Players say the competitive fire of their coaches has rubbed off on them.

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Their competitive fire has fueled their success, though John does a far better job of seeming in control on the sidelines.

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It takes fearless self confidence to take the risk that our humility will be mistaken for diffidence or a deficiency in competitive fire.

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There is a competitive fire in many managers who want to do all they can to win, and like NFL coaches they may be tempted to push, pull, and prod their people so that the team wins.

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They stop companies from engaging in perfectly legitimate, perfectly voluntary competitive actions, such as the sorts of pricing agreements that have come under fire in the Apple case.

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The maker of BlackBerry smartphones has been under heavy fire from shareholders and insiders alike for not being able to keep its competitive edge, with the stock down more than 53% this year.

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The problem for all players in this competitive low-end segment is that Amazon is more motivated by the prospect of the Kindle Fire as an enticing storefront for its merchandise than by direct profits.

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But it is rational, sound and in harmony with sport, not as it was in the days of " Chariots of Fire, " but as it is in the twenty first century: Unrelenting, mercilessly competitive and unsparingly achievement-oriented.

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"Companies that fire employees simply because of an economic downturn will lose the trust of workers and eventually lose the competitive edge, " he told the Japanese press.

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