Don't fear competition - learn from it

Then everything changed with Rotary Club, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and competitive speaking and debate.

I won third place my sophomore year with the Rotary Essay Contest, second place my junior year and first place my senior year. I won the VFW essay contest and then went on to record my essay at the local TV station where I met a very young Regis Philbin. I went up four levels in the American Legion Oratory contest and then became involved in competitive speaking with my high school.

Suddenly, I belonged somewhere! From being an overdressed nobody, I was now a member of the speech team. Being in debate helped me get into Whittier College.

Competition saved my life, changed my life and molded my goals. My best friends to this day are fellow competitors from the Whittier College forensics team.

These blasts from my past came to mind recently as I read a series of articles about the “entitlement generation” – those now entering the work force – and the controversy regarding many schools’ misguided attempts to manage students’ self-esteem by trying to remove competition.

A school in San Ysidro, Calif., allowed more than 100 students who had failed to walk through a middle school graduation. Little Leagues are playing without scores. Students aren’t given grades in certain areas.

Self-esteem comes from accomplishment, not from being one of the pack. We all have gifts. One of my life-long friends has a learning disability caused by severe illness as a child. She graduated two years late. She also is gifted as an artist and her parents did everything they could to give her opportunities to expand in this area. They knew that she needed to feel like a winner somewhere.

Acting taught me so much about life. Hollywood doesn’t care about self-esteem. When you go for an audition, you’d better be good or you won’t get the part. One of the best speakers I heard at the American Film Institute said it best: “Acting, like everything, is a numbers game. The more auditions you go to, the better chance you will have of getting a part.”

Many employers complain about not being able to find good help. They say that when they hire people, there is no work ethic.

I think businesses need to spend more time in the hiring and referencing areas, but that is another article.

As an employer, there are a few things that you can do to foster competition which will, in turn, add to your bottom line:

Recognize excellence in a public way. When someone goes above and beyond, give an award, make a speech or give a compliment.

Commend teamwork. This is more than participation. This commendation should recognize that certain people helped the team succeed. Unfortunately, most organizations reward salespeople and marketers and forget the staff back at the fort that are working diligently for company goals.

Give incentives for improved performance and make sure that they are offered to all team members. Money and prizes are usual motivators. Other kinds of incentives include time off, a special meal for the department and goods that the company produces.

Verbally encourage employees on a daily basis. Most people say that they don’t work “just for money.” Verbal pats on the back go a long way.

Respond to ideas. If an employee comes up with a good idea, make sure that you respond in a timely manner and take action as needed. If ideas are implemented, commend that employee in public.

Hold contests between teams and among team members. Not every contest can be won by everybody. If you have a sales team, they are usually the only ones who can win “Top 10,” for example. Some contests can be arranged which will bring in the entire team.

I know that I am lucky. I know that my parents helped give me confidence by encouraging me. When I lost, they told me that it was great that I tried and to get back up and try again.

We can do the same thing in our businesses.

Sinara Stull O’Donnell is a professional speaker and writer through Springfield-based SinaraSpeaks. She is the author of “Be The Star Of Your Life: Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?”