HANDLING CORPORATE CAREERSSample

I was runner-up at the famous TV series - The Apprentice (Asia) a few years ago! I was the only Indian male selected from over 30,000 eligible applicants from all over Asia (including China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines), to finally compete on the TV show. I remember shooting my first promotional reel and I said, “I am not here to compete with anyone else. I am here to compete with myself!" That statement flabbergasted the Director (who also was one of the Directors of the US Apprentice version) and they called a cut and he said, “Sam, I hope you know this is a “competition” and you are “expected” to be cut-throat in this simulated rat race called “The Apprentice”!

I told him that my values did not allow me to compete with others and I was ready to walk out of the show if I had to. They finally let me continue on the show thinking I was “different” (or mad) and that I would provide some counter-entertainment. Long story short, I lived up to my word by competing with only myself on each episode, thereby winning the respect of my fellow competitors and ultimately made it to the semifinals before getting “fired.” 

The point of the story is this. As a Christian, we are called only to compete with ourselves! We never compete with others! You see, competition breeds 2 things - jealousy and ego issues! Our job is to improve upon ourselves progressively each day! For instance, if we are a 6 (on a scale of 1 to 10) on a particular skill, we should work hard, read books, watch relevant educational videos and improve to be a 6.5. Slowly we improve to be a 7, 8 and so forth. Our goal is “Excellence” and not “Competition.” 

You see, the magic of excellence (be it product excellence or service excellence or personal excellence) is that you do not get into personal self-pity and self-depreciation (that often is a result when you compare yourself with others), but you are now a “free” person without the stress of “performance.” Excellence will propel you (and your company) higher. The Bible says Daniel distinguished himself by being excellent in his (own) work (Daniel 6:3,4)! 

So today be set free from the clutches of corporate competition. Compete with yourself each day. Aim for excellence. God promises you - you will only climb higher and higher, and you will always Thank God It’s Monday (TGIM)!