In sports, the game is often seen as zero-sum. One team wins, the other loses. +1 for the winner, -1 for the loser — total net gain: zero.
But if you look deeper, sports can actually be a positive-sum game. The “loser” may have lost on paper, but they gained experience. They learned. They got better. And if you’re a boxing fan, you know this: the losing fighter still gets paid — often handsomely. If he fought hard, he likely earned new fans and respect. That’s not a loss in the bigger picture.
That’s the beauty of a positive-sum mindset: everyone can win.
Competition, when viewed the right way, brings out the best in everyone. And while sports may look zero-sum on the surface, it’s often positive-sum underneath.
The same goes for business. When you treat it like a zero-sum game — always worrying about competitors stealing your market share or customers — it leads to stress, scarcity thinking, and fear-based decisions.
But what if you shift your mindset?
What if business is a positive-sum game?
What if the pie can grow?
What if, instead of fighting over a fixed slice, we focused on expanding the entire market?
Not every win requires someone else to lose.
Not every gain means someone else’s loss.
Positive-sum thinking doesn’t just make you more generous — it makes you more strategic.