Are you a winner or a succeeder?
Think about it… what is motivating you to perform well at work or in sports? Do you want to be better than the rest? Or do you want to be the best you can be? In other words: do you want to win from others, or from yourself?
Having a relative versus an absolute measurement of success and failure probably has a big effect on the choices we make, and the way we work together with others. For instance, if I measure myself relative to others, success can be achieved by becoming better myself, but also by making others look bad. And winning or loosing a match might be less important if I focus on succeeding in doing all I set out to do.
In the following talk, coach John Wooden explains his view on the difference between winning and succeeding. In his opinion, succeeding is more important than winning. He supports this by a couple of lessons that can be summarised (with some interpretation) as follows:
- The end (result) is less important than the journey (effort)
- Focus on succeeding leads to a focus on what you control yourself and on what you can learn from others
- Focus on character (succeeding), rather than reputation (winning), or:
- Focus on who you really are, rather than on what you’re perceived to be
- The score (in a match) is not an objective, it’s a byproduct
- Trust your own judgement over others’
In dubio 