It was the bottom of the last inning and my daughter's softball team was down 4-0 in the championship game. It had been a hard-fought game and if a few bounces had gone the other way we could easily have been the team up 4-0.
One by one the girls came up to bat and got their hits. The rally started and before you knew it the score was 4-1. A big hit brought in two more runs to make it 4-3. One more hit and the game was tied 4-4 with the winning run on third base. The energy and excitement in our dugout was unbelievable.
On the next pitch the ball got past the catcher and the runner made a dash for home. The catcher threw the ball to the pitcher covering home just as the runner went into her slide. At that moment it was as if the world went into slow motion. We all looked at the umpire who paused for an endless moment before he shouted, "OUT!" The girls had made an incredible comeback and we were off to extra innings.
In the first extra inning neither team scored. In the second extra inning the other team finally put a run across the plate to take a 5-4 lead. Again our team had to score or their season was over. The middle of the batting order came through and the game was now tied 5-5.
The girls on both teams were near exhaustion and I know the constant battling back was taking a toll our team. While helping the catcher suit up I saw that she had tears in her eyes. Since we had just come back to stay alive I asked her what was wrong. She looked at me and said, "I don't want to lose."
I realized that what had kept these girls in the game to this point is that they had never stopped playing to win. But now the fighting back had started to wear them down to the point that some of the girls were now playing not to lose. I told the catcher that she had to play to win or we had no chance. We could not afford for her to play any other way.
The same thing is true in business. Every week I talk with retailers who must constantly battle to get and keep customers, to make their sales goals, achieve healthy profit margins, and to have a profitable bottom line. Most of these retailers play to win but I do meet some who have begun trying not to lose.
They've become so cautious about not making mistakes they no longer take any risks. They quit buying new products or trying new things because they're afraid of being wrong. They overly focus on what their competitors are doing instead of playing their own winning game. As a result, their products are tired or low in stock, the staff has lost their energy, and store sales are in that slow death spiral.
Now back to the game.
In the third extra inning the other team scored another two runs. It was our turn to bat and we were at the bottom of the batting order. I was amazed at how some of the girls who hadn't hit much all year faced a strong pitcher with grit and determination. We almost had the most unlikely of heroes not once but twice. Unfortunately, in the end we lost the game 7-6. The girls were very disappointed - some to the point of tears. We reminded them that they played their hearts out and told them how proud we were that they never quit playing to win.
While these girls may have lost this game I know that in the long run, as long as they never play to not lose, they'll be successful no matter what they do.
Are you going to play to win today? I hope so. And if at the end of the day the score isn't what you wanted it to be, the game isn't over. You'll be back in it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. . . .
Play to win.
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