The Difference Between Playing to Win more and Playing Not to Lose

When I was at dinner with my colleague Marjorie, a sure-fire enterpriser, we tend to began talking regarding why some businesses appear to induce stuck at “good” and ne’er quite build it to “great” as delineate in Jim Collin’s well-known book on identical topic. we tend to united that abundant of the responsibility lies with the big businessman. however why will this happen?

Are You In It to Win more It?

She turned to Pine Tree State and aforementioned that she had recently been asked by a colleague if she is in business to win more– or simply to not lose. it had been a distinction I had ne’er detected before, however i used to be now intrigued by the nicety between approaching personal and skilled initiatives with a method to win versus a method to keep up establishment and easily concentrate on ‘not losing.’

Like all of you, I visited the net and did a probe on ‘winning versus not losing’ and was moon-faced with 409,000,000 results. i suppose others have detected this message, even supposing it had been new for me!

What the info Shows

What I learned by visiting a number of those sites was that there’s a definite distinction between the 2 attitudes. In article once article, the thought of taking part in to win more or to not lose was compound and examined.  The trade doesn’t matter; the dimensions of the corporate isn’t a factor; whether or not the organization sells services or product doesn’t count. once talking regarding taking part in to win or taking part in to not lose, it all very boils right down to intent and perspective.

The distinction Between taking part in to Win more and taking part in to not Lose

While I had not antecedently been awake to this idea, through my analysis I discovered that Harvard Business Review had tackled the difficulty 5 years past in March 2013, after they noted that leaders WHO play to not lose, “…worry regarding what would possibly get it wrong if they don’t push enough or aren’t careful enough. they’re alert and play to not lose, to hold on to what they need, to keep up the establishment.”

But what if you’re a pacesetter WHO needs to make a dynamic, impressive, distinguished company – what area unit the characteristics you’ll have to be compelled to get the task done? On April sixteen, 2016, in his article, ‘Playing to Win or taking part in to not Lose,’ author and sales skilled Anthony Iannarino provides this advice:

“If you’re taking part in to win, you are doing no matter is important to maneuver things forward. You sharply attempt to place points on the board. You’re not reckless, however you’re not at all passive. once you play to win, you create the decision that you just concern. you have got the troublesome speech communication. You take care of the difficult problems that will place your outcomes in danger if things go south on you.”

However, he continues to cue his readers, “If you’re taking part in to ‘not lose,’ you’re cautious. in all probability overly-cautious. you would like to avoid mistakes, therefore you wait and see. rather than doing what you recognize you wish to try to to, you wait to react. rather than victimisation all of your power to tilt things in your direction, you wait. You don’t act as a result of you’re fearful that something you are doing can place your deal in danger. You don’t build the decision to your dream consumer as a result of they aforementioned they required time to assume things over. You avoid talking regarding your worth as a result of you are concerned that your prospect can say it’s too high.”

What area unit Your Leadership Goals?

Does this sound only too acquainted to you? it’s troublesome to require on challenges as a pacesetter in a very company that involve risk and doubt. After all, you have got AN obligation to your workers, vendors, customers and therefore the community to make and sustain a profitable, tributary company. What if you create a mistake? What if you select the gold – and are available up empty handed? it’s not you alone WHO loses, however the complete company. creating safer, less daring selections could sound just like the a lot of prudent path.

But…Avoiding Failure therefore as to not Lose might not Be the most effective Answer

On the web site web.wholeheartedleaders.com there’s a piece signed solely by ‘David’ written on Nov twenty six, 2014 that recounts AN exchange he had with a business owner WHO confessed he had been leading his company with attention on not losing. David shares this story, (calling the owner’s self-fulfillment profound), to encourage alternative leaders to believe their own vogue and their company’s state of affairs.  He asks his audience if {they area unit|they’re} willing to guide by taking possibilities or whether or not they are property concern lead them.

He writes, “We will lead and live half-heartedly for variety of reasons, however i feel it boils right down to 2 primary concerns: fear of not having what it takes, and concern of failure. we are able to be afraid that we tend to don’t have what it takes to try to to what’s necessary. we are able to even be afraid to fail. the end result of those 2 fears is that the same – half-heartedness. Half-heartedness is additionally called taking part in to not lose.”

Is There a stronger Way?

Over the centuries we’ve got learned that failing shouldn’t be one thing to avoid in any respect prices. In fact, it’s solely by failing that we tend to learn (as people and as business leaders) the way to improve, the way to grow, and the way to be our greatest. we tend to area unit all smarter once we build a slip-up and notice the answer that permits US to get over it.

When talking regarding the importance of creating mistakes, have you ever ever detected the known story of however 3M created Post-It Notes?

Post-It Notes Were made-up by Accident: it had been Deemed a Failure!!

Two ‘accidents’ cause the invention of the Post-It note.  In 1968, sociologist Silver was acting at 3M making an attempt to form super sturdy adhesives to be used within the region trade. rather than an excellent sturdy adhesive, though, he accidentally managed to form Associate in Nursing implausibly weak, pressure sensitive adhesive agent that didn’t interest 3M management because it was seen as too weak to be helpful.  Despite having notable options that enabled it to be unclothed away simply while not going away a residue and jutting to virtually any surface, no one, not even Silver himself, may create mentally a decent marketable use for it. currently came the second ‘accident,’ spear headed by chemical engineer Art Fry. operating with 2 alternative 3M staff, Roger Merrill and Henry Courtney, Fry resurrected the merchandise another time. Finally, in 1977 3M began running take a look at sale runs of the Post-It note, then known as “Press ‘n Peel.” once 5 years of constant rejection for the adhesive and another seven years in development and initial rejection, Post-It notes were finally successful – and have since become a mainstay in offices the globe over. these days it’s one in all the highest 5 bestselling workplace offer merchandise within the world. What a failure!

Without Failure There is No Real Progress

So if somebody asks you if you’re within the game to win it or simply to not snap, bear in mind the words President spoke on the subject of  ‘playing to win versus to not lose’:

“It isn’t the critic UN agency counts; not the person UN agency points out however the sturdy man stumbles, or wherever the human of deeds may have done them higher. The credit belongs to the person UN agency is truly within the arena, UN agencyse face is marred by dirt and sweat and blood; UN agency strives valiantly; who errs, UN agency comes short once more and once more, as a result of there’s no effort while not error and shortcoming; however UN agency will truly attempt to try to to the deeds; UN agency is aware of nice enthusiasms, the good devotions; UN agency spends himself in an exceedingly worthy cause; UN agency at the simplest is aware of within the finish the triumph of high action, and UN agency at the worst, if he fails, a minimum of fails whereas daring greatly, so his place shall ne’er be with those cold and timid souls UN agency neither recognize ending nor defeat.”