How To Earn Praise And Respect From Your Rivals
Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry put on a sensational performance to lead his team to an overtime victory on Saturday. His night included racking up 46 points while going 12 for 16 from beyond the arc, including a last second three pointer to win the game.
Twitter erupted during and after the game, and Curry was showered by praise from some of his fiercest rivals.
That boy steph somethin else lol
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 28, 2016
STEPH CURYY IS LITERALLY INSANE
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) February 28, 2016
Steph curry best shooter ever
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) February 28, 2016
Curry is UNREAL!!!!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) February 28, 2016
He can't be human.
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 28, 2016
Cleveland’s LeBron James, who Curry’s Warriors snuffed out in last year’s Finals, gave Curry one of the most striking endorsements.
@StephenCurry30 needs to stop it man!! He's ridiculous man! Never before seen someone like him in the history of ball!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 28, 2016
As a business professional, earning praise and respect from your industry rivals can give you or your business a major credibility boost that often translates into new opportunities. There are three primary factors that can draw this type of positive recognition.
- Comradery. Not all rivals should be viewed as enemies. In business, there are many advantages to befriending one or more of your competitors. Whether the relationships are genuine or more of a “frienemy” connection, having those associations increases your likelihood of earning praise from your rivals.
- Compassion. When Vice President Joe Biden lost his son to brain cancer, he received kind words from some of his biggest critics like Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Sarah Palin. While a public display of compassion can be a bit self-serving for the person expressing it, it still demonstrates that the person receiving it commands respect.
- Conformity. Good old-fashioned peer pressure can trigger praise from a competitor. As soon as a few high profile players tweeted about Curry’s performance, others likely felt obligated to do the same.
You don’t have to be the Stephen Curry of your industry to generate positive recognition from your rivals. By understanding the driving factors, you are better prepared to soak in praise and respect from the competition.
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Brian Hart is the founder and president of Flackable, a national financial public relations agency. Learn more at www.flackable.com or www.brianhartpr.com. Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianHartPR.
