THE SWEET RELIEF OF WINNING

Sometimes victory is less about celebration and more about finally being able to breathe. If you watched the Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, you will understand exactly what I mean when I say that some victories are not good for your blood pressure!

There are games you watch comfortably, knowing your team has everything under control. And then there are games where you spend most of the time negotiating with God, questioning the referee, coaching from your couch, and wondering why you voluntarily put yourself through this kind of stress. The Soweto Derby was one of those games. But at the end of the day, the best team won. Orlando Pirates! And just like that, the stress turned into celebration. The anxiety disappeared. The tension was replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief.

It got me thinking about winning, particularly in business and in life. We often celebrate the victory, but we rarely talk about what it takes to get there. We see the entrepreneur who has just secured a multimillion-rand contract. We celebrate the business that has expanded into a new market. We applaud the founder who has finally achieved profitability or secured funding.

What we don't always see are the sleepless nights, the uncertainty, the difficult decisions, the cash flow pressures, the disappointments, and the moments when giving up seemed easier than continuing, and that is why winning feels different when you know what it took to get there.

Winning is not always comfortable

One of the biggest misconceptions about success is that when you are doing everything right, things should be easy. But that is not how football works, and it is certainly not how business works. You can have the best strategy, the strongest team and the right resources, and still find yourself under enormous pressure. Your competitors will challenge you. The market will change. Customers will disappoint you. Opportunities will fall through. And sometimes, despite your best preparation, things simply won't go according to plan.

The real test is not whether you experience pressure. It is whether you can continue executing under pressure. Because winning does not mean you were never challenged. Sometimes it means you were challenged repeatedly and still found a way to come out on top.

The relief of winning is a reward of its own

There is something deeply satisfying about finally achieving something you have worked towards for a long time.

• That moment when the contract is signed.

• When the payment you have been waiting for finally reflects.

• When your business makes it through a difficult financial period.

• When the strategy you have spent months implementing finally starts delivering results.

Sometimes you don't even feel like celebrating loudly. You just sit back, exhale and say, "We made it." And that relief is powerful.

It is the release of months, sometimes years, of carrying uncertainty while continuing to show up. It is the confirmation that your persistence was not wasted.But there is something else I have learnt about winning: a victory should never make you forget the work!!

In football, winning the derby is wonderful. The bragging rights are even better! But one victory does not win an entire season. There is another match to prepare for, another opponent to study and another performance to deliver. Business is no different.

Winning a major contract does not guarantee the next one. Having a profitable month does not automatically make you a sustainable business. Being the market leader today does not mean you will remain the market leader tomorrow. The danger of winning is becoming so comfortable with yesterday's success that you forget to prepare for tomorrow's challenges. That is why the best teams review their performances even after winning and the best entrepreneurs should do the same. Celebrate the milestone, absolutely. But also ask yourself:

• What did we do well that contributed to this victory?

• Where were we vulnerable, despite winning?

• What must we improve before the next challenge?

• How do we turn this one victory into consistent performance?

Because the ultimate objective should never be to win once. It should be to build the capacity to keep winning.

So, as I reflect on the Soweto Derby, I am reminded that winning is not always pretty. It is not always comfortable. And it certainly is not always stress-free. But when the final whistle blows and you have done enough to secure the victory, there is no feeling quite like it.

My challenge to you this week is simple: identify one thing you have won at recently, personally or professionally, and allow yourself to celebrate it. Then take the lessons from that victory and prepare for the next one.

As for me, I am still enjoying the relief of a Soweto Derby victory because some wins are sweeter than others. Especially when they come with bragging rights over Kaizer Chiefs!

Yours in winning, resilience, and the sweet relief of victory,

The Business Doctor Keitumetse Lekaba