It’s a great time to be in Kansas City.

We’re going to the Super Bowl! Again! Preparations are underway for the World Cup. The Current’s new home on the riverfront is gorgeous. The state of business is strong. In our recent membership survey, 65% of respondents said business was better than last year, and nearly 62% indicated they’re hiring more employees this year. And as I write this column, the sun is shining for the second day in a row after a super-cloudy January.

The world looks great through our Chiefs-colored sunglasses.

A friend at Rotary put this in perspective during our moment of inspiration. As we celebrate this win, our memories might be a little foggy. Remember earlier this season the doubts of whether our team still had the magic? The mistakes, the missed opportunities, the losses?

What we’ve consistently seen from this team and from its leadership – year after year – is a winning spirit, and not just the kind resulting from the game’s final score. Coach Reid and Patrick Mahomes set the tone when they spread the credit for the wins and shoulder the losses themselves. Then, without excuses they shift their focus to the hard work ahead.

The American writer Albert Payson Terhume summed up this approach well:
“Win broadly without boasting. Lose without excuse.”

No matter our profession, not every day is a championship day. But each day has wins and losses that require acknowledgment. How we acknowledge them separates the true winners and leaders from the rest of the pack. Do we miss an opportunity to include others in the win, amplifying our team’s potential? Or do we miss an opportunity to learn from a loss, or worse still, drag others down with it?

Whatever the outcome in Vegas, Kansas City is already a winner. But still, Go Chiefs!