World Cup Wisdom: Play To Win Rathe

World Cup Wisdom: Play To Win Rather Than To Avoid Losing
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Like so many millions around the world who watched the Germany vs. Argentina World Cup final, I was waiting for Messi, Argentina’s superstar player, to have his Maradona moment.

Alas it never came. When outstanding teamwork enabled Germany to finally scored the one and only game-winning goal with a few minutes to play in extra time, I had to reach for the tissues. And yes, it has to be said, I cried for Argentina.

While I’m not a particularly big soccer fan most the time, I’ve grown to love the World Cup. The spectacle, the emotion, the anticipation, the elation of victory and the bitter disappointment of defeat. There’s been plenty of it all.

The World Cup holds many lessons on creating a game winning strategy that parlay well beyond the soccer field. Many times over the last month the commentators have expounded on whether a team is playing to win, or playing not to lose. It struck me how well these two approaches describe the mindset many people bring to their relationships, work and life.

When you are playing not to lose your focus isn’t on what you could gain but on protecting what you already have. Your energies are channeled into shoring up the status quo, and guarding against what you don’t want to happen. While sometimes that’s where your focus needs to be, it’s driven by what scares you – on what you don’t want – rather than by what inspires you – on what you do want. Playing to lose can quickly become a vicious cycle. As I wrote in Stop Playing Safe, “While playing safe may feel safe in the short term, while we’re busily protecting what we have, we can get left behind as the world around us marches steadily forward.”

Instead of speaking up to add value at work, people stay quiet to avoid rocking the boat or endangering their position. But when their company starts making cutbacks, they are often less valued than those who’ve been willing to stick their neck out and can be counted on for a candid opinion.
Instead of pursuing a big passion, or seizing a bold opportunity, people stick with the comforting familiar. Then, ten years down the track, they find themselves treading water in a job that bores them, or living a life that is a shadow of the one they’d once imagined
Instead of developing a new service or product to cater for a new market or opportunity you keep perfecting the one you’ve got. All the while competitors seize the crucial early advantage. Think Kodak.

When you are playing to win your energy is channeled into creating new opportunities, breaking new ground, and going after what you want to make happen. It requires putting what you already have at risk for the sake of something bigger, something better. It’s about trading the safety of the known for the uncertainty of a future that is yet to be created. It takes courage because it involves risk.

Research by Daniel Kahnaman (author of Thinking Fast and Slow) as well as other psychologists have found that when it comes to assessing risk, potential losses always loom larger than gains. In fact, we are neurologically wired to overestimate the size of risks, underestimate our ability to handle them and to discount the cost of inaction. Which is why, as you move through life you must regularly call your own “Time Out” to reflect on where you may be approaching your challenges, your career, your business and your life in general with the wrong strategy. (Hint: If you aren’t happy about where you are now, or inspired by where you’re headed, then it’s a sign you’re current strategy needs attention!)

Yes, Messi missed his Maradona moment today but none of that takes away from the supreme effort of Messi and the Argentinian team who played hard to win right up until that final whistle blew.

Likewise, when you play to win in the bigger game of life you won’t always kick the game-winning goal. Sometimes you will fall short of the mark, and sometimes your risks won’t pay off as you’d hoped. But you have to ask yourself what bigger prize you put at risk when you go through life focused only on protecting what you have, avoiding any risk of failing and chance of losing face?

If you only ever work to protect what you’ve already have, you miss out on accomplishing what still waiting to be done and seizing the opportunities inherent in change. To quote Helen Keller: “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” So play to win. Not to not lose. In the larger game of life, playing safe is the most dangerous game plan of all.

結果 (繁體中文) 1:

世界盃智慧: 打贏而不是避免虧損現在評論跟隨評論像這麼多世界各地上百萬的人觀看德國與阿根廷世界盃的決賽，我正在等待 Messi，阿根廷巨星球員，有他的馬拉多納時刻。唉它永遠不會來了。優秀的團隊合作啟用德國最後得分一和只遊戲制勝一球與幾分鐘在額外時間玩，不得不伸手的組織。我是的這不得不說，為阿根廷哭泣。雖然我不是一個特別大的足球迷最的時間，我已經逐漸開始喜歡世界盃。眼鏡、 情感、 期待、 勝利的喜悅和失敗的痛苦失望。一直有大量的這一切。世界盃遠遠超出足球場舉行有關創建遊戲的制勝策略 parlay 的許多經驗教訓。過去一個月多次評論員都闡述團隊是打贏了，還是玩不能失去。它擊中我如何好這兩種方法描述很多人帶給他們的人際關係、 工作和生活的心態。When you are playing not to lose your focus isn’t on what you could gain but on protecting what you already have. Your energies are channeled into shoring up the status quo, and guarding against what you don’t want to happen. While sometimes that’s where your focus needs to be, it’s driven by what scares you – on what you don’t want – rather than by what inspires you – on what you do want. Playing to lose can quickly become a vicious cycle. As I wrote in Stop Playing Safe, “While playing safe may feel safe in the short term, while we’re busily protecting what we have, we can get left behind as the world around us marches steadily forward.” Instead of speaking up to add value at work, people stay quiet to avoid rocking the boat or endangering their position. But when their company starts making cutbacks, they are often less valued than those who’ve been willing to stick their neck out and can be counted on for a candid opinion. Instead of pursuing a big passion, or seizing a bold opportunity, people stick with the comforting familiar. Then, ten years down the track, they find themselves treading water in a job that bores them, or living a life that is a shadow of the one they’d once imagined Instead of developing a new service or product to cater for a new market or opportunity you keep perfecting the one you’ve got. All the while competitors seize the crucial early advantage. Think Kodak.When you are playing to win your energy is channeled into creating new opportunities, breaking new ground, and going after what you want to make happen. It requires putting what you already have at risk for the sake of something bigger, something better. It’s about trading the safety of the known for the uncertainty of a future that is yet to be created. It takes courage because it involves risk.Research by Daniel Kahnaman (author of Thinking Fast and Slow) as well as other psychologists have found that when it comes to assessing risk, potential losses always loom larger than gains. In fact, we are neurologically wired to overestimate the size of risks, underestimate our ability to handle them and to discount the cost of inaction. Which is why, as you move through life you must regularly call your own “Time Out” to reflect on where you may be approaching your challenges, your career, your business and your life in general with the wrong strategy. (Hint: If you aren’t happy about where you are now, or inspired by where you’re headed, then it’s a sign you’re current strategy needs attention!)Yes, Messi missed his Maradona moment today but none of that takes away from the supreme effort of Messi and the Argentinian team who played hard to win right up until that final whistle blew.Likewise, when you play to win in the bigger game of life you won’t always kick the game-winning goal. Sometimes you will fall short of the mark, and sometimes your risks won’t pay off as you’d hoped. But you have to ask yourself what bigger prize you put at risk when you go through life focused only on protecting what you have, avoiding any risk of failing and chance of losing face?If you only ever work to protect what you’ve already have, you miss out on accomplishing what still waiting to be done and seizing the opportunities inherent in change. To quote Helen Keller: “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” So play to win. Not to not lose. In the larger game of life, playing safe is the most dangerous game plan of all.

