The Competitive Leader: Using your competition

[christina]

From what I observe he follows this "second cycle" pattern to get himself motivated. He changes his swing, changes coaches, fights through injury, comes back from surgery, and now back from a personal crisis of his own making. He seems to need this to get himself motivated to put in the practice and maintain the intensity to be the absolute top.

Yes, I'm reminded of those that break things, just so they can fix them. I suppose it's about the process in general. I think the idea of generating power need not be questioned, I agree with it. There is a drive that precedes the generation of power though. I think, in terms of the theory, Crafters aren't "comfortable" with others "having" power over them; the only limits they want are those they impose on themselves.

There is a struggle between realizing a potential and accepting limits. I've obtained a copy of the book Outlier by Malcolm Gladwell and I will get around to reading it eventually

Here's a quote from Bruce Lee (wikiquote)

* As an instructor, you must be able to distinguish between poor performance caused by lack of ability or aptitude on the part of the student and poor performance caused by lack of effort. You should treat the first with patience and the latter with firmness. You must never apply sarcasm and ridicule.
o Part 5 "On training in Jeet Kune Do"

When I think of someone like Tiger, like Bruce Lee, like Lance, I think of individuals that are essentially "saying" to keep pushing yourself no matter what......to believe in something.


Here's a favorite quote from Hubby that I like to:

"If you ever find yourself looking at an on-coming nuclear missile and holding a rock, before accepting your fate, you might as well throw the rock at it"

[Al3322]

"If you ever find yourself looking at an on-coming nuclear missile and holding a rock, before accepting your fate, you might as well throw the rock at it"

That is a great quote, thanks for sharing it.

[christina]

yep, no prob

[Al3322]

This last weekend I listened to a talk by a former PGA golfer who said something that may be true about competitive leaders.

Pat Fitzsimmons enjoyed some success in the 70s and even won the LA Open beating Jack Nicklaus. My guess is that he is a composer; for sure not a promoter. I've rarely met a more low key self effacing guy. He talked about how he had to quit because he lost his "feel" and lost confidence in his ability to play. He said that even now he cannot find the spontaneity that he enjoyed as a kid as he (now a golf instructor) feels pressure to play well in front of his onlookers and students and that pressure affects his play. His best year on tour was after he decided to quit and felt like he had nothing to lose. He compared his play by feel with a compatriot, Bob Gilder, who was very mechanical and was much slower developing his swing but enjoyed a longer career. Anyway:

The question came up as to how come it is that Tiger Woods, the competive leader in golf; a man who has more ability and desire than anyone playing today, cannot hit the fairway with his drives. I can hit the fairway most of the time, albeit 100 yards shorter, but for the best golfer in the world to have this problem is astonishing. Fitzsimmons said that Tiger is like Ben Hogan in that he is compelled to do something with his swing that no one else can do.

This struck me as very interesting. I have watched him ( and Phil Mickelson for that matter) lose more tournaments than they have won by trying the heroic shot with way more risk than reward. It is not good enough to just win more or do better than everyone else, they are driven to do something that no one else can do.

[christina]

This last weekend I listened to a talk by a former PGA golfer who said something that may be true about competitive leaders.

Pat Fitzsimmons enjoyed some success in the 70s and even won the LA Open beating Jack Nicklaus. My guess is that he is a composer; for sure not a promoter. I've rarely met a more low key self effacing guy. He talked about how he had to quit because he lost his "feel" and lost confidence in his ability to play. He said that even now he cannot find the spontaneity that he enjoyed as a kid as he (now a golf instructor) feels pressure to play well in front of his onlookers and students and that pressure affects his play. His best year on tour was after he decided to quit and felt like he had nothing to lose. He compared his play by feel with a compatriot, Bob Gilder, who was very mechanical and was much slower developing his swing but enjoyed a longer career.

