By David Shields on February 16, 2010
Our political system, from local government through national politics, relies on candidates contesting for votes, and political representatives contesting over policy proposals. It is not surprising that commentators often use sport metaphors when talking about the games of politics. The same insights apply to political contests. Politics can be dedicated to pursuing excellence in public service or they can degenerate into entrenched battles over narrowly defined ideologies and personal careers. Debates over policies can be honest efforts to allow the best ideas to surface or they can be manipulated sound bites designed only to placate donors and voters.
Posted in David's Blog | Tagged competition, congress, decompetition, politics
By David Shields on February 3, 2010
Proposals for improving sport safety are hot topics these days. Injuries are too prevalent at all levels, from the Little Leagues to the big leagues. Beyond equipment and training, True Competition can help you decrease the likelihood of serious injury.
Posted in Coaching, David's Blog, Resources | Tagged battle, competition, excellence, metaphor, safety, sport, war
By David Shields on December 19, 2009
I’ve been reluctant to blog about Tiger Woods. So much has already been said. In fact, when he fell from the pedestal, he could have drowned in the bad ink that he received. But I would like to pick up on a point that has not yet been adequately discussed.
In the “true competition” framework, competition is all about finding enjoyment in the strenuous pursuit of worthy goals. At times, Tiger seemed to exemplify this. He was willing, for example, to risk losing in order to go through a learning curve as he changed the mechanics of his stroke. He knew that ultimately it would make him a better golfer.
But did Tiger find a deep and abiding sense of enjoyment in his play?
Posted in David's Blog | Tagged character, enjoyment, satisfaction, true competition
By Christopher Funk on September 24, 2009
Winning is good. Winning is fun. Yet we may often find that winning by itself does not bring lasting satisfaction. Why? Why are there so many sore winners?
Before offering an answer to that question, I’d suggest taking a look at Rick Reilly’s recent article on Michael Jordan’s controversial Basketball Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
Posted in Chris's Blog | Tagged coaching, enjoyment, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, sport, winning
By David Shields on April 29, 2009
Let’s face it. There are a great many terrific coaches. There are also a lot of idiots. I don’t mean to be derogatory; simply accurate. By “idiot,” however, I don’t mean what the word typically connotes today. Rather, I’m returning to its original usage. In ancient Greece, an idiot was a person who was only concerned about their own good. An idiot was someone who was self-centered. They were not involved as contributing members of the public life of the community. They were takers, but not givers.
Posted in David's Blog | Tagged coaching, enjoyment, sport, winning
By Christopher Funk on March 31, 2009
American International Group, Inc. (more commonly known by its acronym, AIG), has come under fire for issuing $165 million in bonuses, shortly after receiving upwards of $180 billion in funds from the federal government to keep the struggling insurance corporation from collapsing. (1)
Of course, it’s not alone. Mammoth retention bonuses are common in the financial services industry. Another bailout beneficiary, Fannie Mae, announced that four top executives would be receiving retention bonuses of $1 million or more. (2)
Without adding to the cacophony of voices criticizing AIG, Fannie Mae, or other instances of executive compensation run amok, I’d like to talk a little about how motivation works. Bottom line: it’s all about motivation. But does pay alone maximize motivation?
Posted in Chris's Blog | Tagged business, compensation, economy, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, motivation
By David Shields on March 9, 2009
March has arrived and with it comes madness. The term “March Madness” was originally coined by Henry V. Porter in 1939. Shortly before the turmoil of WWII, he wrote in the Illinois High School Athlete about the excitement that swept his state in connection with the playoffs. I’m sure he had no idea of the expansive future that the term would hold.
The NCAA basketball tournament provides us with a fascinating opportunity to reflect on the meaning and value of competition.
Posted in David's Blog
By Christopher Funk on February 7, 2009
I’d like to welcome everyone to my blog here on TrueCompetition.Org!
Here I’ll be discussing some of the more notable events in sports and business, as well as my own personal experiences as an athlete and employee, with a focus on how they relate to the mission of TrueCompetition.Org. I hope that my readers and I will be able to develop an ongoing dialog, as we look to understand why we behave as we do at work, and at play.
Posted in Chris's Blog
By David Shields on February 6, 2009
Welcome to my Blog!
This is my first post so let me take just a moment to share with you what we’ll be talking about here. The theme for this blog is – competition. This means we’ll be talking about lots of different things – sports, politics, business, love. Competition is everywhere.
Posted in David's Blog