We’ve all heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Those words were never truer than they are today.
I actually started writing this a few weeks ago, but my spin on the subject is spot on depending on your definition of the word “competition.”
Right now you’re not just competing against other dealers, you’re competing against the media’s spin and unknown factors that are upsetting you, your team, and the market.
We’ve had some good years so it’s easy to feel somewhat satisfied.
You can never be satisfied. Those sounds you hear behind you are the competition coming to gobble you up. If you take just one little break, take your eye off the ball for one second, or have one little hiccup, it could be the very thing that starts a downward spiral.
As Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz reminds us, “Seek to renew yourself, even when you’re hitting home runs.” How appropriate is that in today’s market?
Tough times and competition always make you better. Those competitors running behind you are a good thing. Learn to appreciate your competitors and make it a point to learn from them. Use them to scare you into more heightened motivation and a stronger competitive mind-set.
Successful people often succeed out of fear. The fear of failure. The fear of falling back. The fear of giving up all they have worked so hard for. It’s that fear that causes the successful ones to keep pushing and to keep looking for new and better ways of doing things.
Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, once said, “You either eat someone for lunch, or you can be lunch.”
Competition is the very lifeblood of a driven business leader. Study it. Embrace it. Love it. Use it as success fuel. Use it to take you to the top of your mental game.
Develop an unstoppable competitive mindset, and it will push you so far ahead of the competition that you won’t have to worry about looking over your shoulder.
Competition is an extra spice that keeps life interesting, keeps us on our toes, and stimulates us to greater creativity and productivity.
The best leaders realize that when they are having success it’s easy for the team to become satisfied and complacent and it’s the leader’s job never to let that happen.
A leader’s job is to push the team through the good times to the next level, and the next level, and the next level.
Pushing through the good times was my original thought on this newsletter. Real leadership shows up when times are tough.
Make sure you show up. That’s all I’m gonna say.Tommy Gibbs