158 - Do Fierce Competitors HAVE To Be A-holes?

Is Michael Jordan truly ‘competitive’? Or was he just a jerk with an amazing mid-court game? Is there even such a thing as ‘competitive instinct’?

In the realm of fierce competition does one need to adopt an aggressive, antagonistic persona to succeed? Will people respect you at all if you’re not socially dominant in the boardroom or on the field? Michael Jordan, renowned for his hyper-competitive nature on and off the court, serves as our case study for this episode. Wherein we explore the psychology and consequences of intense competitiveness, and ask the question: if humans are born without horns, then why do we feel the need to lock them so often?

Todd and Joe will also look at Michael Jordan's legendary career and confrontational style and discuss the necessity of having a competitive spirit throughout life, questioning whether it inevitably leads to social ostracism. We also compare MJ’s ‘killer instinct’ with our own domains of competition, like writing and business, where success can stem more from being well-informed and dogged, rather than confrontational. And we talk about case studies that prove that competitiveness, when channeled correctly, can lead to extraordinary achievements without crossing into hostility. Examples of this are Tom Brady, or the Texas Rangers. People who have achieved greatness with a markedly different approach. Namely, the “quiet eye” approach to competitiveness.

History Links:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28973557/the-last-dance-untold-story-michael-jordan-chicago-bulls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_VhhunGOeI&ab_channel=nuraman00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz6go7xC3Zs&ab_channel=SaturdayNightLive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMJowIB7c_A&ab_channel=UncutHoops

Science Links:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/11/what-athletes-see/416388/

https://online.eou.edu/resources/article/psychology-of-competitiveness/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141029084021.htm