I recently came across this graphic which summarizes the mindset shifts that are necessary to compete in today’s business environment.
I would add to this list one more shift:
Competing > to > Creating
In the west, we are conditioned to compete. Just compete on the tracks that are presented to us. Many of us don’t question the rules and just become cogs in the wheel of life, supposedly competing, without challenging the whole.
We compete like rats and feel despair. Meanwhile, there is so much abundance and opportunity on the paths less traveled.
The strongest emotion that drives this blindness is almost always fear. We fear that we won’t belong, we fear that we won’t be secure, we fear that we won’t be liked. So we end up competing like horses with blinders on.
Unfortunately, this is not only the reality for most individuals (whether they work for corporations, the government, or non-profits) but also the reality for most corporations, governments and non-profits.
Competition is great to build discipline. Yet, best results happen when discipline is coupled with creativity. For that to happen, one needs to take the blinders off. And that means, overcoming your fear and getting off the common track.
Kerim Baran 