I was just talking to my friend, Kris Dunn, about my views of competition. There is a fine line between confidence and insecurity — especially in the business world.

My Punk Rock HR philosophy on competition? When you feel like you have something to prove, you fail.

• Know that you are great,
• own it,
• and move forward without malice and with the intention to succeed.

There is no competition when you believe in yourself and you act on your abilities. When you stop viewing success as a zero-sum game, people become partners instead of adversaries.

Trust me, it’s awesome.

It’s Sunday, and the NFL is back in action. When I think of sports and Human Resources, only one man comes to mind: Kris Dunn.

Let me tell you a little something about Kris. When I first started blogging, Kris sent me a positive email with very encouraging words. When I was unsure about where to take my career, Kris encouraged me to write. When I was ambivalent & wondering about the future of this blog, Kris told me to buy the domain PUNKROCKHR — or he would buy it and I would ultimately have to buy it from him via a domain broker (& at a much higher price).

You know what? You can’t get that kind of support from most people, and Kris gave it to me. We don’t agree on much, and he doesn’t link back to my blog because he’s afraid his readership would object to my brand of sauciness, but Kris has given me mad props & support at multiple points during my blogging career.

The internet is so great, dudes. Kris and I don’t have much in common when it comes to politics, but we share a passion for improving the field of Human Resources. We also enjoy retro 80s references, making fun of Bucky Covington, and Green Day. If that’s not a basis for a great relationship in the field of HR, I don’t know what is.

Kris, here’s a sunday shout-out to you: stay offline and enjoy Week #1 of the NFL!