Is the Better Strategy Win-Win or Win-Lose?
Deflating rivals improves your short-term appearance.
Posted May 10, 2026 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
Business, leadership and management advisors and coaches often talk about “Win-Win” strategies. Such approaches would (in theory) result in someone getting what they want while also enabling their competitor to “win” with something they want. This is a fundamental tenet of negotiation. It also has the benefit of being morally virtuous in the sense that everyone gains something. Sayings that embody that concept include “A rising tide lifts all boats” and “Trickle-down economics.”
Win-win certainly sounds good, but it only can work when the proponent has the ability to actually advance themselves by creating or gaining ground in whatever field or endeavor they are engaged with.
Win-Lose With an Attitude
The opposite of Win-Win can occur when someone doesn’t have the necessary skills or capabilities for self-advancement. In that type of situation, they can promote themselves by diminishing their competition . This is the basis for “Win-Lose” strategies, although the term is generally not used because “I do something to make you lose so I can win” does not convey social or moral virtue.
However, in some circumstances – such as sports – this can be viewed as trying to win with a good defense. That strategy can be particularly effective in a sport like American football in which the defense can actually score points. (In contrast, a baseball team “on the field” cannot score any runs; they can only prevent runs from being scored.)
Relativity Wasn’t Just for Einstein
Einstein studied relativity in terms of space and time. But the more standard use of relativity means one thing compared to another. Therefore, whether Win-Win and Win-Lose strategies are viewed as good or not depends on which side of the personal or professional equation a person is on.
Win-Lose in Business and Politics
In the worlds of business and politics , to execute a winning strategy your product (or candidate) doesn’t have to be better than the competitor; just less bad. This can lead to prioritizing strategies and tactics that demean or diminish the competition rather than improving one’s own capabilities or products. From a societal perspective, the latter is clearly better since it leads to innovations and greater value, whatever that means these days. However, as has been seen – particularly in politics – the negative approach of demeaning the competition can be faster, easier, and more effective. For example, politicians – with the urging of their consultants and campaign managers – heavily use negative advertising that disparages their opponents because it works, and it works well. And despite often being completely false, those negative statements have First Amendment protections as political speech. [i]
Win-Lose in Personal Life Because of Social Media
In today’s hyper-connected, social media obsessed world, people often compare themselves to what they are seeing on big and small screens. Those comparisons can create false impressions about other people's “standing” or importance (or value) relative to the rest of society. One manifestation of this has been called “Facebook Depression ” in which people view their lives as not as fun or fascinating as what they see their friends posting on Facebook. However, this is almost always a false comparison, since their friends are only posting good things on Facebook, (e.g., pictures of their tan faces on beach vacations) and not things like their runny noses when they are ill.
The phenomenon of comparing real life with social media images can also result in FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – which may lead people to do things that they wouldn’t have done before. That shove/nudge may be good if it gets people to overcome their inertia to take positive action. But it can also make them more accepting of Win-Lose actions that can alienate them from others, or include unwise or unappreciated risks. And those risky actions can be even worse if they don’t learn from them. [ii]
How to Avoid Losers Who Seek to Win by Making Others Lose
While Win-Lose strategies, tactics, and actions by people in your personal life or business – or from politicians who may be seeking your vote – are a reality of modern life, there are things you can do to insulate yourself from the ill effects of those bullying -adjacent actions:
Win-Win and Win-Lose are two contrasting strategies for people, companies and politicians to advance themselves. The first uses a collaborative and cooperative approach that is often the basis for negotiations. The latter can be a form of bullying, and often has negative personal and societal consequences.
People can push back against Win-Lose actors (i.e., “losers”) by recognizing them for what and who they are, and then calling them out, either in person or through public forums and media. Those actions can help promote and insulate your own well-being and empower you to advance yourself in ways that are not at the expense of others.
[i] Legal action for defamation can be brought by one candidate against another, but it seems that the bar to success – as well as the long time and high costs – would be very problematic. See justia.com/injury/defamation/defamation-and-public-officials/ and ifs.org/blog/false-speech-trump-democrats-first-amendment/
[ii] See Atul Gawande’s Failure and Rescue Commencement Address newyorker.com/news/news-desk/failure-and-rescue
Share this post Facebook Bluesky Linkedin Email
There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
By submitting your information you agree to the Psychology Today Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
Michael Miller, MD, is a health care policy, communications and advocacy expert, and the author of Reversing Misinformation: How to Help Your Family, Friends & Community.
Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.