Law of the Antagonist

George Koukis Speaks Personally on
Using Enemy Fire to Strengthen Resolve

One day, when Temenos was in its second year, I received a visit from my biggest competitor. At that time, any company in the sector was bigger than ours, but this man topped the list at number one. After a two-hour meeting, I took him out to dinner at my favorite restaurant in Geneva. I waited throughout our entire dinner, until the dessert coffee was served, to ask him why he was really there with me.

He told me he wanted to explore cooperation between our companies, but I knew from experience and reputation the way this man ran his business. It was unethical, unfair, and corrupt. I asked him to explain further what he meant by “cooperation.” He rested his spoon on his saucer and smiled. “We would like to acquire you.”

“Temenos is not for sale,” I replied. “But if you are here to make a deal, why don’t you sell me your business?” I remember vividly that he was so taken aback by my statement—and my failure to acquiesce to his arrogance and bullying—that he spilled his coffee all over the pristine tablecloth.

After a few moments of expressive anger that showed much more accurately who this man really was at his core, he hissed, “I am a one billion dollar corporation, and you are nothing more than an insignificant, piddling little company. You have nothing and in twelve months’ time will probably not even be around! Besides, where would you even find the money?”

Emboldened and laser focused by the hubris and sheer rudeness of his statements, I said calmly, “Temenos will defeat your business by winning any competition we have against you.”

In time, my words proved true—almost prophetic it seemed. In climbing to the top rankings within our industry, Temenos not only survived, but grew and thrived, frequently bringing his former clients right along with us as we eclipsed him and his business.

 Practical Application for Ethical Leadership

From Adversary to Advantage—the Law of the Antagonist

Whether we are aspiring or veteran business leaders, we go to battle every day. We fight for our companies, our employees, our reputation, and our longevity. We arm ourselves with certifications, skill sets, and thought leadership in an effort to stay ahead and outpace the competition.

Yet, for all our efforts to prepare ourselves we will all experience opposing forces along the way—ones bent on destroying what we’ve worked hard to build. Someone who appears to be bigger and better equipped, with more support and influence than we could dream.

When this happens, we can cower at the front line, painfully aware of how minimally outfitted we are against the competitor’s sheer strength, or we can use this “disadvantage” to find within ourselves the power and fearlessness to rise to the challenge and forge ahead.

This is the basis for the “Law of the Antagonist”—that no one is more capable of pushing us to greatness, of driving us to dig deep and find within ourselves unknown strength and fortitude, than our enemy. To this end, even the strongest opposition can be used as a force for good.

To adopt such a mindset requires reversal of one of our most innate and primal senses—that of self-preservation. When a threat presents itself, the “fight or flight” of our unrestrained, instinctive lizard brain kicks in. And when the enemy appears to be the overwhelming favorite—with bigger budgets, more marketing, and friends on the right subcommittee—flight can seem an almost rational choice. But this is how bullies are bred.

Instilling fear and trepidation in an opponent is an age-old and primitive—yet often effective—way the powerful have maintained their death-grip on power.

In these moments, the ethical and fearless leader will redefine “advantage”—
and begin to view opposition as opportunity.

When we are able to think dispassionately past our immediate reactions to the behaviors and threats of antagonists and enemies, we may be able to see they are not to be feared. The leader of integrity—focused on greatness—will also see that in their threats and actions, the enemy and antagonist are providing us with access to a force we may never have found on our own.

We succeed when we use the forces against us to draw out and ignite our own courage, to heighten our awareness of our own potential and that of those around us, and to embolden us to see and acknowledge our own sheer strength and limitless capability to do what we know needs to be done—no matter the odds.