結果 (繁體中文) 2:

世界杯智慧：為勝利而戰，而不是避免丟失
評論現在跟隨評論像許多數以百萬計誰看了德國與阿根廷的世界杯決賽，我在等待梅西，阿根廷的超級巨星的球員，有他的那一刻，馬拉多納在世界各地。唉它永遠不會來了。當優秀的團隊合作使德國終於打進唯一勝負的進球有幾分鐘額外的時間玩，我必須達到的組織。是的，它必須說，我哭了阿根廷。雖然我不是一個特別大的足球迷最多的時候，我已經成長為愛世界杯。眼鏡，情感，期待，勝利的得意和失敗的痛苦的失望。還有的是大量的一切的。世界杯舉行創造一個比賽獲勝的戰略，互通遠遠超出了足球場上許多經驗教訓。很多時候，過去一個月的評論家們闡述了一支球隊無論是打贏，還是玩不輸。忽然想起了這兩種方法如何形容的心態很多人帶給他們的關係，工作和生活。當你在玩不要失去你的重點不在於你能獲得，但是，保護你已經擁有的。你的精力都引導到夯實的現狀，以及防範不希望發生的事情。雖然有時這就是你的重點必須是，它是由什麼讓你害怕驅動-你不想要的東西-而不是什麼激勵你-你到底想要什麼。打輸能迅速成為一個惡性循環。正如我寫在停止打穩扎，“雖然打穩扎可能會感到安全在短期內，而我們正在忙著保護我們所擁有的，我們可以被甩在後面，成為世界各地的我們進軍穩步前行。” 而不是說最多在工作中增加價值，人們保持安靜，避免無事生非或危及他們的位置。但是，當他們開始公司削減製作，他們往往不到那些誰已經願意堅持自己的脖子上，也可以說算的上一個坦誠的意見的重視。而不是追求一個大的激情，或抓住一個大膽的機遇，堅持人與安慰熟悉。然後，十年下降的軌道，他們發現自己踩水在孔他們的工作，或生活的生活，是一個影子，他們會想像一旦而是開發一個新的服務或產品，以滿足新的市場或機會你保持完善你有一個。所有的，而競爭對手抓住關鍵的早期優勢。柯達認為，當你在玩贏得你的能量引導到創造新的機遇，新的突破，而你想發生什麼後繼續前進。它需要把你已經擁有的風險為求更大的東西，更好的東西。這是關於交易的已知安全的未來是尚未建立的不確定性。這需要勇氣，因為它涉及的風險。研究由丹尼爾Kahnaman以及其他心理學家（思考快速和慢速的作者）發現，當它涉及到評估風險，潛在損失總是比的機子更大的收益。事實上，我們都神經學有線高估風險的大小，低估自己來處理它們，並以優惠無所作為的代價能力。這就是為什麼，當你移動通過生活中你必須定期調用自己的“超時”，以反映你在哪裡可能會接近你挑戰，你的事業，您的企業和一般的生活與錯誤的戰略。（提示：如果你不快樂在哪裡你現在，或者啟發你的方向，那麼它是你當前的戰略需要注意的標誌）是的，今天的梅西錯過了馬拉多納此刻卻沒有這需要距離梅西的最大的努力，誰打的很努力贏得的權利，直到這最後的哨聲吹響了阿根廷隊。同樣，當你玩贏得更大的遊戲人生，你將永遠不會踢比賽獲勝的目標。有時候你會功虧一簣的標誌，有時你的風險將不會還清，你所希望的。但是，你要問自己，你放什麼更大的獎有風險，當你經歷人生只注重保護你所擁有的，避免了失敗和丟臉？的機會的風險。如果你只有永遠的工作來保護你已經有，你錯過了什麼辦成仍然有待完成，抓住機遇固有的變化。引用海倫·凱勒：“避免危險的是，從長遠來看不是赤裸裸的暴露沒有安全。可怕的是抓住盡可能多的大膽。“因此，發揮取勝。不是穩賺不賠。在較大的遊戲人生，穩打穩扎是所有最危險的比賽計劃。