Second Place - No Endorsements

Phil Mickelson. Rocco Mediate. The Tampa Bay Rays. The Orlando Magic.

All of the above finished in second place in recent competitions. Too bad. But, then again they did alright. All of them make plenty of money, have endorsements, fame, fans, etc.

Let's not confuse this with what we deal with in business competitions.

Let me add it up: finishing first in a competition means you get the business. Finishing second (or third or worse) means you get nothing.

Now, of course, there is always the chance that down the road, the client will change his/her mind and offer you an opportunity, but we have to realize that a mediocre performance in a competition will surely lose. Only a dead-on performance has the chance.

So, before any competition, remember: either do your best or don't do it. There will be no fan club, no endorsements and no fame for being the runner-up.

Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond
http://www.labov.com/