Last month my family was able to spend the better part of a week at the lake. As anyone who has kids will tell you, vacations are a juggling act between enjoying the time away and entertaining the children. The hope is to be able to take part in activities that everyone enjoys. For us this includes boat rides, eating out, and other things of the sort. 

On this year’s trip, a new “everyone activity” emerged. Just like in past years, I brought a few fishing rods for me and a few kids rods for the boys and kept them down by the water. Much to my delight as an avid fisherman, both boys were eager to walk down to the dock and fish numerous times each day. Together the three of us casted and reeled in baits over every inch of reachable water. My 3-year-old was particularly enthusiastic about fishing throughout the week. While he could sling a nice cast every once in a while, an issue arose due to the fact that every attempt was completely unpredictable. Multiple casts ended up hitting me or wrapping around his own leg. Somehow, an unbelievable percentage of his attempts sailed all the way over both the water and shore rocks and over a fence in the yard.

While my son’s fishing abilities can improve as he gets older, at this moment in time he is competing in a losing game. Try as he might, any occasional glimmer of success was overshadowed by inconsistency and subpar performance. Watching this 3-year-old fish reminded me of the truth that every person must be careful to choose the games that they will compete in throughout their life. 

Instead of pouring effort into a game that cannot easily be won, it is wiser to identify and compete in winnable games. So, what are some keys to ensuring that you end up a winner at a winning game?

Playing Winning Games

• Identify- The first key here is to clarify personal areas of both strength and weakness. Over the past few years I’ve begun to not only clarify types of things that I am especially gifted at, but also areas where I am well below average. For example, I am extremely strong in details or in work that focuses on growing and leading others. On the flip side, I struggle with work that is creative or that requires me to be handy. By and large I try to exist in the former realm and avoid the latter whenever possible.  
• Remove- Another vital aspect here is to eliminate and simplify. Even if there are ten possible strong areas where you can function well, it’s important to pick a small handful and be diligent in those. A person must be careful to avoid spreading themselves too thin. You can always trade one thing out for another whenever you like, but addition without some subtraction can be dangerous. 
• Become an expert- When you have a few key areas of strength to focus on, go deep in those and become much better than average. There’s a difference in speaking some of a language vs. being fluent. Focus on being elite and excellent in your area. 
• Constantly innovate- Even with a deep knowledge of something, there are always new technologies or new ideas that can make it better. Look for hacks that can make you even more effective as you increase your level of performance. 
• Avoid comparison- One major threat to playing a winning game is spending time eyeing the games that others are playing. Not only will this rob you of joy, but it will distract you from expertise and innovation in your area. Keep your eye on the ball and let others worry about their own games while you focus fully on yours. 
• Be patient- Each of the 5 things listed above take real time and effort. Nothing substantial worth doing can be done in a day or two. Don’t get frustrated with yourself or with the process. Just give your best consistently day in and day out over a period of time and you will be shocked what you can accomplish.

In Closing

If I try to play in the creative or handy realm, I will lose. If I play in the sphere of managing people, recruiting talent, and developing high performers, I can win. How about you? Are you playing a winning or a losing game? If you are competing in a losing game, what adjustments might you make?