It was a crisp, sunny day at the golf course. I had just teed off on the first hole, ready to take on my boss in a friendly game of golf.
I had been playing golf for years and had become quite good at it.
My boss, however, was a novice. He had only been playing for a few weeks, but he was determined to get better. I thought it would be a good opportunity to show him the ropes, so to speak.
We were about halfway through the game when I realized something: I could easily win this game. All I had to do was play my game and I’d have it in the bag.
But then I thought about something else: What kind of message would it send if I won?
Would it be seen as me rubbing it in my boss’s face? Would it appear as though I’m taking advantage of him because I’m a better player? I thought it through and decided that, no, I would not take the victory.
Instead, I decided to play my best, but to throw in a few mistakes here and there that would keep the game close.
I figured that way, my boss would still have a chance to win, but I’d still be able to show him the basics of the game.
Sure enough, by the end of the game, my boss had won. He was ecstatic, and I was happy for him because I knew he had really worked hard to improve his game.
I also knew that he had learned a lot about the game during our time together.
At the end of the day, I knew I had done the right thing. Sure, I could have easily won the game, but what would that have accomplished?
It wouldn’t have been a victory for either of us.
By throwing in a few mistakes during the game, I was able to give my boss the win without appearing as though I was taking advantage of him.
It was a win-win situation.