This is an approach that some people follow in sports but it can be applied in other fields. Such people aim to build on their strengths, follow strategies that work and do their best to achieve success. They believe in:
Succeeding by their own efforts rather
than by relying on other people failing.
Different people follow this approach in different situations in their lives and work. Let’s explore these themes.
Sporting Life
Some people follow this approach in their sporting life. They focus on doing their personal best when running, playing golf or doing another sporting activity.
One football coach described how they took this approach when setting the team’s targets for the season. They expressed this in the following way.
“First, we clarify the number of points we need to get in order to be competitive.
“Second, we do our best to reach that goal and the predicted place in the table.
“Third, we do not rely on the failings of the other teams to achieve that goal.”
People in sports often talk about controlling the controllables – the things they control in the situation. These include their personal attitude, preparation and performance on the day.
They also prepare to anticipate and manage any things they can’t control. These may include the weather, setbacks, poor decisions by officials and aspects of the other competitors’ performance.
People who take this approach in sports may have been influenced by coaches such as John Wooden in basketball and Bill Walsh in American Football. Here are quotes from these coaches.
“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” John Wooden.
“Keep delivering the required standard of performance and the score takes care of itself.” Bill Walsh.
Such people aim to be fully present, follow their principles and produce peak performances. Bearing in mind their talent, they work towards fulfllling their potential.
Sometimes this calls for clarifying what they see as success. A superb sprinter, for example, may aim to do their best. But their chances of winning a gold medal may be limited if they are competing against somebody with the ability of Usain Bolt.
Cath Bishop, an Olympic Medal winner in rowing, described elements of this approach in her book The Long Win. She encourages people to explore their definitions of success.
Some Olympic Gold Medal winners get an immediate high. But for some the main emotion is relief rather than joy. Some then find it hard to develop a new sense of purpose.
Cath suggests focusing on the long-term wins in life. Here is an excerpt from an article she wrote on this theme.
What Does Winning Really Mean?
Of course, in sport it seems so temptingly obvious and simple – it’s about crossing the line first, being on the top step of the podium, holding that trophy.
Yet those are all split-second moments. Those need to be translated into meaning beyond that split-second if they are to be long-lasting positive experiences.
When they aren’t translated, that allows a world to exist where it’s possible for an Olympic gold medallist to walk back into the village feeling ‘empty’ and ‘hollow’, or where ‘winning sport stars’ can actually be suffering depression and worse.
The best sports coaches are those who are not afraid to ask their athletes what they want to do after sport.
They are strong enough to ask and listen to the deeper motivations that have driven their athletes to be in this unnatural high performance environment striving to be the best in the world.
That’s the beginning of building a wider perspective and deeper meaning about the extreme and often short-lived experience of elite sport. Purpose starts a conversation about success that goes beyond winning.
It’s about a longer-term timeframe, never just a split-second. It’s about a wider perspective, not a narrow view. And it’s about people’s whole lives, as individuals and communities, not measured in short-term results, but longer-term experiences.
Let’s move on to explore how some people may take a similar approach in both their professional life.
Professional Life
Some people aim to succeed by their own efforts in their working lives. They aim to build on their strengths and achieve their professional picture of success.
Such people are often principles driven rather than prize driven. They focus on delivering high professional standards and performing superb work rather than looking for prizes.
They build on their strengths. They then aim to become the best they can be. They take this approach rather than competing with others or aiming to become famous in their field.
They aim to do what they believe in, do the basics and then, when appropriate, add the brilliance. They measure themselves on this criteria rather than against other people.
Such people do their best and have a sense of responsibility. They believe in earning things rather than having a sense of entitlement. They also embody the concept of continuous improvement.
They often pursue the eternal principle followed by many people in the service business. They aim to use their strengths to do superb work and help their customers to achieve success.
Paul Hawken described elements of this approach in the 1980s PBS television series based on his book Growing A Business. He advised people to do what they do best and produce quality.
Even in a recession, customers will pay for quality products delivered in a quality way, said Paul. Whilst you can learn from other people in your field, the key is to focus on helping your customers. He describes this in the following way.
People who take this approach embody the concept of continuous improvement. They keep building on what they do well and tackling areas for improvement. They aim to keep helping their customers to achieve success.
Such people may see themselves as servants. Being fortunate to have been given certain strengths, they want to use these to perform superb work. They also want to pass on knowledge that helps other people to succeed.
There are many ways to live life. Some people believe in succeeding by their own efforts rather than relying on other people failing. They then do their best to keep improving.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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