A firefighter’s motto is everyone goes home. Winning at any cost isn’t winning if someone gets hurt.

Putting safety above the outcome is not a softening of the mission. It is a definition of success that includes the people doing the work. Any result bought with somebody getting damaged has not met the goal, it has only moved the cost somewhere less visible. Teams that take this seriously tend to be better over time, because they keep their people, and the at-any-cost version runs out of people.

Look at what you or your team are willing to spend to win. Playing hurt, cutting corners, someone carrying blame unfairly. Say out loud what you will not spend, before a close game decides for you.