I once saw a guy break his hand trying to punch through the little glass window in a school gym door, the kind just wide enough to look through (and apparently punch through). He got a foul called on him during basketball practice. In retrospect, I’m certain he would have chosen a different response.
People hate losing. And some people can’t handle winning. Both can make us do goofy and irrational things. This week one side will win, and one side will lose, a slew of major elections and referendums.
How will you respond? How will you handle the response of others? On election day and in the weeks that follow, you will have the opportunity to build trust, or break trust, with those around you based on your response.
Whether your side wins or loses, here are 3 Builder to remember and 3 Breakers to avoid. Keep these top of mind and chances are you may even enhance trust during this election cycle.
Be humble, not prejudice
- Humble:
Maintain humility in winning and be willing to admit when you lose.
- Prejudice: is overly biased toward own opinions, ideas, and viewpoints.
Remember: things could have easily gone the other way. Don’t gloat if you win and don’t punch a window if you lose. Focus on being Humble in both cases and avoid the prejudice that your viewpoint is the only viewpoint.
Be respectful, not arrogant
- Respectful:
engage people with honor and kindness.
- Arrogant: makes others feel stupid, less than, or out of touch.
On our best days and our worst days, being respectful is good a decision. We can all do this, even with those we don’t see eye to eye with, even with those we’ve bested, even with those we’ve lost to.
Include, don’t exclude
- Inclusive: actively look to involve others.
- Excluding: does not let certain people in and limits outside influence.
Win or lose, seek to include and be included! Inclusion does not require agreement, but it does require maturity, and the ability to see past our own interests. It’s tempting to keep the divide in place or judge based on the color of political flag. Refuse the easy road that pushes divide. Engage the person, not the politics.
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If you are heavily vested in one side of an issue or a candidate, please prepare yourself for both winning and losing, and don’t punch through any windows. Trust is on the line. Will you build trust or break trust?
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