When I decided to re-launch this site through a different host using a real web address, one topic stood out above others to use as the first true article. The ideas behind all competitive theory and doing well at even mundane everyday tasks is based on one thing, winning. Former New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards summarized the idea of quality performance and “playing the game” best in a post-game press conference that has become one of ESPN’s top sound bites and consequently repeated ad nauseam. “We play to win the game” is a phrase that forms the primary principle of my competitive philosophy. It is the reason to perform at your highest ability at all times, making the most correct decision with the information presented to you. It forms the base on which I build concepts of preparation, confidence, quality, and decision opportunities.
I have encountered many people who have seen this as very cut-throat when I explain my competitive philosophy, especially when they either don’t see the significance of making a minor decision that can have a negative immediate effect or a decision opportunity occurs in a situation with a negligible competitive level. The ethics involved with these kinds of situations, as well as dealing with decisions regarding partnerships and the general public will be covered in a future article because of the amount of material I would need to explain every aspect of the decision processes used there. This article will instead focus on the offensive attributes of “playing to win the game.”
Preparation
In order to perform at a level high enough to expect to win a game you must first do your homework regarding potential competitors. This process involves looking at the strengths and weaknesses of your competition and how you can exploit them using your own strengths. Take knowledge you have gained from past experiences and apply it to possible scenarios involving competition. If you prepare a mental plan for the actions of competitors you will not face nearly as much anxiety and your decision process time will be much shorter than if you were just reacting directly to their actions. Doing this also allows you to react in a manner that is more than just survival, it creates the opportunity to counter their action with one targeted at their weaknesses.
Just as important as being prepared mentally is physical preparation. Having a mind that is capable of making sound decisions requires ensuring you’re not physically fatigued. These measures include getting quality amounts of sleep, food, and exercise leading into the time when you must perform. Quality sleep is by far the most important of these, waking up tired will wear on the mind the entire day and increase the time your mind takes to make decisions or reach a peak of possible activity. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is a cliché that actually rings true when competing at a level that will require you make stressful decisions over a period of time. Sufficient rest and a nutritious breakfast allow you to begin the day with the energy to perform from the start as well as reach and maintain a mental peak for several hours. Preparing your body also includes a daily amount of exercise that builds your mental stamina. This can be as simple as walking for 30 minutes a day or developing a workout plan that fits into your schedule. Time committed to this should not interfere with any other activities as you should clear your mind and use it to relieve stress.
Confidence
Everything discussed here will push importance of believing in your ability to make decisions, perform tasks, and achieve goals. If you do not think that you can do what is needed reach your final objective, “winning the game,” you not only lower your chances of completing your current task, but you reduce your ability to perform others. Introducing doubt into your decision making process makes you hesitate when making decisions that can result in higher rewards, making such a result unattainable. The stress involved in closing a deal worth millions of dollars is much greater than what you will experience in one with a much lower amount, but if you don’t believe you can close on the smaller amount then you will never attain the larger.
Believing in your own abilities and having the confidence to defeat your competition should never be confused as being cocky. There is nothing wrong with thinking the decisions you are capable of making are better than those of your competitors, but you must be aware they too possess the ability to make decisions just as focused and prepared as your own. However, thinking there is nothing you can learn from competitors or that your resources and capabilities are unable to be imitated is a level of overconfidence that is the definition of incompetence.
Quality
As is applies to this principle quality refers to the effects of decisions you make to achieve your goals. Gaining the desired effect of a decision builds on your ability to do the proper preparation and make the best possible decision regarding current and future decisions. Experience plays an important role here; seeing first hand what good decision making can do and experiencing first hand the results of top quality decision making allows you to develop better standards for your own decisions, objectives, and goals. Being able to push quality into your work will dissolve many issues that result in bad decision making and unacceptable results. Of course each person’s quality standards are different, they reflect the capabilities and experiences of an individual, but if the game you are playing affects a number of people or deals regarding large amounts of resources then you have the responsibility to hold yourself to a higher standard than the mediocrity of “just good enough.”
A mistake often made at this point is leaving well enough alone and being satisfied with your results once you have implemented quality standards to your decision making process. Once a standard is set it becomes obsolete due to the constant evolution of the environment you conduct your business in. Because of this your quality standards must also be constantly adapted to your current situation, taking into account your everyday experiences, from the complexities of a strenuous business meeting to a simple item such as what you read in the newspaper everyday. By keeping the guidelines you use to measure your decisions consistently up to date your standards for quality never become outdated or obsolete. This also covers your everyday mental exercises, allowing your mind to work at a high level while slowly building your capacity and endurance, adding very little stress to your mental process.
Decision Opportunities
Every time you encounter a situation with more than one possible outcome you are faced with a decision opportunity where you can apply your experience and attain the best outcome for you and your company. Each opportunity should be analyzed in earnest to determine the sequence of decisions that will result in the greatest gains. The best way I have discovered to achieve this is through statistical thinking. Statistical thinking is a philosophy of learning and action based on the principles that all work occurs in a system of interconnected processes, variation exists in all processes, and understanding and reducing variation are the keys to success. More than just applying statistical methods, statistical thinking focuses on understanding and reducing variation, not simply quantifying it.
Humans, however, are beings of emotions, things that are often completely opposite of reasoned thought, and therefore must be taken into account when you encounter a decision opportunity. That is not to say that statistical thinking cannot be employed when dealing with humans, quite the opposite. This approach is centered on reducing risk, or the probability a decision made will result in failing to achieve an objective or goal. Variance can never be completely eliminated, but by looking at and planning for each probable possibility surrounding a decision opportunity you can reduce it to an amount that should not affect the outcome of your decision.
When Herm Edwards spoke those words in 2002 after a loss to the Cleveland Browns, their purpose was to ignite a fire in his team who had achieved victory only twice in seven games. After he explained what some would say is the obvious the Jets went on win nine of their remaining games and the AFC East division crown. This article and website is intended to have the same purpose, to give you, my readers, the inspiration to not only better yourself in your ability to compete in an environment that becomes more hostile everyday, but to also ignite that fire. By this I mean your wanting to be challenged and shake up the establishment with your ideas, to achieve your greatest potential through competition in what ever industry you chose, and pass that fire on to someone else so they too can gain a competitive advantage.
