Competing the right way

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jim Craft
  • 6th Air Refueling Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness -- great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy." -- Jim Rohn, author and motivational speaker

Not unlike many folks serving in the military, I'm a competitive guy. I'm driven to be the best at whatever I'm doing, whether flying jets, being a husband and dad, or commanding a squadron.

Competitive drive is an essential element in the success of our armed forces. For the most part, we need poor losers, guys and gals who don't like, but in fact hate to lose. However, competitive drive must be focused and effectively harnessed to benefit the overall goals of the team. Otherwise, it's just wasted energy which can be destructive to the team-unit and delay or even prevent victory, however that's defined.

How do we harness competitive spirit to benefit our team?

Know the team's goals. Listen to or read the goals of the leaders in your chain from the President on down. Focus on the goals of your immediate supervisors, those whose names adorn your performance reports. These goals should define success for the team.

Don't compete against your teammates. All great players--the Jordans, the Gretzkys, the Montanas--make their teammates better. By doing so, they make their entire team better.

As you work toward being the best, remember the goals of the organization will be accomplished only with the input and success of each member.

Cheer the successes of your fellow Airmen. Learn from them and help them learn from your successes and failures.

This is especially important when dealing with your peer group. Interactions with superiors and subordinates are fairly clearly defined in the military environment, but it can sometimes be difficult in our world of constant "rack and stack" to understand the benefit of helping your peers.

In my experience and observations, such teamwork is rewarded royally, both for the unit and the individual.

As a recent, personal example of requesting or offering assistance to the team, upon learning from my boss, Col. Mike Cassidy, that the 22nd Airlift Squadron had a good fitness program product, I requested info from Lt. Col. John Payne, the Double Deuce commander, who graciously provided it.

Subjugate (and justify) your ego by identifying personal areas for improvement. Instead of competing against teammates, compete against yourself. Be better today than you were yesterday...everyday. Develop metrics to help you better track your progress and periodically reevaluate your short and long-term goals.

Even the #1 person or team can improve. Don't believe your press clippings. Organizations and individuals that don't build on strengths and actively identify and rectify weaknesses will be overtaken by the pack. For example, even Airmen scoring 100 on their Fitness test can do better; run a faster time or bang out more pushups and sit-ups. Improvement is a non-stop process.

Our Air Force needs great men and women who are driven to be the best. Airmen need to harness and apply that drive to best benefit their squadron, wing, service, and national goals. As you strive to be the best, it's important to remember the most valuable player is always a member of a winning team.