Yesterday, I talked about being mindful of where you drop anchor. When we anchor someone’s mindset, it is much like anchoring a ship. The person will become attached and stuck to their mindset.

When a team loses, I said it’s better to tell them they didn’t deserve to win. When I re-read what I wrote it sounded harsh to me.

When an Olympic athlete loses, it is one of the most critical times for the coach. Let’s put aside any extenuating circumstances for losing. Assume they lost fair and square. An athlete who loses is not as strong, skillful, tenacious or whatever it is that allowed the winner to triumph.

For whatever reason, the athlete did not deserve to win … this time.

Lead them to their greatness

When looking to lead others through their failures, start by acknowledging their greatness. When a team fails, or athlete loses there is always something to appreciate about what they did. It might be small, but I guarantee it is always there.

By definition, an acknowledgement is “an act of expressing or displaying gratitude or appreciation for something.”

Acknowledgements have a simple structure: “ I want to acknowledge your …” Make acknowledgements short, without explanation and genuine. Just see the person.

Without an acknowledgement, they may return to the ground floor and start over again. An acknowledgement gives the other person permission to build on what they do have. It may even help them see what they already have.

I want to acknowledge the leadership you provide the world around you.

You’ve got this.