One of my kids recently completed a stint on local robotics team that was organized through school. At a event, the leaders reviewed the core values of the robotics organization. Most of the parents were snoozing, but I was listening. And, one of those core values struck me and I cannot get it out of my head.
“We honor the spirit of friendly competition.”
As I think about the words ‘friendly competition’, I think about the real estate business, and other businesses in general. As Realtors®, do we honor the spirit of friendly competition? Do we recognize the need to pay it forward by perhaps alerting a colleague when his for sale sign has flown down the street? Or, do we ignore the sign and keep driving—thinking how great it is that nobody can see that sign. Maybe your house will sell instead?
Competition is what makes us better. It is what forces us to be the best that we can be. If I were running in a race and nobody was running next to me, what motivation would I have to run as fast as possible? On the other hand, with competitors, we are compelled to always put our best foot forward and be the best that we can be.
I’ve written several posts about ways to get ahead of the game and prepare for the New Year. I’ve written about reinventing the way you do business, and I have also written about really, truly embracing the short sale transaction.
Let me also propose a New Year’s resolution:
Let’s honor the spirit of friendly competition. And, while we are at it, let’s display gracious professionalism in everything we do. And, of course, let’s recognize that it is important to have fun. If you do not enjoy what you do, what’s the point of doing it?
Photo: flickr creative commons by ricardodiaz
