How to Create Inspiring Competition

Leadership Coaching Notes J U N E   2 0 1 1

How to Create Inspiring Competition

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A Game for the Ages

It’s amazing that today at Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicholas Mahut have drawn a repeat match up, exactly one year after they taught the world about competition at its best. Last year, for 11 hours and 138 games, they set multiple new records and exploded any previous expectations we held for playing great tennis. They showed all of us how to choose a quality of competition that transforms performance.

What Did They Teach that Can Make Our Lives, Teams and Organizations Outstanding?

Play for Something Bigger: While both athletes wanted to win, they also played knowing they could elevate their skills, be part of history, and create something to be proud of no matter what their personal outcome.

Appreciate Your Opponents: Each man valued the other and treated him graciously, fairly and appreciatively, well beyond the requirements of minimal sportsmanship. Each chose to be energized by engaging with another who challenged him to perform beyond anything he could possibly imagine. Each knew the other was needed to elevate not only his game, but the sport of tennis itself. How much fun is that?!

Engage Your Cheering Section: And then, there was the SRO crowd. They repeatedly inspired the players with standing O’s for extraordinary play. They cheered great effort regardless of who won the points. They were brought together and elevated by the athleticism, courage, level of play, spirit, tenacity and awe of what these two competitors created for everyone.

Everyone left feeling grateful. Everyone left feeling exhausted and exhilarated. Everyone knew they were bonded for life. “Were you there? Remember that point?”

What Creates Enlivening, Elevating Competition?

Clarity: At a simple level, it takes a set of important and clear goals, boundaries, rules and agreements for how to play and a clear definition of what winning and losing mean.

Check: How clear are these elements of success on your team?

Preparation: The players couldn’t have broken so many records without endless hours of conditioning and practice, physically and mentally. In their match, there were countless choice points for playing or relaxing/giving up. Each time, each player not only chose to play, but to play e-news with anyone you full out. This quality of focus, endurance and skill comes only from disciplined preparation.

Check: How well are you continuously investing in preparing yourself and your team for top performances?

Passion: There is another element that can only be described as love. Both men and everyone in the crowd LOVED what they were doing. They loved the flow of the experience and simply were not willing to let go of it. Each loved that they got to play in a situation that would engage them at this level. They dived into more play, point after point, unwilling to quit. Even the crowd chanted “We want more!” as darkness fell.

Check: How enthusiastic are you and your team about doing your work, breaking through old limits, and amazing others with new quality and value? Write down 3 great reasons you and they should be.

Bottom Line

Last year’s match reminded us that practice, being in the flow of doing what you love and playing full out with great competitors in front of demanding yet enthusiastic audiences creates both success and a lot of vitality. The match created an energy that overflowed from the stadium and will overflow to inspire future players and the whole game of tennis. It reminded everyone who watched that people, and, just maybe they, can be amazing.

I think we can create the same in business. Competition can create the most exhilarating, performance-raising environment around.

What’s Next?

If you’re a leader committed to making a big contribution and interested in accelerating your success and the success of your teams, I’d enjoy talking with you. There are big challenges involved and I enjoy helping leaders face and address them in ways that create new vitality and success. Contact me at mkimbell@corporateadventure.com.

If you have additional comments or thoughts to share, please send them on as well.

All the best,

Meredith Kimbell
Executive Advisor,
Strategy Consultant Corporate Adventure

Leadership Coaching Notes uses real or composite client examples drawn from 25 years of coaching and consulting with leaders committed to solving their toughest personal, interpersonal and organizational issues.
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is copyrighted by Meredith Kimbell © 2011. All rights reserved. You may reprint any or all of this material if you include the following:
“Leadership Coaching Notes © 2011 Meredith Kimbell, Corporate Adventure, Reston, VA. Used with permission.”