What Win-Win Means

In his best-seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey defines Win-Win as a frame of mind which constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.

Think win-win. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Stephen Covey

With a Win-Win solution, all parties feel good about the → decision and feel committed to the action plan.

Win-Win sees life as a cooperative, not a competitive arena. Most people tend to think in terms of dichotomies: strong or weak, hardball or softball, win or lose. But that kind of thinking is fundamentally flawed, because it is based on power and position rather than principle.

Win-Win is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everybody, that one → person's success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others.  

Win-Win is a belief in the third alternative. It’s not your way or my way; it’s a better way, a higher way.

Grow a Win-Win Mindset

To grow a Win-Win mindset, you need to focus on the development of three character traits:

Integrity. Integrity means treating everyone by the same set of principles. Conforming reality to our words – keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. Being loyal to those who are not present.

Maturity. Maturity is the → balance between courage and consideration. Expressing feelings and convictions with courage balanced with consideration for the feelings and convictions of another person requires maturity, particularly if the issue is very important to both parties.

An Abundance Mentality. An abundance mentality flows from a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It is a paradigm that states that this is a world of plenty and that there is enough for everybody. It results in the sharing of prestige, of recognition, of → profits, of decision making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives and → creativity.