Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com

Winners and Losers

Some months ago I had written about a talk that I wrote while at P&G.  The talk involved looking at the traits of an effective company and determining how these traits might be useful in our personal development.  In response, a reader sent me a paper on "Be a Winner."  Following are some of the points from that paper.

Winners make commitments
Losers make promises
While some people do treat promises as commitments, many make empty promises knowing that they may not actually perform.  When winners make a commitment, you can count on them to come through.
Winners go through a problem.
Losers go around it, never get past it.
When encountering a problem, don't just work around it this one time.  Solve the problem then keep going to solve the source of the problem.
Winners say, "Let's find out."
Losers say, "Nobody knows."
An insatiable curiosity allows winners to explore the source of opportunities as well as the source of problems.
Winners have a plan.
Losers have an excuse.
Have you noticed that successful people seem to know where they're going and what they want?  The process of thinking through an issue, of what's important, allows the winners to keep a clear vision of the future and outline a path to get there.
Winners say, "There's a better way."
Losers say, "It's the way it's always been done."
Continuous improvement is a hallmark of successful people.  Losers just keep on doing the same old things yet they expect different results.
Winners are always involved in the answer.
Losers are always part of the problem.
Winners are not whiners.  Instead of complaining about a problem, winners jump in looking for a solution.  No blame, no finger pointing, no belly-aching.
Winners know there is still much to learn
Losers want to be considered an expert before knowing how little is known.
We've all encountered people who want to be "the expert," even though their expertise is out-of-date, incomplete or overestimated.  Winners understand that they must constantly explore the limits of their knowledge.
Winners learn by their mistakes.
Losers learn not to make mistakes.
Winners are opportunistic about learning from daily experiences.  Losers have a fear of making mistakes.



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