Three Minute Leadership: Running Your Own Race

To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

Lester Thurow, former dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management and author, wrote: “A competitive world offers two possibilities. You can lose. Or, if you want, you can change.” In a recent article, Running Your Own Race, Seth Godin writes about the great motivational value of competition. Competition, he says, has the ability to bring out the best in ourselves, to drive us to a higher level of performance as we measure our actions against those of others. This comparative external mirror challenges us to ‘up our game’ when we perceive ourselves being outperformed. While competition provides us this valuable stimulus, Godin has a warning and advice about competition and where great motivation arises:

“If you’re going to count on the competition to bring out your best work, you’ve surrendered control over your most important asset. Real achievement comes from racing ahead when no one else sees a path–and holding back when the rush isn’t going where you want to go. If you’re dependent on competition then you’re counting on the quality of those that show up to determine how well you’ll do. Worse, you’ve signed up for a career of faux death matches as the only way to do your best work.

“Self-motivation is and always will be the most important form of motivation. Driving with your eyes on the rear view mirror is exhausting. It’s easier than ever to measure your performance against others, but if it’s not helping you with your mission, stop.”

It is our inner passion and fire that fills our life with excitement to find the best within ourselves. Writing about self-motivation, Abraham Maslow, author of the hierarchy of needs, tells us: “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.” Be more than you ever dreamed you could be. Rekindle the embers of the fire within and run your own race. Remember, if you want to win… “you can change.” Enjoy the beauty and fun of your magnificent journey.

Have a beautiful day and a fantastic week!!!

Mike

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