670 words.

Reading time:  2 - 3 minutes.

Thriving In Hard Times: Tip # 2

Basic Questions We Forget to Ask.

by Dov Gordon

BITE SIZE: The master focuses on fundamentals. While most people run off looking for what is new, exciting, cheap or free, the master keeps the fundamentals at the front of his mind and works hard on them daily.

The game of Othello offers a reminder of six fundamentals of business, laid out here in the form of seven simple questions we often forget to ask.

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They say that the game of Othello takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.  Kind of like business. Except that business can take years to learn and a life time to master.

So let’s review some fundamental lessons and thought-provoking questions inspired by the game of Othello.

1.    The novice Othello player often makes the move that awards him the greatest number of discs ignoring the obvious truth that he will probably lose them all on the next turn.

The more advanced player understands that quality beats quantity.  He therefore sets out to take the squares with strategic value: those on the perimeter and in the corners.

In business, many companies strive for growth and in the process overextend themselves and neglect the important work of building a strong strategic foundation.

QUESTION FOR YOU: Are you running too fast? Are you so focused on growth that you aren’t building a strong foundation?

2.    In Othello the priorities are clear: capture and keep as many perimeter and corner squares as you can. They are your foundation. Notice the small number of priorities.

QUESTION FOR YOU: Are your company’s priorities as crystal clear to you? How about to your employees? When asked, would everyone offer the same priorities and explain how their activities support them?

3.    Don’t follow – or create – arbitrary rules. Instead, be guided by principles. I used to believe that there was a rule that you shouldn’t occupy the square one in from the corner because my opponent would automatically get the corner.  I was wrong.  There are occasions when you need to go there to get the corner yourself.

QUESTION FOR YOU: What rules and beliefs have you created or bought into that may be limiting or even crippling you? What principles really govern how people behave and make decisions in your marketplace?

4.    Pay careful attention to environmental changes and their secondary

effects.  It is too easy to miss how a piece your opponent places on one

end of the board suddenly positions him to take a corner you thought safe

on the other end.

In business, the environment may change quickly, but usually you have

plenty of lead time IF you are paying attention to changes.

QUESTION FOR YOU: When something happens that violates your

expectations, do you tend to explain it away or take a closer look?   Where

are you growing complacent? Where are you doing things because you’ve

always done them that way?

5.    In Othello, games are usually won or lost with a very small number of discs.

In business it is usually a small number of disciplines and activities performed

really well that help you win big.

QUESTION FOR YOU: What are the small number of activities that will help

you win big if you do them really, really well?

6.    Are you balanced? In Othello you want to choose your moves so that

you both get the best locations for yourself and limit your opponent to

inferior squares.  This is a classic case of the need to balance sometimes

conflicting priorities. The classic scenario? We drive one of the priorities

hard and neglect the others which fall out of balance and we lose the game.

QUESTION FOR YOU: Now that your small number of priorities are clear

where are you in danger of emphasizing one at the expense of the others

What will you do to prevent this?

7.  There is no perfect move. In Othello your job is to choose the best move

from the available choices. And, if you are playing professionally, your

moves are timed. If you are guided by principles, if you balance your

priorities and pay careful attention to changes and their second-order

consequences, you’ll do well.

In business, we often lose a lot of time waiting for better or more perfect choices to develop.

QUESTION FOR YOU: Are you ever paralyzed or slowed down by a tendency to wait for better options when you should be pushing forward with the best of currently available choices?

DOV GORDON helps senior executives transcend the challenges, and leverage the opportunities, caused by growth and success.   He is sought after for his perspective and advice on formulating and implementing strategy, developing strong management at all levels and cultivating innovation. Dov can be reached via his websites www.GordonGroupEC.com and www.Israeli-CEO.com or via email at dovgordon@gmail.com.

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Archives of The CEO Thought-Provoker™ are here:  http://www.gordongroupec.com/articles.html

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Dov Gordon helps senior executives at small and mid-sized companies around the world to earn the respect and admiration of their marketplace.  Clients benefit from clarifying their strategies, sharpening their focus, better decision making, improved teamwork and growing into great leaders.

Management and Strategy Consulting.

Executive Coaching.

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See our recommended reading list at:   www.GordonGroupEC.com/books.html         

Copyright 2008 © by Dov Gordon.  All rights reserved.