What Is Winning?
Winning isn’t about what the scoreboard says. Winning isn’t about how big your bank account is.
Winning is being able to look in the mirror and say, “I have nothing left. Today, I did everything I could to be as good as I could be.”
Winning is knowing that you gave your full effort. It is choosing discipline, preparation, and purpose, regardless of what the final score says.
Find Your Purpose
People often say, “I don’t know what my purpose is. I don’t know what I really want.”
Here is what I always ask:
- What do you think about first thing in the morning?
- What do you think about before you go to bed?
- What idea, goal, or responsibility continues to call your attention?
Your purpose is often connected to the thoughts you cannot shake, the work that energizes you, and the impact you feel called to make.
Your purpose is often revealed by what consistently holds your attention.
The “I” in Team
Everybody wants to know, “What’s in it for me?”
There is nothing wrong with having personal goals. Every person should know what they are working toward and why it matters.
But there are also team goals. When personal goals and team goals do not align, conflict is almost guaranteed.
People may begin to believe that you care more about your individual recognition than the success of the team.
A stronger approach is to clearly define what the team needs to accomplish and explain how everyone benefits when those goals are reached.
Every time the team hits a goal, everyone should understand how they receive a piece of the success.
That is what people really want to know.
It is great that the company may reach a financial target, but employees also want to understand how that success connects to their individual goals, their careers, and their families.
Personal goals and team goals do not have to compete.
Strong leaders create alignment so people can see how team success supports individual success.
Pick Your Team Wisely
Your circle of influence is one of the most critical parts of your life when you are trying to win.
Evaluate the people you spend most of your time with when you are not with your immediate family.
Ask yourself:
- Who receives most of my time?
- What kinds of conversations do we have?
- Do these people encourage growth, accountability, and progress?
- Or are our conversations consistently filled with negativity, excuses, and drama?
Look carefully at the people receiving your time. Look at where their lives are headed and pay attention to the conversations you have with them.
If their conversations are constantly negative and their lives are filled with drama, that negativity and drama will eventually become part of your life too.
Your environment shapes your expectations. Your conversations shape your thinking. Your circle influences your choices.
The people closest to you will either strengthen your purpose or distract you from it.
Create a culture where individual purpose and team success work together.
Bring Almon Gunter to your organization for a keynote, workshop, leadership program, or team-development experience focused on accountability, alignment, and winning together.
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