Respect for the Position. The Game. The Competition.

In today’s culture of business, sports, and media, we often glorify dominance. The pressure is to crush the competition, out-strategize, out-recruit, out-spend, and impose your will.

Respect for competitors? That’s often seen as soft—a quaint ideal of a bygone era. 

But here’s the truth: Behind closed doors, many of the most respected leaders don’t just acknowledge their rivals—they study them, learn from them, and admire them.

The problem? Most are afraid to say it out loud.

Why? Because somewhere along the line, we started mistaking respect for surrender. We started associating humility with a lack of confidence—when in reality, it’s the greatest sign of it.

But every now and then, two leaders come along who remind us what real competition looks like. Fierce. Focused. And full of grace.

We saw that grace in action when two powerhouse women’s basketball programs—UConn and USC—met twice during the 2024–2025 campaign.

In December, USC edged out UConn 72–70 on the road. On Monday, UConn returned the favor in the NCAA Elite Eight, defeating USC 78–64 to punch their ticket to the Final Four in Tampa.

Two games. Two elite teams. And two transformational coaches—Geno Auriemma and Lindsay Gottlieb—who model a type of leadership that’s becoming rare. They embody that beautiful combination: a tenacious hunger to compete and a deep well of respect for their opponents.

What stood out wasn’t just the talent on the floor. It was what happened after the final buzzer on Monday night.

USC had just fallen short of their first Final Four in decades—and they had to do it without their generational star, JuJu Watkins, who suffered a devastating torn ACL injury earlier in the NCAA tournament. Yet Coach Gottlieb, in the face of defeat, began her postgame remarks by expressing how proud she was of her team’s resilience, heart, and how they raised the bar of excellence and the standard for the program even in loss over the course of the year—with immense admiration for Coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies program.

“I want to start out first by congratulating a UConn team that is really good—obviously could win the National Championship. But to me, it’s the way they do it. Nothing but respect.”

She then shared a personal moment that speaks volumes:

“On December 23rd, we were on our Christmas break, and I was at a Christmas party or something, and I got a text from Geno two days after we had just beaten them. He said, ‘Hey, I was just thinking about what a great win that was for you and your program. I love your team, and I hope we meet up in Tampa.’”

“And I just think about the people who are secure enough to be able to see it from the other side and take a moment two days later to say that was a big win for our program—at their place, or for me because I’m from there. And so to them I would also say, as much as this hurts for our kids, how do you not have respect and root for a team that had to figure some things out too along the way and has battled injuries,” Coach Gottlieb expressed.

Think about that. One of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball—Coach Auriemma—reaching out after a loss, not with resentment, but with respect. With a long view. With perspective. With humanity. This wasn’t performative. It was genuine.

Too often, we allow ourselves to be consumed by outcomes. The wins. The losses. The revenue. The headlines.

But if we zoom out, we’re all playing a much bigger game—the game of life. One with an end that’s not determined by a scoreboard but by the impact we leave behind and the people we elevate along the way.

We each get a birth date… and a dash. How we live, lead, love, and serve in between the dash is ours to shape daily.

Realize leadership isn’t just about closing deals or winning championships. It’s about modeling what character looks like in moments of both triumph and defeat. Great leaders use the platform of competition to teach, prepare, and transform.

Respect for our competitors doesn’t diminish us. It elevates the standard. It humanizes the game and the process of the craft. It reminds us that we’re not just leading organizations or programs—we’re shaping people. And one of the most powerful lessons we can teach is how to lose with dignity and how to win with humility. And how to compete at the game, in the craft, and in life—no matter the obstacle in the way.

So the next time you go to battle—on the court, in the boardroom, or in your field—remember: The real victory might just be the example you set when the game or moment is over.

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