Not every victory is measured by finishing first

OK. I admit it. I can get really competitive. I really love to win and just to be clear, I'm not knocking winning. Everyone should give their best at whatever they are doing. Long ago I learned the old lesson, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. But what does "well" look like?

I love my 10 year son, Caleb. We have a special relationship together. As much as I love him, he loves football. He loves to win and he loves to be the best. And I love to watch him play. But last night, while I was watching him practice, I saw what "doing something well" looks like in action.

He's been competing for the starting quarterback position for his youth football team and he worked hard for it. And he earned it! Wow! Starting QB! Makes a proud dad even prouder. Then last week, he lost that position, because a new young man arrived on the team and he was just better than Caleb. At last night's practice, they were both tired and hot so neither one of them was giving their best and the coach knew it. He did what good coaches do. He sent them running to the fence and back. Caleb shot out, because I told him, "Practice is where we show the coach and your players that we are committed to winning, so give it all you have!". His friend fell, exhausted and stayed on the ground. Caleb saw him and turned to see what happened. As a dad, I wondered. What will he do? To my astonishment, he ran over to his friend, helped him up, put his friend's arm around his shoulder and carried him back to the finish line. He didn't win the race by finishing first. But he was victorious. Thank you Caleb, for showing your dad what really matters.

I've been in the business world for nearly 30 years and have seen all kinds of races, competitions, contests, interviews, opportunities and challenges. And I have seen all manner of responses to those moments. The ones that really stick with me are when we hold out our hands and help one another finish the race, together. When that happens, we all win.