Interesting story; he could be either/or a Tactical Responder or Contender. The theory states that Artisans, in general, liked to be viewed as graceful. This could be the case of a shy guy sensitive to how others view him and his "art" or this could be the case of the confidence lost by a Tactical Contender (in PUMII, it is noted that Crafter Artisans will often practice in private to avoid being seen as "clumsy" in front of onlookers). It may interesting to note that both the TC and the TR do things at "whims," or whenever they feel the "urge" to. Also, you mention that he's a self effacing guy again something that could be interpreted as the "strong-silent type" or as the "kindest temperament"

Anyway:

The question came up as to how come it is that Tiger Woods, the competive leader in golf; a man who has more ability and desire than anyone playing today, cannot hit the fairway with his drives. I can hit the fairway most of the time, albeit 100 yards shorter, but for the best golfer in the world to have this problem is astonishing. Fitzsimmons said that Tiger is like Ben Hogan in that he is compelled to do something with his swing that no one else can do.

This struck me as very interesting. I have watched him ( and Phil Mickelson for that matter) lose more tournaments than they have won by trying the heroic shot with way more risk than reward. It is not good enough to just win more or do better than everyone else, they are driven to do something that no one else can do.

Artisans take risks, that is "a given" in the theory. In PUMII, it states that Artisan Crafters are subversive in the sense they tend to ignore rules. They follow their own schedules.

From what I can glean from Bruce Lee example, he followed his own vision. I read a Lance Armstrong book some time ago, from what I remember, he "just kept going"; Michael Jordan "just wanted to win"; Amelia Earheart "just wanted to fly"; Katharine Hepburn....is more complex to me, but all in all, I suppose we could say "she just wanted to work".

I remember a quote from Bruce Lee that touched upon his approach, his ideas. He took knowledge from any source he could; he intended to keep an open mind. He "made use" of all established techniques.

ThisTiger Woods example is probably trickier to evaluate. He may be wanting to "break away" from the crowd and "start anew" (in the hopes of maintaining his position as the best golfer in the world....and getting past these mistakes he's made by his family and fans).


On a more personal note, I never understood the outrage when celebrities messed up, but now I get it People react strongly when they lose a "hero" and want to expunge themselves of (our) the human condition (which, of course, is to err. "Messing up" is NOT necessarily an "Artisan" thing, as the theory would depict).

[Al3322]

Yes I think that this is right and I would have recognized it if I had thought about it a little more. Goals like “winning more than 18 major tournaments” or “being no. 1 ranked golfer in the world” are rather abstract goals used to develop practice time and schedules. The real motivation is to be in the moment with it all on the line, people watching, pressure on, and situation critical .

I really admire a crafter at my work. She is a process coordinator which means that she supervises over 70 people, dozens of equipment trains, and dozens of recipes. Each day the work is in chaos and she has to get it under control and react to the hundreds of emergencies, large and small, that occur daily. She moves quickly, stays concentrated, is decisive and has the ability to operate under real pressure. It is the type of job that I could not handle; but is perfect for someone who can stay in the moment, recognize problems quickly, has confidence in themselves, and can make decisions.

Christina:

On a more personal note, I never understood the outrage when celebrities messed up, but now I get it People react strongly when they lose a "hero" and want to expunge themselves of (our) the human condition (which, of course, is to err. "Messing up" is NOT necessarily an "Artisan" thing, as the theory would depict).

This is true. I still remember my disappointment when I found out that the Swedish Bikini Team was not really Swedish (does anyone else still remember the Swedish Bikini Team?).

[stellarrenegade]

I really admire a crafter at my work. She is a process coordinator which means that she supervises over 70 people, dozens of equipment trains, and dozens of recipes. Each day the work is in chaos and she has to get it under control and react to the hundreds of emergencies, large and small, that occur daily. She moves quickly, stays concentrated, is decisive and has the ability to operate under real pressure. It is the type of job that I could not handle; but is perfect for someone who can stay in the moment, recognize problems quickly, has confidence in themselves, and can make decisions.

I love jobs like this. The intense chaos that's usually stressful for alot of other types of people gives me a real high. As long as, of course, I've been trained in the basics. If not I can get flustered like anyone else quite quickly, and I'm not an ingenious Engineer type. A fellow Promoter picked up on this when I first started this job, when phones were going crazy. But really I was being dramatic and was much less annoyed than I portrayed myself to be.

Right now, I handle a bunch of different crap at my job. Chassis, prenotes, sometimes calling drivers or customers, and when the phones are ringing off the hook, sure it's insane, but there's a secret smile on my face because I get a thrill out of it. Without all that "crap" I can feel pretty dead inside. I can't introspect on my own and I need tons of excitement and complex intricacies to weave in and out of. To get lost in the moment of knocking down one target after another.

