Stephen Covey advocated for win-win thinking, but Western culture conditions us toward competition where one side must lose. A recurring corporate training exercise shows how often people miss obvious mutual gains. The skill that unlocks win-win outcomes is empathy: understanding what matters to the other person so you can find shared interests.
Good morning everyone. Here is your moment of yes for today. What is your mindset? What is your mindset? Do you see that there is a possible win-win scenario or situation for whatever you're working on? Whatever relationship, whatever team, whatever deal that you're working on. Stephen Covey was a huge proponent of the win-win scenario. Yet I think a lot of us, most of us, especially in our Western society, we're programmed to not really see or look for the win-win scenario because we're so programmed to think from a competitive mindset. For a winner, there has to be a loser. We don't see that it's possible for both people to have their needs met without someone actually having to compromise or lose in the process. And that all goes back to mindset. Do we show up? Do we look for? Do we expect? Are we even open to win-win scenarios? And I think after doing numerous exercises in classes with the corporate training and the students and the campers and things like that, there's one exercise that we do that shows over and over again how our mind just doesn't want to see the win-win even when it's smack dab in front of us. So that is your mindset. That goes back to mindset. Are you seeing yourself as separate and as competing with everyone? Or do you see yourself as connected and cooperating with everyone? The main quality or skill at play here that allows you to see win-win and think collaboration is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is feeling and where they're coming from. And when you think about it, when you're able to go into any relationship from a standpoint of empathy, wanting to understand the other person, there's a good chance You're gonna find what's important to them, and there's also a good chance they're gonna wanna know more about what's important to you. That is what's going to lead to the win-win situation. So what is your mindset? Are you thinking cooperation or competition? And are you showing up with enough empathy? That's your moment of yes for today, everyone. Have a great Friday.
