If you have watched any sport, for any length of time, you know what this phrase means..
“They were playing to not lose instead of playing to win.“
I said this to my wife while watching the Eagles play this season and she had no idea what I meant. Let me set the stage for you. It’s the fourth quarter in week 16 of the NFL season and we, the Philadelphia Eagles, are beating the Washington Commanders. For some reason, our defense decided to play prevent defense to stop the Commanders from throwing down the field. Here’s the problem, Jayden Daniels, the Commander’s quarterback, is the best running quarterback in the NFL, arguably. Instead of forcing him to throw the ball, the Eagles allowed Daniels to run all over the field because 80% of our defense was playing 15-20 yards down field. Needless to say, we lost the game trying not to lose instead of playing the game aggressively to win.
When teams do this, it drives me nuts! Do what you got you to the lead! Why is there all of a sudden and mindset shift once you have the lead late in a game? If there was ever a time to be aggressive and really go for the win, it’s late in a game when it matters most.
So, here’s my question…are you playing to win, or playing to not lose?
Are you staying aggressive in your decision making, or are you scared to take risks because you might lose?
See the difference?
In one scenario you keep the same level of aggression you had when you got started and in the other you’re making decisions to keep what you have.
Let me give you one more example in the business world.
I’ve had a client that has been working with me for over a year now. When we got started all he cared about was doing whatever it took to get leads into the company. Well, we did just that. From last year to this year, through SEO, Google ads, social media, branding and TV ads, we have been able to average over 60 set appointments per month for this particular client.
A few weeks ago, I called this client and presented a new idea to continue to grow our lead generation efforts. I wanted to start investing in VIBE ads, which is basically TV ads but it’s tracked at a higher level. Once I presented the idea, he immediately shut it down. He said, “I don’t want to lose what we already have.”
Did you spot the difference in mentalities between when we first started working together to now? A year ago it was do whatever it takes to get leads, now, it’s please God don’t lose what we have.
You cannot grow a business playing to not lose. You have to stay aggressive. You have to keep the whatever it takes mindset. You have to keep a growth mentality.
Stop playing to not lose and start playing to win!
