​​​​Christopher Sopko

Every business owner or manager needs a certain level of internal competitiveness if they want to have a successful, long term business.  Even if you currently have the greatest product on the market you will need to be competitive enough to continue to develop something new, or the people you are selling against will ultimately surpass you, and your business will soon decline. This is just one aspect of being competitive, but it extends into many other areas of a business which is why this concept is so important.

Being competitive means that you are aware of how everyone else in your marketplace may currently be doing something, and figuring out a better way to accomplish the same thing.  Some people refer to this as “building a better mouse trap”.   It also means keeping your eyes on what the competition is doing and using whatever advances they may be making as a “burr in your saddle” in order to keep pushing yourself and your organization to new heights.   Without a competitive spirt this will typically not be done too well.  Being a competitor means that you will have the mental toughness to push through difficult situations to remain successful.  Does this closely relate to resilience?  Absolutely, but being competitive is more than just being able to recover from setbacks.  It is about having an internal drive to be the best, and to create an environment that includes a group of people with a will to win against the competition.