Are You Playing to Win? (Or playing not to lose?)
Playing not to lose
The past few years have thrown many businesses into survival mode. That means that the entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs driving these organizations have been operating under significant stress—they’re battle worn to say the least. Our behaviors, decision making, communication and productivity under stress may help us to survive, except they won’t get us much further than that. Too many of you are still “playing not to lose.” You’re cautious, hesitant, exhausted, even resentful. And while that’s understandable, playing not to lose will not grow your business. When you bring these behaviors forward after the battle, you’ll not only stay where you’re at, you’ll re-create the cycle of stress, tension and anxiety. Often times, you’re unknowingly creating conflict within your teams and perhaps within your prospect/client interactions.*
photo credit: Gary Hershorn/Reuters
Playing to Win
We all know what it feels like to Play to Win! To take healthy risks, to do the hard work of putting yourself out there. To get your mojo back and start making big things happen! Making the transition to start Playing to Win is a challenge though. It takes guts, persistence and consistent attention and support because it’s a process–for you and your entire team. Do you have the tools and the support to get your team to make this shift?
We’re helping our clients make this transition and we want to help you! Give us a call 704.281.3111 to explore our coaching programs and how they can support you in growing your business and developing your leadership.
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Brilliant article. You articulated succinctly a serious challenge that business people are experiencing. Your article is a wake up call.
I see a lot of companies “playing not to lose” in the marketing game too, especially in digital media–Facebook, blogging, Twitter, Youtube, etc. Because of the relative newness of these opportunities, company leaders often let their worry about getting left behind (“our competitors are all doing it!”) can (and often does) lead to rash decisions about new marketing campaigns–most of which fizzle out and die before returning results, but not before costing the company time and money. Taking the time to slow down, focus up, get some training, and tackle the market with a plan gives companies the opportunity to “play to win.”