation, new levels of insight, and moments of great individual and collective accomplishment.
Yet, we have to remember that competing comes with the risk of people getting hurt- the risk of being so overcome by our desire for victory that we forget the real value of competition. When people really believe the purpose of competition is to win, they cheat. When winning is why we compete, we will eventually find a way to do so by employing a trick or, in the case of the Astros, or Wells Fargo, or too many political leaders, by actually cheating.
The Stanford and Colorado Players did not forget the true purpose of competition- the purpose of competing is to bring out the best in each other- the goal is to win. Let me say that again- Why we compete is to bring out the best in each other- that is the purpose. The purpose describes why we do something. The goal, on the other hand, is an objective measurement that is intended to serve the purpose.
So ask yourself, do our political leaders understand why they compete with one another? Based on the current approach to competition, I would say the answer is definitely no- they do not understand the purpose of competition. And as a result, the goal becomes the purpose- and when that happens, the person you are competing against becomes an object, not a person. Very quickly, any advantage that can be gained by demeaning, degrading, or devaluing the person or team you are competing against becomes acceptable.
We can learn something truly meaningful from the players who took part in the Stanford and Colorado game this weekend- they showed us you can compete, you can go hard, and, yes it can cause harm sometimes- but how you respond to those moments will clarify whether or not you believe the purpose of competing is to win or to reach new heights of excellence.
Let's challenge ourselves, our friends, our co-workers, and our leaders to remember the true purpose of competition- it would go a long way to healing the tremendous partisan divide that is tearing the country apart.
#infinitelife