A colleague comes into work once a week with a large tennis bag. He’s clearly just come from the court.
I usually ask, “Did you win?”
However, the other day I paused and thought: why do I ask this question? Is it habit? Conditioning? My competitive nature?
Why don’t I ask: Did you enjoy it? Did you learn something? Where is your game improving?
It’s not about my colleague and tennis, it’s about a general attitude towards work and hobbies. Of course winning matters, but there are often more useful questions to ask.