With all these version of performance in mind, we want to see if it always has to be competition.

I say = NO!

What we want to achieve is a way to act and do things in our way. That is the way we want to be known for, the way we are proud of, the way we acknowledge for ourselves, the honest way we are and we act. Remember the saying: "How you do something is how you do everything!"

Our performance should always be the best we can do. That requires to give our actions some thought ' and don't forget, what we say is an action too, so give that some thought as well.

The recent tendency to turn everything into a competition makes life and work appear as if someone has to loose for someone else to win, and naturally, the winner is always seen as the better performer.

In some cases when that argument of someone or something being better doesn't necessarily apply, other reasons for awarding a winner to a competition are thought. You might recall the recent award of a huge contract by the US Air Force to the American company Northrop-Grumman. They have created a new tanker airplane for the military that won in 4 out of 5 critical performance areas. In addition it has the shorter take off distance with the same take off weight, meaning it can take off from shorter runways all around the world.

When our troops are involved in battle, they don't always have the luxury of perfectly prepared airfields with never ending runways, so this point has global importance. Still, Boeing tried to make the argument that they should win the contract anyway, because some of the parts and work is going to be done by a company outside the United States, namely Airbus.

What does that mean for our initial question? Well, performance is not a matter of who wins the competition (assuming there even is one), but a matter of integrity. You don't just want to perform to you highest level when others are watching (or judging, like about the tanker plane), but always. You want to be able to provide your best effort all the time, or the best of your team, and the best of your company.

Yes, you may not always win, but that is because others try their hardest too, and every once in a while their best is a little better than yours. Rather than finding reasons outside yourself, you want to look at what can be learned, and do better the next time around.

If you live and work in an environment where you can motivate others and yourself to always bring the best possible performance to the table, you will win the vast majority of situations. The effort and the integrity with which you perform it actually counts much more than the fact that you are the last one standing at the end of a competition.

Bottom line: performance is not always a competition, but it should always be a sign of your best effort, brought with honesty, integrity, and pried to those that ask for it. If you set your values and your attitude in this way, you will become very successful, and everybody around you will love and respect you.

Try it, - you will see how good it feels!

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