Lessons From Sports Coach Phil Jackson: "Obsessing About Winning Is A Loser's Game"

By Alan Weinberger, CEO, The ASCII Group

How do you lead a community … be it a business association, a sports team, or even a country? I founded The ASCII Group over 30 years ago and it has remained the oldest and largest community of computer integrators, MSPs and solutions providers in the world.  While we are a respected and long-established community, I am constantly looking at how I can be the best leader possible, both to my staff and our solution provider community.

My advice to those looking to become a better leader is to look to others who have successfully led “voluntary communities” and their fundamental beliefs on how to lead such a community.  Phil Jackson, the longtime coach of winning NBA basketball teams, comes to mind as a first order.  His recent autobiography, Eleven Rings is an excellent synopsis of his value system and why he was so successful in leading a team.

Of course as a coach, Jackson is supposed to do all he can to allow his team to “win”; but if “winning” is the only focus, it can quickly become counterproductive.  In the business world, some might characterize “winning” as having the highest margins in a sector, lowest employee costs to run an organization, highest salaries for only the top executives, etc.  Jackson has this to say: “I hate losing … when I was a kid, I was so competitive I frequently burst into tears … as a coach, I know that being fixated or winning is counterproductive, especially when it causes you to lose control of your emotions. Obsessing about winning is a loser’s game. To create the best possible conditions for success, let go of the outcome. Develop the individuals on the team so they can be all they can become as human beings first. The ride is a lot more fun that way.”

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