Ways to distinguish yourself – #109 Fight the right battles

Today I met a friend for coffee to catch up. He was sharing with me how
he was fighting an internal battle within his organization. He told me
that he had not slept in the last two days and until that problem was
solved he may not sleep well at all. He wanted some inputs on what he
should do to win that battle. He was stressed out and his wife was
concerned.

I know this person for a long time and he is a fighter and very rarely
gives up easily. Once he starts something, he has to finish it.

Rather than focusing on how to win the battle, I asked him why he was
fighting that battle in the first place. His immediate answer was that
it was the right thing to do and his consciousness won’t let him do
anything otherwise. We talked for a little while about that and I asked
him how will his family members feel when he really “wins” this battle.
He was honest and mentioned to me that it won’t even matter to them. I
was curious and probing further I asked him what exactly he will get by
“winning” this battle. It appears like the biggest thing that he will
get is that he will be proven right. Being extremely smart, he had
already realized that he was figthing the wrong battle. While he was
wasting his time fighting that battle, that was not the only loss. He
had a huge opportunity cost. Being consumed in the battle, he had put
aside several important projects that would yield great results in the
long run.

So, look back in your own lives before you answer the question “How do I win this battle?” ask yourself “Why am I fighting this battle in the first place?” You may be surprised 🙂

Note: For the other articles in the same series, please visit
          Squidoo Lens: Distinguish Yourself