By Jwalant Swaroop
CEO, Oshoyana Consultants
In a world of competition, it is impossible to survive without being competitive. To be competitive also means to be different from others and a tremendous will to excel and to do better. The goal post is well defined before you begin the race. It is perfect. Obviously, someone who is putting all at stake and has much to lose if he fails, has to do everything possible to win. But if the winning does not bring joy and happiness, it means that the spirit of competitiveness lacked something.
As everyone goes about in a similar competitive way to survive, there is much emotional stress, pain and agony, insecurity, jealousy, fear and greed. Therefore, Competitiveness the Buddha way is the answer to today’s competitiveness. In the Buddha way, it is difficult to be truly competitive without compassion. Though both have opposite meanings, they strangely have an interesting co-relation in today’s context.
Buddha taught compassion. The word compassion has to be understood. When passion goes through an absolute transformation, it is compassion. Love is a stage on the way but not the end and necessarily does not include compassion, says Osho. Being competitive without compassion and being compassionately competitive are two different qualities.
Winning is so much an ordinary desire. Everyone wants to win. But an individual or organization, by becoming a compassionately competitive, works towards overall growth. It is focused on its own size. It is not with the desire to grow at another’s cost. It is like drawing the line bigger than the other. Every time the other grows, you are compelled to draw a line that much bigger. Being compassionately competitive is a dimension not to win a battle or a war, it is to continuously raise the bar for yourself. You compete with yourself with immense creativity.
Ordinary competitiveness is destruction and can easily get fame and money. History is full of Nadir Shahs, Napoleons, Alexanders and Adolf Hitlers. These were the highly competitive people. They wanted to conquer the world without conquering themselves from fear, greed and hatred. With all the fame they earned, no one wants to build a temple dedicated to these people. Krishna, Gautam Buddha, Jesus were compassionately competitive and they brought overall growth, inner richness and are hence worshipped. If you believe in the collective consciousness of people, you are driving the compassionate competitiveness agenda in your company.
There are good managers and then there are extraordinary managers. Out of a hundred managers, there are 99 good managers and one extraordinary manager who works with compassionate competitiveness. He may or may not be as learned as the 99 good managers. But he is the one master, rest all are teachers. A teacher is well versed with the traditions, conventions and social ethos. He lives a borrowed life, dull and dry. The Master is a rebel. He is his own Being. He also has rebel disciples. To drive compassionate competitiveness, the extraordinary managers sync their vision with the team by carefully choosing the rebels and not mere followers. A compassionately competitive team is as vibrant as its extraordinary manager who is leading it. The team exudes love, passion and fearlessness; takes tough decisions with much precision and ensures that everyone participates in the implementation process.
Compassionate competitiveness is harmonious, it is music, it is playfulness in the marketplace. It gives joy to all stakeholders. Since no one is competing, it is like a race run by all for themselves with enormous respect and regard for the others. It is a marathon where a crowd runs, but individuals score wins.
When you become focused on yourself, it becomes the highest form of competitiveness with compassion.
Feedback: jwalant@oshoyana.com
