Playing to win is about growth. You are strategic and proactive. You have a vision. You do your own thing. You focus on the next thing your customer wants, not what your competitors are doing. It requires one to boldly adapt to change and be innovative. It doesn’t matter if it is a person or a whole business.
For example who would have thought that a cellphone would be a camera as well? When I was in Kenya last year my iPhone worked better than the camera that I had. I didn’t even use the phone part while I was there. I was also amazed that many Kenyans had a cellphone, no electricity or running water, but they did have the cellphone. Satellites provided the infrastructure to utilize the cellphone. It was used to pay for things and was being used for education. Both situations are great examples of adapting to change and being innovative.
Playing not to lose is about survival. You are reactive, just doing enough to keep the status quo. You don’t like change. You follow the crowd.
When our country was founded our fore fathers were playing to win. They had a vision – “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that included Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Those who signed the declaration risked their life, their families’ lives and all their material possessions.
Are you playing to win or playing not to lose? Enjoy the summer.
Mary Guldan-Lindstrom
