The Will to Win

There were elections in few States in India and in the Union Territory of New Delhi, a new party called the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which translates to the Common Man's Party, is the second largest party in terms of seats won. They have formed the Government with the support of another party. The party with the highest number of seats (BJP) is unable to form the government because neither do they have a majority nor the external support. One of the members of  the BJP is reported to have said that "The AAP is power hungry".

I asked myself the question as to why all these political parties contest elections. It was because they wanted to win, take charge and drive change in the society. They wanted the power to be able to change society. So, are they all not hungry for power? Yes, they are. So, then, why demean it? There is nothing wrong in being hungry for power so long as we do not do unscrupulous acts to obtain it and not misuse it once we become powerful. I believe that this hunger for power in order to drive change in the societies that we live in is the winning aspiration in politics. If this aspiration does not exist, then, there is no point in contesting elections. Anyone who participates for the sake of participation is a waste of time. What is needed is the will to win. I was reminded of Cicero, "The spirit, the will to win and will to excel are the things that endure."

Someone said, "The will to win is refusing to lose." I believe that this is required in the world that we live in. The attitude that "we will not lose". The attitude that "we can". That we will give it our best shot in order to win. That there is nothing wrong in having that winning aspiration. That we are doing a job or taking up an assignment or contesting in an election or running a race to win. Yes, it is important to enjoy the journey and to participate fairly. But, the attitude should be winning. Without that, we do not give it our best shot. As Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."

When we win something, we lose something else. This is life. We focus intensely on our jobs and careers, win there and take the eye of the ball on family or something else (could be our hobby). That is why we discuss work-life balance quite often. This balance depends on where the will to win is. If you want to be a great dad or mom, you focus on the child and win there. You become the best dad or mom and that, in itself, is a victory. Though we think that this is not yielding money, it could be the best investment we have ever made in our lives. A great childhood, good parenting, a well rounded child can give us much more than what many jobs can. We may end up becoming a great parent and probably not the best manager or leader in the company that we work in. It depends on the choices that we make. Whatever be the choice, we should look to not only excel but win in that choice and not feel ashamed about it.

 

Many companies lose their way in this world because they do not have the will to win and/or do not adapt that winning aspiration as the world around them changes. Yes, it is important to adapt our winning strategies as the environment around us changes. So, whilst we have the will to win, we should also have clear winning strategies and these will change as the world around us changes. It is said that of the Top 100 companies in 1900s only 16 exist now. I would say that it depends on how you look at it...most companies have been merged with others or taken over by others or taken others over and changed identity. What this shows is that most of these companies that have survived have kept on morphing and adapting their winning aspiration as the world around them changed. However, all of them had the will to win.

 

What does this mean for each one of us at an individual level? Each one of us needs to have this winning attitude. It is important to participate. It is very important to enjoy the journey. However, to be able to give it our best shot, it is important for us to have this will to win through this journey. This will to win or refusing to lose helps us build character. It makes us more resilient when we face adversity, as the journey to success is never easy. It helps us anticipate changes in the journey. It deepens our convictions and keeps us motivated. It pushes the "can do" attitude to the fore. We refuse to wilt under pressure. So long as we have this will, we motivate ourselves to keep going. The boxing champion Muhammad Ali once said “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, and a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” 

 

Most importantly, the will to win pushes us towards individual excellence. It gives us the pride in ourselves and the pride in the job that we do. I sign off with a Confucius quote, "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."