He was straight from the sandlot. Ballcap cockeyed. Game face on. Dust-covered head-to-toe with dark streaks where it mixed with sweat. His bat and attached glove are resting on one shoulder. The baseball in his other hand is battered and frayed. He’s wearing a Band-Aid on his right elbow as a badge of commitment and sacrifice. The poster’s caption says, “Play to Win.”

It was a gift from my 8-year-old daughter. She said, “When I saw this, I had to buy it. This is you, Dad.”

Even now, it makes me think hard about how I show up as a father. It also illustrates the views some have, good and bad, of leaders.

Hard work, determination, commitment, teamwork, and practice are all worthy candidates as desired leadership traits. Even winning can be positive if it is well defined, and inclusive of people, purpose, and place. It is my desire that when we “win”, our customers “win,” and those they serve are the beneficiaries.

On the flip side, it is easy for leaders to have a “win at all cost” mentality. Along this path, the victory is usually gained at the expense of many others. The beneficiary is often only the leader as they gain power, wealth or some other individual benefit.

Thus, competition, when in proper perspective, can provide the extra energy to drive success. Or it can fuel a destructive nature where few can survive.

Jim Pounders, a family friend and Nashville minister, put it this way back in a 1989 article in the Teenage Christian Magazine:

“Competition clears my mind, fuels my energy, converts my apathy, strengthens my determination, makes me whole…But I must always remember that opponents are not enemies, games are for enjoyment, and winning is not always equivalent to success. When competition becomes obsession….I have lost perspective on the most important thing of all—life!”

If our leadership journey was summarized in a poster, what would you want it to look like? With my girls, I eventually figured out that when they “won”, it was so much more rewarding!

So today, mine would be an image of a joyful team celebration where the contributions of everyone were valued.

It’s worth considering: How do we show up as we L. E. A. D. ?