Rooting for Rivals: Lessons From Ray Kroc & Robert Mondavi

— by Peter Greer

As he was building the McDonald’s empire, Ray Kroc famously commented, “If any of my competitors were drowning, I’d stick a hose in their mouth and turn on the water. This is rat eat rat, dog eat dog.  . . . You’re talking about the American way.” Kroc may define this approach as the American way, but not all entrepreneurs would agree. 

Winemaker Robert Mondavi pursued an alternative approach to Kroc’s cutthroat competition and cast a different vision. The opening line in his sales manual summed up his philosophy: “Your competitor is your ally.” 

Born in 1914 to Italian immigrants to the United States, Mondavi had winemaking in his genes. After working with his brother and father for two decades, Robert struck out on his own in 1966, when he founded Napa’s first major winery since Prohibition. Committed to excellence, he built his winery after visiting the most famous wineries in Europe and learning from global industry experts.

Mondavi could have hidden his discoveries from his compatriots in California, attempting to grow his winery alone. After all, wouldn’t it be better for business if his wine were superior to that of the other vineyards around him? Isn’t this survival of the fittest? But Mondavi did something unheard of: After each trip to leading European winemakers, he invited owners of the surrounding rival vineyards to his vineyard and shared with them what he had just learned.

Mondavi’s generosity extended beyond his fellow vineyard owners. Over the decades he lived and worked in the winery business, he led many “mission tours” throughout the region to create awareness about the burgeoning wine movement in Napa. After Mondavi’s death in 2008, his son Tim described his father’s strong personal ties with many winemakers. “He developed friendships with other [winemakers] and exchanged ideas with many people. Not only did he learn from them but we shared what we had learned.”

Why would he share with his direct competition all the valuable information he’d spent years gathering? He could have used his expertise in winemaking to outperform every winery in the country. Why didn’t he?

Mondavi believed in a bigger vision than owning a great winery. He wanted the entire Napa Valley to be known as an exceptional wine region. His vision expanded beyond the boundaries of his vineyard. In Entrepreneur magazine, Tracy Byrnes writes that Mondavi “pushed Napa Valley to up its standards and compete with the world. He supported everyone and shared everything he had, all to make sure they won.” His vision was about what “they” could accomplish together and not merely about his own vineyard.

Mondavi’s generous, openhanded leadership approach with his rivals succeeded beyond what he could have hoped. Today, Napa Valley is the American wine destination. Amateurs and sommeliers from around the world descend on Napa to experience the movement Mondavi started by helping his competitors win. The mission of Napa Valley hasn’t been achieved by one singularly successful winery. The collective work and collaboration of the valley’s winemakers, propelled by Mondavi in the 1960s, made it possible. Robert Mondavi saw beyond his winery’s boundaries and was a pioneer in ideas of collective impact, open-sourcing, and cluster theory. 

Though we have no evidence to suggest that Mondavi was intentionally building his business on Christian principles, he led with open hands, humility, and an attitude of abundance. If openhanded generosity put Napa Valley on the map, imagine the impact if followers of the One who turned water into wine decided to pursue a similar path. What if those who follow Jesus were known as ridiculously open-handed and generous, focused on a calling that extended beyond the boundaries of any one organization? 

It's challenging to tame our egos to prioritize the Kingdom over our little clubs. But when we lead with radical generosity and openhandedness--seeing beyond the boundaries of our organizations, businesses, and churches--the Kingdom expands.

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Adapted from Rooting for Rivals by Peter Greer and Chris Horst with Jill Heisey. More info at www.rootingforrivals.com.

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