Winning
1. Last weekend Valentino Rossi came second in the Moto GP at the Sachsenring, and as a result took the lead in the championship. Rossi is an experienced rider and a superb tactician, and there seems little doubt that he settled for second place on the day. One insight from his pit crew, was that their choice of tyres was made by copying the majority of their competitors.
Maybe it’s simply a low-risk strategy. Or maybe it’s a recognition that the only thing the team has to do is match – not necessarily beat – everyone else’s engineering. Because what Valentino does, is ride the bike better than everyone else. It’s an interesting lesson in how to win by focussing on the unique difference that you alone can make.
2. At a nursery somewhere in Gloucestershire earlier today, half a dozen three-year-olds lined up for an egg-and-spoon race on their sports day. As the whistle blew, five careered happily across the grass towards the finish line. The last carefully put one arm behind his back, and then purposefully walked forward. He took quite a long time to reach the tape because he was being very careful not to drop the egg, and not to cheat. He may not have won the race that everyone else was in, but he did win his own.