The Guardian of Winning

Last Thursday night, the NFL season began, and for the next seven months, our weekends and weekdays will be filled with America’s most popular sport.

It will also allow us to gain valuable information on how the leaders of the teams handle success, setbacks, and the longevity of competition. Yogi Berra once famously said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” And there is much to watch in the NFL.

With the beginning of a new season, each organization possesses high hopes for players, coaches, and executives. The goal is to win, yet the job descriptions for all staff don’t list winning as part of their responsibilities. Only the head coach is accountable for winning. The head coach is dependent on a winning outcome for job security. Others have performance goals to achieve, which could or could not impact winning. Therefore, there is only one “Guardian of Winning,” and the “Guardian” must, at all costs, not allow personal agendas or envy to creep into the organization.

First, “The Guardian” must understand the difference between ambition and envy. At times ambition becomes a toxic word—however, envy is far more dangerous. There’s a fine line between ambition and envy, and the Guardian must educate everyone on the difference because understanding those subtle differences allows the process of winning to operate smoothly.

Envy wants what others want. Ambition wants what you want. Ambition looks to the future; envy looks to the past. Envy is present when gossip, blame, lying, deception, exaggeration, etc. Ambition is focusing on doing the best each day. Envy turns into jealousy. Ambition can become a consistent effort and performance. Envy fears that the other will get the results we aspire to before us or possibly at our expense. Being ambitious is dependent on the quality of the work. Envy is dependent on self-promotion and entitlement.

So how can “The Guardian” protect against envy and promote the right type of ambition?

1. The pathway towards winning must come from “The Guardian.” Understanding the path is the most important step toward removing envy. When someone operates outside the strategy and deviates from the pathway, it’s easy to see envy taking shape.

2. Show the organization what envy looks like — from other teams or, at times, your team. Newspaper clips, media interviews, and self-serving actions are great visuals to educate everyone on the behaviors of an envious person. Don’t assume everyone understands envy. Never be afraid to confront envy, as you are the only line of defense towards winning. If you don’t, who will?

3. The Guardian never compares. In the Devine Comedy, Dante punishes the envious by having their eyelids sewn shut to prevent them from looking at others and comparing. To protect winning, The Guardian never compares players or teams.

4. The Guardian never praises or criticizes other organizations or teams. Envy is the irrational anger towards others at their success, so we remove envy by focusing solely on ourselves.

Everyone wants to win, and someone has to guard winning and prevent envy from rearing its ugly head. That is why you are the leader.