Redefining Winning as Flourishing: Evidence from Sport, Diplomacy, and Business

Definitions of success in life-whether in sport, business, education, or public or personal life-have a significant impact on creating the conditions forflourishing. The prevalence of narrow, short-term, and shallow definitions of success across society, "short win" thinking, is leading to experiences of school, work, and home life in which people too often think they are "losers," struggle to find joy or meaning in daily life, and underestimate the importance of human relationships in everything they do. This results in a lack of flourishing, sometimes manifested as reduced resilience, creativity, and joy, which in turn prevents too many from exploring their potential together. The "Long Win" approach shows a way to redefine success to enable greater flourishing and lasting success in all pursuits. Long Win thinking is based on three key themes and ways of thinking: clarity, through clarifying what matters beyond short-term, finite outcomes to look at purpose and longer-term, lasting impact; a constant-learning mindset based on development-based behaviors and growth-mindset thought patterns; and the prioritization of connections and investing in connectedness throughout our lives. This chapter uses examples from school to Olympic sport and from diplomacy to business to explain why and how a "Long Win" approach can help people flourish.