Does Someone Have To Lose?

I have to say that one of the best examples of sportsmanship I've seen was during the men's high jump final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Faced with a tie after their jumps, Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim were called towards the official, who began to explain that they could continue with a jump-off to determine the winner. Barshim interrupted the official to ask, “Can we have two golds?” The moment that the official told Barshim, “It’s possible,” the athlete immediately reached out to Tamberi to shake his hand, solidifying the decision to share the gold medal. In case you missed it, check out the clip here.

The two sparked a friendship and began to hang out before, after, and during various international competitions throughout the last decade. They supported each other through twin ankle injuries Tamberi and Barshim suffered two years apart in 2016 and 2018. Tamberi even attended Barshim’s wedding in Sweden back in November 2018.

Rarely does one observe a win-win approach in sports. After all, sports are all about competition, with the score dictating the winner. In this case, a jump-off would have been a win-lose solution for the tie situation.

But instead, Barshim sought a win-win by asking the official about having two gold medals. Each compromised by not going after a potential individual gold, but in the end, they both won bigger prizes: joy, friendship loyalty and gold!

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This Week's Focus:

This week, make it a point to look for the win-win solution in the conflicts that arise. Start out with the mindset that you’d like to cooperate with the other person. It increases the likelihood that you’ll reach a win-win solution and keep everybody happy.

Click on the serenity sticky to print, cut and post on your bathroom mirror to remind you of this week's focus. Good luck!