I remember when I first played a Pokemon game and they asked for me to name who my Rival was. I always used to think that this was a person that was an enemy. However, the games would show that a rival is someone that brings out the best in us. They push us to be better so we can keep pushing each other further.
My rival does just that. He is someone that shoots for the stars on where he wants his career to go and, by extension, pushes me to do the same. I am confident that I would not be where I am without him.
I remember the first moment that I recognized this rivalry. It was after a leadership development training that we were both selected for at work. He was in a role that I previously was in and was talking about how systems should be developed foremost for the end user’s experience. It then should move its way upward. My stance was just that this is not how business works. Decisions need to be made from the top down because it would be so much wasted effort to take into account all of the end user’s needs. Additionally, that might change from plant to plant, and it is important to work on needs from the top down because the needs at the top are generally harder to deal with.
Even though he eventually came back and said that this was an important conversation for him and that he agreed with me, I took a lot away from the conversation and agreed with what he was saying too. Ironically, both of us had a perception that we were knowledgeable on the topic. The Rival mentioned that he felt like he always had a good understanding of business and that this conversation reminded him that there was a lot to learn. On the flip side, I always felt like I had a good understanding of people, and our conversation reminded me to not forget about end-users struggles, even if it is important for the overall business. Struggles are still real and frustrating for everyone.
After I took my design thinking class, I knew my Rival would be someone to benefit from these tools. He has always been a natural design thinker and super ambitious to be the best at whatever he put his mind to. As an engineering designer, he did just that. Now, it is awesome to watch him take on bigger issues and find ways to naturally use his talents to solve problems that cause road blocks. Watching him do what he does inspires me and pushes me to keep going down my path, and for that, I am very grateful.