I've felt kinda frustrated when others get annoyed or upset by those kinds of jobs, not because I think they "shouldn't" feel that way (furthest thing from my mind, whatever they feel is legitimate) but because I want to say that I love it but know it'll probably only come off as annoying. I said it anyway on my last job in Texas in the vein of comparing it to the previous job. I figured, f___ it, I gotta express myself. Seriously, after that stupidass small-time clothing store chain, Walmart was like a nice breezy walk in the park. It felt like an extended vacation most of the time.

This is true. I still remember my disappointment when I found out that the Swedish Bikini Team was not really Swedish (does anyone else still remember the Swedish Bikini Team?).

No, but I think I will:

[christina]

Sorry, Al, I do not remember the Swedish Bikini...thing.

Yes I think that this is right and I would have recognized it if I had thought about it a little more. Goals like “winning more than 18 major tournaments” or “being no. 1 ranked golfer in the world” are rather abstract goals used to develop practice time and schedules. The real motivation is to be in the moment with it all on the line, people watching, pressure on, and situation critical .

In terms of the theory, I'm not sure what the "real" motivation would be; that may be something more of an "individual" nature.

[Al3322]

An interesting thing occurred last weekend. Tiger Woods shot his worst competative four rounds, probably ever. This is coming from the best golfer ever; and, arguably the competative leader in golf. As an engineer, I know that this is not because of his impending divorce or the stress of his anti-philandering classes. In spite of all the commentary and speculation about confidence and worry from people who need to make up a story, the reason is that mechanically he is not getting the club head into the ball at the angle that will keep it in play. For someone who has spent their life perfecting this, the fact that he cannot deliver the clubhead into the ball accurately is astonishing.

Many athletes have performed under much worse pressure and you would think that since he is not personnally handling his divorce, that he would be able to hone his golf game to perfection. What else has he got to do?

Here is my speculation: I am watching him follow a script that has been handed to him, probably subconciously, and probably dating to before he was born. The competative leader doesn't just get to number one and grind to stay there. He achieves spectacularly, in a heroic fashion in front of admiring crowds. How can this be done if not from the depths. The problem is that you must first hit the depths.

Am I crazy or is this what is transpiring? Is this a typical artisan script?

[mkb32]

An interesting thing occurred last weekend. Tiger Woods shot his worst competative four rounds, probably ever. This is coming from the best golfer ever; and, arguably the competative leader in golf. As an engineer, I know that this is not because of his impending divorce or the stress of his anti-philandering classes. In spite of all the commentary and speculation about confidence and worry from people who need to make up a story, the reason is that mechanically he is not getting the club head into the ball at the angle that will keep it in play. For someone who has spent their life perfecting this, the fact that he cannot deliver the clubhead into the ball accurately is astonishing.

Many athletes have performed under much worse pressure and you would think that since he is not personnally handling his divorce, that he would be able to hone his golf game to perfection. What else has he got to do?

Here is my speculation: I am watching him follow a script that has been handed to him, probably subconciously, and probably dating to before he was born. The competative leader doesn't just get to number one and grind to stay there. He achieves spectacularly, in a heroic fashion in front of admiring crowds. How can this be done if not from the depths. The problem is that you must first hit the depths.

Am I crazy or is this what is transpiring? Is this a typical artisan script?

Very Interesting thougts, Al.
You think he naturally has to become the "come back kid?"
He has to crash and burn so he can rise from the ashes?
You think he has not burnt himself enough, yet? hmmm ... very interesting

At the risk of sounding crude, I was thinking that he's lost the "excitement".
Great excitment in attempting not to get caught doing "wrong".
Now he's "been there, done that", got caught, "sky fell" and he was still able to play well at 1st.
Possiblly struck by how amazing it is that the world really does goes on even after the thrill is gone.

I wonder how difficult it is for him to spend time with his kids.
I wonder what the necessary communication for the logistics of transfering the kids back & forth between the 2 parents is like.
Considering the publicity of the monetary punishment he is being held to, my expectation is that the communication may be shame based.