From a series of private interviews with Matthieu Ricard conducted by Vadivu Govind in Singapore in September 2012, during which she assumed the role of a wealthy leader and posed some thoughts such a leader may have to Matthieu.
How can I show compassion to my competitors in business? Because if they do well, it means I can’t do well.
First of all, there should be no competition within the business/organization. That’s a recipe for self-destruction. Competition between businesses is healthy because it pushes you to bring out the best of yourself. You can want to do something of quality and to always do better, but not at the cost of harassing your employees and not at the cost of doing dirty tricks.
Don’t think, ‟If I don’t do dirty tricks and if I don’t push too hard, I will be a loser.” Over time, relationships are based on trust. If everyone distrusts each other, again, we poison the situation and things become dysfunctional. If you thought you were a good tennis player and you saw someone extraordinary, you could say, ‟Wow! I have so much more to learn! I can improve myself. This guy really knows what he’s doing”. So then you improve yourself. But to use this situation to also try and kick that person is, in the end, a lose-lose situation.
Interview conducted by: Vadivu Govind, Director, Joy Works (joyworks.sg) on 13 Sept. 2012, Poh Ming Tse Temple, Singapore. She blogs at happiness.sg.