Healthy competition: Bringing out the best in you

Roger Federer bid goodbye to the world of tennis post a doubles match alongside his long-term rival Rafael Nadal. Following that was the viral tear-jerker moment between Federer and Nadal.

When your competitors respect your mettle and miss your presence - says a lot. This is because they realize that the competition improved the game for all. And the game is always bigger than any individual.

In a similar instance, the BMW ad that ended with thanking the Mercedes retiring Chief, Dieter Zetsche (MD Mercedes) for inspiring competition.

?We are all competitive by nature. Competition is good. For business, for students, for consumers, for everyone.

In the words of the Dalai Lama – Sense of competition is good. Trying to be on top and showing others the right way is good. It is not negative thinking. You are not creating problems for others.

At a product level, competition inspires growth and innovation. It helps grow the pie - offering consumer more choices or increasing access. At an individual level, competition inspires one to be a better version of themselves. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and enhances collaboration. ?

The pharma industry is an excellent example of this. The importance in key partnerships and collaborations between large pharma organizations coming together for the greater good of patients especially during the recent COVID pandemic helped the entire ecosystem; for patients greater access to quality and wide portfolio of life saving medicines, for the pharma company – to grow its business and for governments across the world to be able to help their citizens.

Healthy competition could be a great motivator to enhance productivity at the workplace too. Setting stretched goals, rewards and peer-to-peer recognitions can go a long way in cultivating healthy competition culture.

If this has got you thinking, leave a shout-out to your competition – those who bring out the best in you.?