Are You a Loser?

It’s been my experience that the people who do the best in life know how to lose well – they are a “good” loser.  They have a well-defined sense of self, know their boundaries, understand their strengths, practice their values, and maintain a grounded perspective whether they win or lose, succeed or fail.

Being a good loser is one of the most valuable leadership skills I can teach my 13-year-old son and remember for myself. My son lives with a peer culture that highly values “winning.”  We’ve had numerous conversations about the fact that while winning is good and can be really great, learning how to lose is even more important.

If the end result, or part of it can be characterized as a “failure,” what matters most is accepting that reality with grace…and respecting and honoring the effort that had lead to the result.  All too often, the effort, the journey and the learning, are forgotten in the glory of the win or the devastation of the loss.

When you are a good loser – you can remain resilient and persevere even when you encounter resistance.  You can make mistakes and learn from them. Your desire and will to complete what you start, regardless of the outcome, can enable you leap past hurdles that would serve as barriers to success for others. Your ability to succeed and thrive is directly related to your willingness to win or to lose.

THIS WEEK’S ASK: One of the questions I often ask clients is:  If you were guaranteed not to fail, what would you do?  In the spirit of finishing well consider this question as well:  What is worth doing in your leadership + life, even if you fail?

Click here to sign up for The Thrive Thought and receive the weekly newsletter straight to your inbox.