Of course there is nothing wrong with setting a goal to WIN and working toward that goal. But, there is another approach. Sometimes, just sometimes ......
you might decide to not concentrate on winning in order to try something new or different. Maybe a new pistol that you're NOT 100% with yet. Maybe you want to shoot always from concealment when it is not required. One day you just might decide to shoot ALL stages strong hand only or use real full power factory ammo. You'd be improving yourself (prepping for future matches, maybe?) but you'd also be at a disadvantage to everyone else, for the purposes of the match scoring that day.
I mentioned this recently on another forum and was roundly booed for not wanting to always win in the scoring. Fight to win! Win to survive! Rah, rah! Interestingly, it seems it's the folks that invest so much of themselves in WINNING that dissapprove of someone not doing the same. At least from their point of view. Part of needing to win so badly is in beating you when you're at your best and I can understand that part of competition.
That's fine, but I don't see anything wrong with USING a match setup to refine or develop some other skills too. If you go into it knowing that it will probably knock you out of winning, so be it. I don't see this as "whiney leftist speak" myself, and I don't try to get others to do as I do. I may in fact choose to get in some "tactical training" that day, but I don't impose those choices on anyone else.
It's your business why you compete and it is my business why I compete. Sometimes I choose to only compete with myself. Other days I come out ready to join the herd and try to beat everybody else. Be serious but have fun; at worst it'll keep everybody guessing what you're up to that day.