David Shields, Ph.D.
Whether you are in sports or business, whether you compete for fun or profit, there are hidden strategies both to boost your performance and find more enjoyment in the process. Here are five such strategies.
First, to maximize your likelihood of winning (whether a game or a contract), forget about winning!
The more that you [...]
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I’ve been working with athletes and coaches for many years and over that time, I’ve become convinced that most people fall far short of their full potential – and, frankly, do not win or succeed as often as they might. So why is that? There are many reasons, of course. There’s performance anxiety; stresses of various sorts. But one of the most pervasive and profound reasons goes largely unnoticed. It originates in the way people think about the very meaning and purpose of competition.
Books:
Shields, D., Bredemeier, B., & Funk, C. (2010). Becoming champions: Coaches’ manual. St. Louis: True Competition Publications.
Shields, D., & Bredemeier, B. (2009). True competition: A guide to pursuing excellence in sport and society. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Articles:
Shields, D., & Bredemeier, B. (In press). [...]
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.
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?
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.