I like to win.

Winning comes in handy in much of our working lives. It’s good to win on behalf of clients. That’s often what they pay us for.

But winning can be a losing strategy for building a law firm.

The win-at-all-costs mentality is hard to shut down. It’s hard to turn it off.

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. It’s not unreasonable to seek more victories once you’ve experienced the high that comes with winning.

But is it possible that what feels like winning is actually losing?

I have that debate with myself all the time. I find it incredibly difficult to turn off the need to win.

I know, however, that I need to win less often when it comes to my law firm. As a practical matter, that means I’ve got to let other members of my team decide on their own. I’ve got to avoid giving my opinion sometimes because, as the boss, my thoughts weigh heavily on others. I’ve got to get myself out of the way and let other people achieve.

I have to keep the conversation going in my head. I’ve got to restrain my need to win by talking to myself. I can’t win too much—that’s what I keep telling myself, and sometimes I actually listen. I can’t afford to win all the time because it comes at a cost. My win is a loss for the people I trust to run our law firm. Winning feels good for the moment, but it’s a terrible, terrible plan for my business.

The best plan is to hire good people—ideally, people better than you. The best plan is to give them the room to win. The best plan is to encourage them, support them, and watch them as they declare victory. That’s how you win in the long run.