Category Archives: winning

It’s hard to be humble after a big win

Are you still your toughest critic?

After a big win it’s hard not to bask in the glow of success; enjoy the applause and rave reviews; share the news on all your social media channels; smack the high-fives and accept the toasts to how wonderfully talented you are.

But when the celebrations are done, step back and take the time to reflect on this particular success. Can you do it again? Maybe even better? Or get there easier, or sooner next time.

You’re not done yet. Right? You want a repeat performance with equally good results.

Learn from the best and you’ll see that the biggest winners are their own toughest critics.  In constant search for improvement; the passionate pursuit of perfection. What we used to call Kaizen, the Japanese management principle of involving everyone in the process of continuous improvement – focusing on product quality, manufacturing efficiency and performance of the final product.

Celebrate the wins and the small victories, but build on them to continue improving on the results. Enjoying the cheerleading, then take a look at the critiques. Keep the criticisms in perspective, but be the most honest, thoughtful, constructive critic yourself.

You have now raised expectations. Don’t disappoint.

Be better. Do better. 

 Del Chatterson, your Uncle Ralph

Learn more about Enlightened Entrepreneurship at: LearningEntrepreneurship.com Read more of Uncle Ralph's advice for Entrepreneurs in Don't Do It the Hard Way & The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans - 2020 Editions.

 Read more Blog posts at: LearningEntrepreneurship Blogs

Talent is not enough

Commitment to your best effort makes the difference 

If you’re competing against the best in world, everyone is talented. To be a winner you’ll have to do more than demonstrate your talent. You’ll need to commit to extraordinary effort and apply it constantly and consistently. Then you have a chance.

Whether you’re watching the NBA finals, or the Stanley Cup playoffs, or Wimbledon tennis, the level of talent and skill on display is awe inspiring. But what is even more awesome is the level of intensity and consistently high level of performance that comes from the commitment to winning.

As one coach observed, “It’s unbelievable how much these guys want to win. Pushing through pain and injuries, they ice it up, tape it up, and suck it up to get back in the game.” Both teams and all the players who make it to that level know what is required to come out ahead. They know the difference between winning and losing may be as little as avoiding one mistake or pouncing on one lucky bounce.

Do you apply that level of commitment and effort on the job everyday? Of course not. Nobody does. The more important question is – can you push yourself to beat the best in the world at whatever you’re most talented at when you're competing one-on-one?

Be better. Do better. 

Del Chatterson, your Uncle Ralph

Learn more about Enlightened Entrepreneurship at: LearningEntrepreneurship.com Read more of Uncle Ralph's advice for Entrepreneurs in Don't Do It the Hard Way & The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans - 2020 Editions.

 Read more Blog posts at: LearningEntrepreneurship Blogs

spiethHe got our attention this year.

Jordan Spieth had already had great success in college as a teenage amateur and won his first PGA tour event at only 19 in 2013. Last year he appeared regularly near the top of the leaderboard, won two more tournaments, played well for the US team in the Ryder Cup and broke into the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings.

But this year as he turned 22, we all noticed him.  He won five PGA tournaments, including the Masters, US Open, the Tour Championship and Fedex Cup, topped the World Golf Ranking three times, earned over $22 million in prize money and dominated all the individual performance awards. His consistently charming, humble and polite manner through it all have won him fans around the world and, not coincidentally, bumped his primary sponsor, Under Armour, to new levels of sales success.

So what he does he do differently to win so often and what can we learn from his approach to golf? He is obviously a talented, hard-working athlete, but so are all the top competitors he is up against.  It has to be more than talent and hard work.

Watching him and listening to him we start to understand where he gets the edge. First, he has mastered every element of the game - driving, approach shots, putting and recovering from trouble. He is near the top in every category and he does it without any drama.  Not the longest, strongest, most exciting or spectacular, just very, very good when he needs to be.  Second, he prepares meticulously to understand every nuance and peculiarity of the course he is playing. Third, he uses all the resources of his support team, including his caddy and friend, his coaches and his family. Finally, he manages his emotions, stays focused and makes good decisions during the round.  Part of that process is continually assessing his performance and adjusting his attitude, his swing or his strategy on the fly. It is part of his style to vent and talk to himself during the round.  No attempt to maintain the stoic, unemotional façade of his competitors. Sharing his emotions relieves stress for Jordan Spieth and provides clear feedback for his followers.

Consider your own management style and you may find opportunities to use his approach for better results in your business.  Remember the simple principles: master all elements of the game, prepare meticulously for every contest, use the whole team, manage effectively based on continuous feedback.

And avoid trouble if you can, but have options if you cannot.

Business is like golf

So Tiger and Phil meet again in Shanghai and the winner is... Phil again!

Should Tiger be worried? The analysts will be talking of a slump, end of his reign, the new Phil becoming number 1. It all adds to the excitement and attraction for fans and golfers everywhere.

No competition is no fun for anybody, and certainly doesn't inspire the players to try harder or do better. Competition is good. It forces us to be wary and keep learning and improving in order to keep winning.

Just like in business, don't you think?