This morning I had the luxury of being in my office which doesn't often happen. My office window looks out over our front porch. The geraniums and red salvia are really in their splendor right now. The hummingbirds have been visiting like crazy, sticking their needle sharp beaks into the throats of the flowers.This morning there were two little dynamos vying for territory. They spent more time (and probably more energy) trying to get rid of the other one than they did sipping the nectar. They were comical in their fierceness.
As I was watching them, they made me think of how human competitors sometimes act in the very same manner. Instead of seeing how to help each other be more successful, they work very diligently to discredit the other. The energy used for such endeavors is not productive and certainly takes valuable time away from being successful.
When have you seen hummingbird-like behavior from your competitors?
4 comments:
I've seen this behavior at several networking events at the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce. At the monthly lunchtime networking events, we're allowed to introduce ourselves to the group. On more than one occasion, a newcomer will get to there feet and say something to the effect of "Looks like I have a lot of competition here". I don't think that they realize that by saying those words, they are effectively saying, "What's in it for me?" instead of "How can I help you?"
I too have been watching the hummers and marvel at their speed and how they are afraid of the bees that tend to hang out at my feeder. With the amount of feeding, I'm thinking we, in NW OH, will be having an early frost. I've also noticed the various warblers and some hawks have started moving south.
When I think of hummingbirds, I think of incessant hovering. I've experienced hovering from a competitor before: always waiting to see what I would do next so that they could copy my actions. Is that the sincerest form of flattery, as some people say? It sure didn't feel like it.
One of my competitors is a dear friend so there's always lots of sharing between the two of us. I honestly don't come in contact with my other competitors in the local area, but often a customer will want to "bad mouth" one. It's usually about pricing (complaining that the "other" store is more expensive). I always remark, "Good for them - if they can get that price, that's great."
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