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PLAY TO WIN .. or Play Not To Lose?

Guest post by: Sheri Andrunyk

Article Overview: Whether as a parent, partner, small business owner or sales manager, we all know that there are two ways to initiate an important (perhaps even challenging) conversation or project. We can play to win - or play not to lose. Playing to win requires some strategy and taking into consideration how the other person(s) will be affected and hopefully benefit. It also commands a sense of purpose, responsibility and a fair bit of effort! Playing not to lose takes just about as much out of you, without the potential \\\\\\\'positives\\\\\\\' that come from playing to win. What are the signs that you have slipped into this mode; perhaps trying \\\\\\\'really hard\\\\\\\', feeling tired, disheartened or discouraged, confused, or unclear?

PLAY TO WIN .. or Play Not To Lose?

...The answer...? \\\\\\\'Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Or maybe it sounds like the same thing - on the surface?

Most of the country watched some of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. If you saw the Canada/Slovakia hockey game and especially the Canada/U.S. final game for the Gold and Silver medals, this might ring a little familiar (as referenced by one of the commentators).

When you are tired, unsure, second-guessing yourself ... (you can fill in the blanks) ... almost unknowingly you change your paradigm and \\\\\\\'play not to lose\\\\\\\'! The trouble is that it usually leads to very undesirable or at least ineffective results.

That said, the coaches and players of Team Canada showed \\\\\\\'with inspiration and determination\\\\\\\' that you can almost as easily shift your paradigm back - and play to win!

I believe that this is another great metaphor in life.

Whether as a parent, partner, small business owner or sales manager, we all know that there are two ways to initiate an important (perhaps even challenging) conversation or project. We can play to win - or play not to lose.

Playing to win requires some strategy and taking into consideration how the other person(s) will be affected and hopefully benefit. It also commands a sense of purpose, responsibility and a fair bit of effort!

Playing not to lose takes just about as much out of you, without the potential \\\\\\\'positives\\\\\\\' that come from playing to win. What are the signs that you have slipped into this mode; perhaps trying \\\\\\\'really hard\\\\\\\', feeling tired, disheartened or discouraged, confused, or unclear?

What are some of the ways that you can you get it back and stay in \\\\\\\'play to win\\\\\\\' mode more often than not?

• Be clear about what you want and recognize the needs of others too
• Be confident in your own skills and strengths and also acknowledge other\\\\\\\'s abilities
• Be a team player - make it easy for others to shine around you
• Pay attention to your internal dialogue, body language and actions - allow yourself to notice what is working for you (or not) and have the courage to make the necessary adjustments

Every day, every week, month and season, gives us the opportunity to learn... and start fresh!

Here\\\\\\\'s to your success in life and business!

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Article Tags: business, choice management, nlp, personal growth, psychology, Success, worklife balance



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