Losing well, learning better
Using ALPS to break down a loss into a better learning moment.
It doesn’t matter which nation you follow. When your team loses, the media wastes no time leaping to conclusions.
That might help sell papers, but many of the so-called expert opinions feel overcooked. These reactions often mirror our own.
Any coach or player who has lost a big game knows how long the night after can feel. In that fog of disappointment, we often remind ourselves that losing is “part of the journey”.
Yet platitudes only take us so far.
Instead of Emotional Intelligence, perhaps we need what I call Losing Intelligence. This is the ability to steady our mindset, make sense of what happened and then move forward with clarity.
Losing Intelligence doesn’t mean tearing up everything we do. Sometimes the plan is right, but progress takes time. Players drift in and out of form. Injuries force changes. Teams evolve. More of the same can be exactly what’s needed, but we must be able to explain that to others and sometimes to ourselves.
Sticking with a strategy is not stubbornness if it still serves the outcome we want. Equally, changing our minds is not a weakness if done with purpose. Excuses sound fragile. Resolve sounds strong.
One way to approach this is to move beyond “win or learn” and build a process around it. I call it ALPS: Analyse, Learn, Park, Start.
Analyse the loss by breaking it into meaningful parts and linking them together. Poor breakdown outcomes might stem from poor passing or shaky set-piece ball.
Learn by identifying what to change, or what to keep.
Park the loss, the hardest step, by placing it firmly in the past. No revisiting it to reopen old wounds.
Start afresh, ready to train, ready to play and ready to climb again.
This is why we love the game. The chance to start again and get it right.