Winning and Learning
Posted on April 28, 2015 by David Drewelow, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Winning is not everything? This article talks about the importance of learning from our losses.
The Super Bowl came down to one play. The result was one team winning and the other losing.
For the New England Patriots, they experienced the thrill of victory. For the Seattle Seahawks they went home disappointed.
You don’t have to be a football fan to understand this concept. This is life. And I believe in losing there is great opportunity for learning.
Sometimes we win sometimes we learn.
The Twitter world exploded with Monday Morning Quarterbacks who thought Pete Carroll, Seahawks head coach, made a terrible mistake. He elected to pass instead of run. The most obvious call would be to run when you are on the one yard line and you have one of the best rushers in the NFL in your backfield.
Pete Carroll made the call to stick with his plan.
As I listened to his post-game interview, Carroll took full responsibility for the call. He said they had pre-designed a series of plays for just that goal line situation. To Carroll, it was important to follow his plan, even though it didn’t result in the outcome he wanted. He knew the Patriots (and everyone else on the planet) would expect them to run the ball.
The Seahawks did what most people didn’t expect. They stayed true to their plan, one they had prepared and practiced for over the past two weeks. Unfortunately the outcome was not a win.
It is easy to second guess a decision after the fact. Judgements based solely on outcomes don’t lend much credence to the value of a pre-determined plan.
Winning is important and so losing. Why? Because what matters most is what we learn from both. My friend and mentor John Maxwell wrote a book on this topic called, “Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn.”
Here is my big question for you, do you have a plan? One, that when executed, allows you to evaluate your wins and your losses?
In business and life, your losses can create huge learning opportunities that lead to growth. Just like in football.
How are you doing in the Super Bowl of your life? My guess is sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.
David Drewelow
Head Coach | CLUB Mindset
