In the game of chess, each player gets 16 chess pieces. With those chess pieces, it is the players goal to take the other players king. Most chess players will tell you that chess is made up of calculative moves with each player thinking of all possible situations and scenarios that might happen two to three plays later. In comparison to the game of chess, companies function in a similar way.
Similar to the game of chess, a company has rankings withing itself that signifies power and influence. Just like the king is the most important piece in chess, the CEO or the corporation itself can be considered in the same way. Likewise, a company also has those that would be considered pawns. In today’s economy we have a very unique but also scary reality. On one side we have a corporation and on the other we have our opponent, the economy.
If we were to look at the situation as a chess game, the economy is pressing us hard and threatening each and every company. Whether its the small mom and pops stores or the large corporations, everyone feels the pressure of the economy bearing down on them. Like pawns getting picked off a chessboard, corporations are forced to layoff workers in order to stay alive and ‘protect the king.’
Their is no easy way to ‘defeat’ our opponent, but like in chess we must evaluate our the options and make the best choice we can. I believe that Grand Master Chess Player, Emaunel Lasker said it best when he said:
“When you see a good move, look for a better one” – Emanuel Lasker
While the situation is dire and we must make swift decisions, it is not without saying that we must think not only about the instant ramifications of our decisions but also the long term results as well. When certain moves seem like the right one, we must scrutinize it till exhaustion and make sure that we can’t make a better one. Learning from mistakes only makes us smarter and capitalizing on great ideas makes us stronger.
While I have compared corporations and its employees to a chess game, the same can be applied to anyone. Whether it be an individual, a family, or business, everyone in their own certain way is playing against an invisible opponent. Understanding your opponent and the situation is key to success. Without understanding what is going on is like trying to play a sport without knowing the rules.
While some may say that the saying “if at first you don’t succeed try try again” is the best way to approach things, I would disagree and say that it is not always the best approach. What I feel is wrong about that quote is that it says nothing about doing your best or giving it your all. What it should say is:
“Try your best, and if you don’t succeed, try again.”
For some chess players, they can win without even trying. Still, we must not take the ‘game’ we play lightly and must realize that the biggest difference between losing in chess and in real life is that we don’t get a rematch with it.
