The more I think about the bodybuilder analogy, the more I realize how relevant it is to us. We all know that bodybuilders are extremely bad at street fights. They’re also bad at running, swimming, and other functional activities. Bodybuilding is about appearance – it’s like a beauty contest within the fitness world, similar to how Mr. Olympia is bodybuilding’s version of Miss Olympia/World.
This seems to reflect the bias in our public sector toward showing off results and reporting achievements, rather than focusing on more practical goals like outperforming competitors. In a global context, competing with other countries for markets is like a street fight – you have to be ready for real competition. And bodybuilders are very bad fighters, especially those with thin legs.