A Win is a Win

You know what a sports fan, athlete or coach will never say?  "That was a bad win."   

Never. You will never ever hear them say that. Why? Because a win is a win. You don't put an asterisk next to it. You don't make excuses. You accept the win.   

So why don't YOU do that at work? Instead of thinking of this phrase as a sports cliche, look at it as an opportunity for self-reflection and bigger conversations at work.

As I mentioned in the video there are certain ways we want to show up in business that reflect our brand and our values. I'm not suggesting you win at all costs. I do want you to be better about acknowledging and taking responsibility for your success. Here are three easy ways to do that. 

1. Find attainable wins. If everything is a stretch goal, a monumental task or something that requires max effort it's really tough to stack wins. Here's an example of an attainable win, saying hello and hearing it in response. I do this all the time in locker rooms. Another easy win for me? Getting my coffee ready and setting the timer on the coffee maker before I go to bed so it's already brewed when I get up in the morning. Don't overthink or overlook the number of W's in your day. 

2. Only count the reps you did. Picture being in the gym or doing or a workout. Do you finish the workout and say "I didn't get to rep 10 today" or "I couldn't make it to mile 4 today." I doubt it. It's more likely you say "I ran 3 miles today," or "I maxed out at 9 reps." We'll accept our success in a workout more easily in business partly because of how we talk about it. Start talking about what you did, not what you failed to do.

3. Yes/No. It's a simple question that takes the emotion out of the equation. Did you get the job done? Yes or no. Did you send the emails you needed to send? Yes or no. Did you get to the grocery store today? Yes or No. When we attach emotion to outcomes it's easier to be critical about our wins. A simple yes or no can help us identify wins during the day. 

Final thoughts on this topic... acknowledging and stacking wins is important for confidence and confirmation. Confidence that you can do it and confirmation you're on the right track. Give yourself the same acknowledgement you give your favorite athlete or team. If you're willing to accept their wins you should be willing to accept yours.