The Power of Winning
I recently wrote in Winning is a Learned Outcome about how winning is something that can, and in many cases has to be learned. Also, most people would acknowledge that once you experience it, you want more of it. Winning is a tremendous force that can lead to entire shifts in culture, engagement, and the ability to sustain it. It creates belief, confidence, and innovation in people and teams. As a leader, you can set the stage for winning to take hold and influence your team. Here are some examples of what winning generates.
Winning is contagious
Have you ever noticed that when you experience a win, you immediately want more of it? The dopamine hit that comes from a success feels good, and you crave more of it right away. When you see other people winning in a similar environment as yours, you want to get the same feeling they have. You can tell from their expressions, body language, and words they are enjoying themselves.
Winning builds momentum
Success is fuel for moving forward. This becomes a critical point for leaders when establishing the right targets early on. If they set the bar for winning too high out of the gate, it won’t be reached, and everyone feels bad about not winning. However, when setting achievable goals, the team can get some early wins in a new process and build momentum. Over time, as the victories pile up and the pace forward speeds up. Soon bigger and more significant gains are happening, and everyone has a real excitement for what they are doing.
Winning creates time
No, winning is not a time machine, but what it can do is create space for you to continue to innovate and generate new ideas in other areas. Winning reduces pressure for results since you are already delivering them. With the confidence that comes from winning, people will take chances on new ideas and in expanded areas. Winning opens the door to taking risks that are not possible when you have to explain disappointing results.Ensure as a leader you encourage these behaviors. The greatest threat to winning is complacency. When you stop expanding, growing, and trying new things, eventually the winning behaviors will dry up, and new obstacles begin to present themselves.Don’t underestimate the power of winning with your team. Be clear with what winning means. Ensure your team knows how to win. There is no question that winning is a powerful force.Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash