Today’s letter for
the AtoZ Blogging Challenge is ‘W’ for my theme ‘A to Z of Effectiveness’. You
can read more about my theme here. I’m also participating in the NaBloPoMo for
April.
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Ooh, last
week of the AtoZ Challenge!!! And we’re with W for Win-Win, one of the six
paradigms of human interaction as described in Stephen Covey’s book, ‘The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People’.
If you’re
wondering what a paradigm is, it refers to the way we interpret the world, each
one of us doing it in our own unique ways, differently in different
circumstances. Like I said, the book mentions six paradigms, briefly described
below in the context of an interpersonal relationship between two people:
1. Win-Win
– This is a scenario where I win, and so do you. People with such a mentality
prefer a mutually beneficial relationship, as they believe it will reap greater
rewards.
2. Win-Lose
– This refers to a competitive situation, where the loss of one person is
essential for the victory of the other. A great example is a competitive exam,
which requires that some students performs badly for another to get in the top
ranks.
3. Lose-Win
– This paradigm is common to people referred to as doormats or pushovers, who
are ready to lose to let the other person win. They’re generally people
pleasers who have low self worth and self esteem.
4. Lose-Lose
– This is the sort of vindictive relationship where one doesn’t mind losing as
long as his enemy is losing too! Typical of spouses in divorce settlements,
this is a situation that occurs when two Win-Lose people get together.
5. Win
– Probably the most common paradigm of all, people with a Win mentality don’t
mind what happens to the other person – to each his own.
6. No Deal
– This is the default option of all paradigms and nothing to do with the game
show!
As is
obvious, while all paradigms provide a temporary sense of fulfillment, the only
lasting relationship will be the one achieved through a Win-Win paradigm,
whether it’s a marriage or an organization.
It’s easy to
get confused about what paradigm you usually use in your relationships at home
and work, but a little digging into your past will give you an idea. Depending
upon your priorities, you probably have different paradigms in different
situations, but that is natural. After all, you can’t go win-win in a football
match between two teams!! But overall, for true interdependence, a Win-Win
option is the best; if things still don’t work out, there’s always No Deal to
fall back on!
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