I like Simon Sinek’s argument ‘How having the right kind of rival can help you thrive in a changing world‘.
“By identifying a Worthy Rival and looking at their strengths and abilities, we can keep improving and innovating“.
According to Simon Sinek, to really understand this we also need to understand we live in an infinite game and not just in a finite game. In a finite game, competition for limited resources means the loser gets less. In an infinite game, there can be mutual benefits based on an expanding playground, with everyone winning.
Having a worthy rival is essential for improvement and progress. If that happens in a fair and almost cooperative manner it is the recipe for great mutual success. However I observe that too many people and corporations still view the world as finite and competition as a war where competitors should get destroyed.
I am myself trying often to get into a positive relationship with competitors, but I must admit that I’ve been often told that it was too naive.
Well I’ll continue until I find a worthy rival with an open infinite mindset which will help me – and me help him – get to greater heights.
