Always Play Nice

By John Suzuki, Escapia VP Sales

I am truly blessed to have kids who are two of the nicest people I've ever known. Michael is 20 and Kristin is 17. I recently had a deep conversation with them about competition, and how to do well in an increasingly competitive and seemingly desperate world. Here's what I said: There is a right way and a wrong way to make yourself look better than your competitor. The right way is to work hard and be better. The wrong way is to make the other guy look worse.

We all have competitors whose tactics seem less than honorable. They disparage against you, spread unsubstantiated rumors, and try to sabotage you by spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). We at Escapia have several such competitors, and while it may be tempting to respond in kind, the fact of the matter is, we just won't do it not only because it's the wrong thing to do, but we're too busy focusing on the right way to improve our company and make our products and services better for our clients.

Thumper's mom on Walt Disney's Bambi said something profound that I will never forget: "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." My corollary to that is "People who disparage against others don't have anything better to say about themselves." I believe that always doing what's right and living with integrity is the easy path in life, simply because you never have to keep track of what you said or did in the past. Frankly, it's a whole lot more fun, and a whole lot less stressful.

Winning the right way let's you walk with your chin up and a smile on your face. It sets a positive tone in your company and makes your work a whole lot more interesting and rewarding. Why? Because you're focusing on BUILDING something great, and not focusing on tearing others down. It's a whole different mind set.

So next time someone disparages you, or disparages others to you, just remember that whatever they say is likely a reflection of themselves. Of course, the most important thing to remember is that which ever path you choose, your actions will work like a magnet in attracting like-minded people to you.

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

Comments

[Steve Trover]

Great post John.