Who is the Venus to your Serena?

Photo credit: Serena Williams shot by Edward Martinez (Creative Commons License)

A while back, a journalist asked Serena Williams how many Grand Slams she would have won, if her sister and greatest rival, Venus Williams, did not stand in her way. Serena's response was brilliant and unforgettable: 'None'. Because she, Serena, believed that Venus spurred her into being who she is. From an early age, Serena knew that her sister was so good at tennis that if she could beat her, she could beat anyone. 

We could read this story as the importance of competition, but the real takeaway is 'who do you consider your benchmark'. Because your greatest growth lies in reaching and beating that benchmark, and not in mindless competition. 

From weight training to writing a great ad to excelling at the workplace, unique achievements are always the result of a fight against resistance. Greater the challenge, the higher you jump. It is true even in the non-sporty, non-gritty contexts of those who hold ‘office’ jobs. 

Personally, I do not believe in competing with colleagues. It is not a moral stance, but an intelligent one. When you compete with anyone you happen to find yourself locked in a space-time frame with, you are playing a zero-sum game and laying yourself open to the easiest form of manipulation (organizational too!) 

The more effective thing to do is to compete against a benchmark that's extraordinary. Pit yourself against a level of excellence that you truly admire. To reach and go beyond, you will be forced to find new ways to create value. When you grow through that, you are unique. What you do and deliver, is not easily replicable by others who are competing randomly.  

So the question to ask ourselves in whatever endeavor we choose is that if we want to be as good as Serena Williams, who should we benchmark against, and not just compete.