It starts with Little League. I remember being around 8 or 9 years old and playing Tee Ball for the first year. The coach was some teacher who liked doing this stuff and at 8 or 9, who knew why. The competition to make the starting team was tough.
I didn't make it.
The following year was fast pitch. This coach was more experienced and demanded results. There was something about a ball traveling at 60 mph that didn't set right with me. The competition to make the starting team was tougher.
I didn't make it.
From little league it progressed to junior high and then high school games. All the while the coaches got tougher and meaner and winning was the only focus. Hey, if you are going to play the game, play to win. I was too busy working to play in school but if I did have the time, the results would have been the same.
I didn't make it.
Fast forward to now and the competition and coaches is far worse. Instead of Little League and Tee Ball, soccer has taken over as the sport of choice. And forget about 8 or 9 years old; we're talking 5 and 6 years old. By the time you get to 9, you might be toast! The coaches are ferocious and so are the parents. When the team loses because of a player's errors, watch out!
Sore losers are losers for sure.
The scuffles that go on are fierce and you would think people are getting paid for this and their careers depend on winning. These are kids after all. The thought is that if they lose now or aren't picked for the starting team, they will be losers forever. So the parents fight, yell, scream, swear and threaten.
Sore losers are losers for sure.
What happens growing up in competitive sports surely affects you as an adult. With Competition my #1 theme, I hate losing. I gave up Black Jack because of it. What's worse than being dealt two face cards and the dealer has a 6 showing. You know you are going to win the hand. But how many times does the dealer flip over a 5 and then peel off a face card to make 21? Once I had lost a bet that I should have won that I literally tried to flip the table.
Sore losers are losers for sure.
Watching sports and competitive games is just as bad. When State is losing I have been known to yell, scream and say any words that come to mind especially when they should be winning. People used to come downstairs to see if I was OK. I wasn't. And to think it's only a game that doesn't affect me personally.
Sore losers are losers for sure.
The great thing about experience is that you learn to temper your emotions when you lose. I'm no longer a sore loser although I still hate to lose especially in poker and gin rummy. And I still hate to see the Spartans blow a lead. With the NCAA tournament going on, this is a very emotional time for me. State best get to at least the Elite Eight. So instead of thinking of losing, I like to think of winning.
Winners win.
As a business owner, I know running a business is the ultimate game. I tell my talent this all the time. It takes hard work, strategy, luck and the best team to win and to play the game well. But even the best teams lose once in a while. It's the long term results that count in business, not the short ones. If you look at the S&P 500 companies each decade over the past five decades, you would be amazed to see more than 80% of the companies no longer exist. Those still around know what it takes.
Winners win.
These are unprecedented times. Many decisions are not popular nor easy to make. However, in the game of business, the ultimate objective is to survive and be ready to play the next day. That's my job. And whether I'm in the office, visiting customers, or on the beach, it's a job that never stops. I just finished reading (well almost) one of my new favorite books. It's the life of Warren Buffett (not related to Jimmy). More of him later. Leaders make tough decisions every day. Sore losers are those that don't understand them because they didn't fit in with the team. Charles Darwin said it best that evolution is based on "survival of the fittest." Winners will evolve and losers will not.
Winners win.
Happy Friday!
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