Why are we so competitive?

Is it simply because it is more fun to win than to whine…

This week has seen some remarkable sights.

The Government, has been in turmoil trying to get its welfare bill through Parliament.

Despite a thumping great majority of seats in the Commons, so many last-minute concessions were made that the Bill (and the bill too!) went from saving £5Bn to costing tens of millions. That is according to economist Paul Johnson from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

As Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Opposition pointed out at PMQs “This is the first PM in history to propose a bill to save money who ended up with a bill that costs money.” The Prime Minister had been embarrassed.

The weekly exchange was further notable for the tearful Chancellor of the Exchequer, sitting beside the Prime Minister, whom when specifically asked if she would be in post for the rest of this Parliament did not answer directly that she would.

Later The Chancellor’s Team said Rachel Reeves was upset about a personal matter, and on that basis no further details would be given.

Somewhat unfortunately the PM’s office subsequently released a statement, in response to conjecture that the Chancellor was upset because she was getting sacked, that tried to show support by saying that “The Chancellor was going nowhere”. An unfortunate turn of phrase quickly seized upon by her detractors to describe what they see as a lacklustre and ineffectual time in office. We shall see.

However, there is no denying that life in the public eye for Rachel Reeves is very tough and going to get worse…

In sport too, the pressure this week has been unrelenting. Manchester United was beaten by Saudi football club Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup. Such a defeat inevitably leads to discussions about the commitment of players, possible disloyalty through the transfer market, potential sackings and speculations about career-busting fitness.

And at Wimbledon, with seeded players being eliminated from the early rounds of the competition with what seems like increasing regularity, you must wonder what is happening that the competition can produce such unexpected results… this week the world number 2 Coco Gauff crashed out in the first round to the number 42 seeded women’s player. A public humiliation that just goes with the job, it seems (come on
Emma Raducanu).

All of which got me thinking… Why are we as a species so competitive that we put ourselves under such pressure?

Of course, there are the social and commercial imperatives. Everyone at ASEL desperately wants to give our clients a secure working environment in which they can succeed. By helping our clients to be more successful we can ourselves become more successful too. That’s
good for our clients and good for us.

And competition can also be as fundamental as good versus evil. How much does it mean to preserve our great way of life in the UK. A way of life that is constantly under threat from criminal organisations who would simply operate based on survival of the fittest, rather than what is right and just in a civilised society.

And that is all very worthy, but it does not explain everything…

Ever notice how a game of Monopoly at Christmas turns into a full-blown World War, even during the season of goodwill to all men? In the real world parking is free over the Festive Season… not on a gaming board though!

Why do colleagues suddenly look like Olympic sprinters when the last chocolate-glazed doughnut sits alone? And which one tastes the best… always the last one, snatched from the box depriving, at the last moment, others who would snap it up… and somehow due a worthy of a special victory lap as a result.

Humans evolved in packs of hairy, grunting ancestors who needed bragging rights over the juiciest berries. Claiming “I found the BIGGEST berry” meant “I might actually keep you from eating me tonight.”

Fast forward a few millennia, and we still jockey for status – now the berries are Instagram likes and performance reviews.

Competition is in our DNA. And we at ASEL certainly intend to zealously continue to expand our business, offering what we believe to be the best security services increasingly available to a growing customer base.

However, on many levels competition is vaguely ridiculous, hilarious … and fundamentally human. It sparks creativity, forges friendships (and rivalries), and – let’s admit it – gives us all a story worth retelling.

So, the next time you sneak that last doughnut, tip your hat to your inner caveman or cavewoman…

After all, it’s more fun to win than to whine.

Dan Hardy

CEO