Playing to Win Versus Playing to Not Lose

I received an interesting request from a reader regarding a prior article I wrote. That article was how many people, agencies, companies and associations are not playing to win. They are only playing to not lose. The reader emphasized the need to play to win, yet he noted how so many producers have told him they “hate to lose,” and this is what drives them. They don’t say, “I love to win.” The differences are immense.

One way to explain the difference is that playing to not lose is fighting for status quo. Playing to win is a march to a successful future, including adapting to a changing environment and changing competitors. It is about continually developing new sales, new programs, new employees, and better operations. Examples abound, but maybe the best is an old example, Paul Bunyan. He fought for the status quo. He fought to keep ax wielding lumberjacks king of the forest versus mere men running chainsaws.

A person playing to win understands change is inevitable and works to take advantage of change. A person fighting for status quo does not accept change is inevitable. A person playing to win goes out and engages in those changes, in real terms and not just window dressing verbiage. Producers I know who play to win tell me they are motivated to win the next challenge. They do not tell me they’re motivated to not lose. The ones who play to win are many times more successful selling. Their focus is on the prize versus a focus on keeping only what they already have. They continually seek new opportunities without ever really considering losing. The best way to keep what a person already has is to focus on playing to win.

In business and personal relationships, the terms survivor and thriver from the book “The Eagle’s Secret” by David McNally are the two best descriptive words I know. Surviving, just surviving, is status quo, although surviving by definition may be status quo less a little. Thriving is moving forward whether in sales, personal development or building an agency. Thriving is setting goals and creating accountability, even personal accountability for achieving those goals. Thriving involves the risk of failure. Status quo is about avoiding risk.

Playing to not lose is lazy. Playing to win is industrious. Playing to not lose is lazy because people playing to not lose only expend effort when a threat is posed. They have nothing to lose without a threat, so they don’t “play.” They sit.

In fact, playing to not lose is often misperceived as competitiveness. Agency owners often seek competitive people as producers thinking they are self-motivated. If they are competitive because they “hate to lose,” they are only competitive when threatened. A competitor, a peer or maybe a boss must threaten. This explains why so many producers stop producing. I’ve met many producers who get to a plateau and when they lose a few accounts, they go and get more until they are back on the same plateau. They’ve quit playing to get ahead. They are now playing to not lose.

Also, beware the sweet talk of producers who want to elevate their personal masquerading as playing to win, when really they want more fame and then status quo once some level of notoriety is gained. This is akin to the emperor having no clothes analogy, because that emperor wants status quo. A change in status quo for these people at that point is anathema. (A test actually exists that identifies these producers before you hire them.)

Producers Who Win

Optimally, hiring a producer who plays to win ethically is far more important. They may drive people around them crazy, but the value gained is usually worth the price. People playing to win are always motivated.

They are always seeking more wins. They take chances to grow. They take chances to thrive. They are focused on the future. What are their clients’ current and future needs? What can they do to build for the future? Another way to put it in common business book vernacular is that a survivor is always surprised when their cheese gets moved. A person playing to win knows their cheese will be moved and they are working to anticipate where it will be moved and how to succeed in the new location.

An agency led by a person playing to win will do more than simply invest in the future. “Investing in the future” is such an overused euphemism favored by consultants and speakers pandering to people that prefer status quo. A better term is that agency owners playing to win will invest in their personal, tangible leadership abilities. I use tangible leadership abilities because again, most leadership books and programs are the equivalent of a ’60s love-in. A cruder version that applies to status quo is the strip club analogy. The customer thinks they’re getting something when they’re really losing their wallets one dollar at a time. Leadership workshops often work the same way. Everyone loves everyone while losing their wallets.

Tangible leadership is where a leader puts his or her own vulnerabilities on the line in an effort to thrive. I have seen many covers of industry publications exalting an agency or carrier that I knew to be broke. These people are not seeking to win anything but publicity and maybe a personal fortune (usually quite secondary), but they are not playing to win. Playing to win at the leadership level requires personal accountability. People playing to win put their own accountability on the line in absolutely tangible measures.

Energized

Agencies playing to win are energized. They have so much more energy because they are always fueled by a drive to build and take risks (although not without regard for risks — those folks are not thrivers or survivors, just adrenaline junkies).

When people play to not lose, their energy is sapped by fear. Fear requires energy. Fear sucks energy so sometimes people playing to not lose appear lazy when really, their fear is so great they don’t have any energy left to build.

The differences between playing to not lose and playing to win are immense. Agencies led by leaders driven to success have a complete plan to which the leader is held accountable. Accountability is a driver for people truly playing to win because they do not fear failure. People playing to not lose fear failure.