You can’t win every fight you get into. At some point you will be under prepared, out maneuvered or you may not know that a battle is underway. And then sometimes you enter a fight with the intention to lose.
When you are on a winning streak it can sometimes get into your head. Suddenly you start to change your mannerisms and approach because things have been going so easily. It can be hard to shake that feeling that the world is on your side and no matter what happens you can’t fail. I hate to say it, but that’s just not how statistics works. You can’t win every roll of the dice, just like you can’t win every project you pitch. Ask RIM – they thought they were invincible.
Sometimes the strategic loss can not just keep things in perspective but let the competition think they are closer than they really are. Maybe you’re trying to provide confidence to someone else. Or maybe you just want to show the team that it’s not all about you and you don’t always have the best ideas. There are many valid reasons to throw yourself under the bus.
Just enjoy the trip and don’t make it too often of an occurrence.