Second Isn't First Loser

Everybody wants to be the best, no matter what industry they’re in.

However, if you’re second best, or even third best, that’s still a hell of an achievement. In business, we often celebrate not only the award-winners but reserve praise too for those who are named as finalists. And rightly so.

Being named one of the best in your industry for something IS an incredible achievement, and it’s one you should celebrate. This is why I don’t understand one of football’s latest crazes – taking off your runners-up medal as soon as you’ve received it.

I grew up as a bad loser. I always strived to be the best at everything, even if I really wasn’t, and I wish I’d learned that doing my best is just as important as actually winning. For years I thought that second was ‘first loser’ and I put that down to a ‘winner’s mentality’ when in reality I was instilling a belief that nothing but first place would do.

In the last few years, I’ve started a business, and been on two NatWest Accelerator programmes, during which time I’ve entered numerous awards (unsuccessfully for now.) During that time I’ve watched people win awards, be successful in their businesses while mine was still in the growth phase, and announce different ‘wins’ they’d had which I thought were way better than mine.

And while I was for the main part jealous, I was still supportive, happy for others to bask in the spotlight they’d earned. Believe me, if I’d been a runner-up for an award or even a finalist, I wouldn’t have been ‘taking my medal straight off.’

Watching the Olympics and Paralympics this Summer (following the Euros) was especially eye-opening. I watched as most of the English footballers removed their medals as soon as they’d been placed on, and just thought it showed a serious lack of respect. Yes, you’re disappointed, I understand that, but be gracious, accept your defeat, applaud the winners and then remove your medal in private.

In contrast, my children and I watched a number of great events in the Olympics and Paralympics where people went crazy just to get a medal of any kind, and I can assure you that none of them were removing them on the podium. Instead, they were embracing each other, grabbing their country’s flag from the crowd, and showing off their incredible achievement.

I’m a huge football fan, but in the last few years, I’ve started to like some of the finer details less and less and know that it could learn from a host of other sports. For example, it’s long been suggested that footballers should behave more like rugby players when it comes to respecting officials – but that’s another blog all in itself.

I understand that these are different sports, and the build-up is different etc, but the concept is the same – someone wins and someone else finishes second/third.

The difference is that some do it with humility and others don’t. I hope that as my children – and my business – grow, we can follow the gracious examples of our proud Olympic/Paralympic athletes, by celebrating our achievements, no matter how small.