Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 6, 1993 TAG: 9307030025
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Neil Chethik
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Many of us took that theology beyond the sports fields. We adapted it to our classrooms, our workplaces, and eventually our relationships. Being victorious, triumphant, in control, were indisputable measures of our success as men.
But now comes a new theology from the world of sports, an evolution beyond Lombardi-ism. It's the philosophy of Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose teams won NCAA championships in 1991 and 1992 before losing early in this spring's NCAA tournament.
At a press conference after that loss, the man known as `Coach K` sat with his two senior players and said: `I wish you could feel what I feel. Losing a game, it doesn't mean a damn thing. It doesn't mean anything because I have won for so long with these guys, and I will win for the rest of my life being associated with them.`
Losing doesn't mean a damn thing.
We probably wouldn't pay much attention to such heresy if it came from a sociologist or psychologist. We'd say what we usually do: That person is naive, or wimpy, or so inept at competition that he has to complain about it.
But Krzyzewski, 46, is a competitor, and he's a winner. And still, he seemed to mean what he said at that press conference. He even expanded on his comments in a recent guest column in the New York Times. Look how his philosophy compares with Lombardi's.
Lombardi: `There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.`
Krzyzewski: `As teachers and coaches, we must remember that when mere winning is our only goal, we are doomed to disappointment and failure. But when our goal is to try to win, when our focus is on preparation and sacrifice and effort instead of on numbers on a scoreboard, then we will never lose.`
Lombardi: `It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are here - to compete. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules _ but to win.`
Krzyzewski: `One of the best experiences I have had has been to watch competition in the Special Olympics. It makes me feel good to see how happy every participant is at the finish of a race.... This is the proper perspective: Trying to do your best, learning about your limits, and then attempting to extend them.`
It's the proper perspective because it's sane. And, ironically, it also results in winning. When people focus on excellence instead of winning, they usually win anyway.
That's what has happened to Krzyzewski, who is among the nation's winningest college coaches. And new research shows that less competitive people are most likely to get promotions, pay raises and good grades.
How can this be? Janet Spence, a University of Texas professor, studied 4,000 employees and students and found that those who succeed take risks, are creative, and get help from their colleagues. The most competitive people, she found, are the least likely to do any of those things.
And they're the most likely to feel isolated. Always wary, always looking for a way to get ahead, they maintain a distance from their peers.
And Krzyzewski, for one, recognizes the damage in that. As he said after his team's final loss last season: "As I watched the youngsters share their emotions in that locker room, I realized that the season which had just ended was, in every important way, just as successful as the previous two seasons when we won the championship." \
MALE CALL: Men and women: Is competitiveness a healthy trait? When do you think it becomes counterproductive? Responses may be used in future columns. Send responses and questions about men to `The Men's Column,` c/o The Features Dept., Roanoke Times & World-News, P. O. Box 2491, Roanoke ,VA. 24010-2491.
by CNB