Playing Games You Can Win
If you didn’t know, I’ve been running a 150+ kid before-school and after-school program. When we have 80+ kids running around and playing, a hierarchy ALWAYS forms! The cool thing is it’s structured differently based on the activities/games we’re playing that day. The issues come when the kids at the top of the hierarchy absolutely dominate the game to the point the kids that aren’t as good no longer want to participate. Once this happens, their focus generally shifts to ruining the game for everyone else. We’ll have 60 kids loving life having a blast playing the game while 30 kids are upset, angry, and determined to end the game as quickly as possible. When I’ve asked these kids why they’re doing that their responses are always along the lines of, “I don’t even have a chance at winning here… and I know I’m not going to win the other game either, but at least I’m not one of the worst so it’s a lot more fun!” Winning is fun and losing sucks 😢😢 But never even having a chance to play makes people want to change the game entirely. So this brings me to my main point. Think about it for a moment, what games are you designed to win? What do you excel at that others don’t? Do you lean into that or are you still playing games you have no shot at winning?