When times get hard, it is easy to get down on your situation and expect the worst. Bad news follows bad news, and suddenly we’re in a rut where we always expect bad things to happen. This often leads to a snowball effect that drags down personal productivity, daily attitude and morale in the workplace. It spreads like a cancer throughout an organization, creating what is commonly referred to as a “culture of losing.” (Fellow Redskins fans, we know what this looks like!)
This culture of losing develops slowly over time and is nurtured by day-to-day habits. Before you know it, it can affect every part of your organization. Once-proud companies that took pride in winning every account, big and small, start looking at losses as inevitable events, due to factors out of their control. The late, great Zig Ziglar summed this up nicely: “Have you ever noticed that people who are the problem never realize it? They’re in denial. They think denial is a river in Egypt!”
The most destructive fact about a culture of losing is that once you/your company start expecting to lose, losing becomes easier. And this losing attitude can hang around for a long time if it isn’t addressed.
Ever notice how winning teams never seem to panic, even when they are trailing late in a game? Despite the situation, they always believe that they can turn it around at any time. They expect good things to happen and treat every game as an opportunity to win. But this “culture of winning” doesn’t just appear overnight. This “never say die”, find a way to win culture is developed and nurtured by their everyday comportment, attitude and expectations.
Davey Johnson, former manager of the Washington Nationals and the 2012 National League Manager of the Year (Nattitude!) was asked during an interview if he had ever gotten tired of the game and all that being a good manager requires. He replied, “Winning never gets old.” I’ve never played Major League baseball, but I can tell you that Davey is right about that.
You might ask, how can I even think about winning when I am in the midst of a string of losses? Well, just consider the Nationals in 2012. At the beginning of the season they were picked to be no better than average and finish 3rd or 4th place in their division. In seven seasons in Washington, the Nationals had never finished better than 3rd place in their division, and their first season record of .500 was the best season record they had managed. During the 2012 pre-season, Davey focused on instilling an attitude of positive expectations, stating, “If we don’t win the division with this team, they should fire me.” This young team with no prior history of winning in Washington bought into Davey’s outlook and created a culture of winning, finishing up first in their division with the best record in baseball.
So next time you find yourself falling into a “culture of losing” and expecting bad results, ask yourself two questions: “Why not us? Why not now?” Say it again, like you mean it this time.
Creating a culture of winning begins right here, right now.
Have a great weekend,
Ro