Are You Competitive Enough to Inspire Greatness?
"Competition is not about outdoing others, it’s about outdoing yourself."
– Anonymous
The Big Stage
Many moons ago, I was given my first opportunity to speak on stage at our company’s annual sales and marketing conference. Picture this: a room of nearly 400 people, my boss and me standing under the spotlight, excited and terrified in equal measure.
It was the final stretch of rolling out a big initiative, and we wanted to nail it. Scratch that—we wanted to crush it.
We didn’t just want to “do well.” We wanted to have the best presentations of the conference. Sure, there was no official scoreboard, but let’s be honest—feedback, applause, and outshining our peers were unofficial measures of success.
So, we got serious. My boss convinced leadership to let us hire a presentation coach. We rehearsed endlessly, refined every slide, and practiced until we were sick of hearing our own voices.
Why? Because competition fueled us. Not the toxic, cutthroat kind—this was the kind of competition that drove us to stretch, learn, and put our absolute best foot forward.
Healthy competition: is it fuel for growth or a recipe for disaster?
You might already have an opinion on whether this level of competitiveness was healthy. But here’s why I think it was:
It raised the bar for everyone.
We pushed ourselves to be better—no dull, stilted presentations for our audience.It was collaborative, not combative.
We didn’t sabotage anyone else. In fact, we wanted everyone to perform well. Our goal was to elevate the whole conference by bringing our best game.
Healthy competition, done right, sharpens the team. It’s the “iron sharpens iron” philosophy—everyone pushes each other to do better. Look at any sports team. Teammates might compete for playing time, but when the game’s on the line, they’re united for a shared win.
And here’s the key: healthy competition doesn’t cheat, sabotage, or tear others down. My wife learned that lesson the hard way when her grandma flipped the game board after catching her cheating. Lesson: compete fairly, or don’t compete at all.
Seven ways to spark healthy competition on your team
As leaders, we can use competition as a powerful tool to inspire greatness. But it takes skill. Here’s how:
Pick a challenge: Identify a pain point—something your organization has struggled with or dismissed as unsolvable.
Name the adversary: Create a friendly rivalry. Maybe it’s “proving to Marketing” that Sales can achieve XYZ, or vice versa.
Set the goal: Make it a SMART goal—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. It should stretch your team without distracting from core priorities.
Establish ground rules: Keep it positive. No trash talk or negativity. This is about lifting the team, not tearing others down.
Referee the play: Give your team autonomy, but step in if things veer off track—whether it’s the tone, priorities, or objectives.
Keep It fun: Frame the challenge as an opportunity to shine. Light-hearted competition fosters engagement and creativity.
Celebrate the wins together: Recognize progress along the way. Acknowledge the contributions of your “adversaries” and share the victory.
When everyone wins
"The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give."
– Howard Cosell
When my boss and I stepped on stage, we were ready. Our colleagues had performed well, but our presentations stood out—polished, engaging, conversational.
Afterward, people came up to tell us how much they enjoyed it. They didn’t just applaud us; they appreciated the effort everyone had put into making the event a success.
That’s the power of healthy competition. It’s not about outshining others—it’s about inspiring everyone to rise to the occasion.
So, the question remains: Are you competitive enough to push your team—and yourself—toward greatness?
