Unlock Your Winning Condition

There are moments at work when everything just clicks – your targets are met, your teammates are energized, and the boss is giving you the space to thrive. You’re in, what I call, your Winning Condition.

On the flip side, when stress piles up, your boss is frustrated, and your teammates are disheartened, you may find yourself far from your winning condition.

I thrive in my winning condition, and I’ve learned how to navigate to it and stay there for as long as possible. Here are a few strategies to help you do the same:

 1. Take Inventory of Your Feelings
Pay attention to your emotions throughout the work week. When do you feel happy, motivated, and driven? What were the conditions that put you in your winning condition? Likewise, recognize the moments when you feel drained or off-course. What factors contributed to those feelings? By identifying both the highs and lows, you can better understand what environments and practices foster your winning condition.

 2. Discover and Leverage Your Strengths
I am a firm believer in strengths-based effort. When we use our core strengths, we are most productive and perform at our highest levels. Do you know what your strengths are? Pay attention to the tasks that you excel at and enjoy. Embrace them, and trust that when you use those strengths, you’ll see the best results. Discovering and leveraging your strengths is a powerful step toward staying in your winning condition.

 3. "Sit in the Suck"
Having worked closely with the US Military Special Operations community for the last five years, I’ve come to appreciate that not every day will be your best. You can’t always be in your winning condition. On the tough days, when you’re feeling far from your best, remind yourself that it’s okay to “sit in the suck.” Welcome adversity, challenge, and stress with a mindset of resilience: “Hi there, stress. I see you, and I’m okay with your visit.” By embracing the discomfort, you’ll learn a lot about your resilience. And remember, as the saying goes, “Dawn comes after the darkest night.” After enduring the tough times, your winning condition will return, and you’ll emerge stronger.

Finding your winning condition is a journey. Relish the moments when you’re there. Take inventory of how you got there. Uncover your strengths and use them. And when life feels difficult, practice sitting in the suck, knowing it will help you build the strength to get back to your winning condition.