Strategic Thinking: Lessons from the Chessboard for Founders and Business Leaders

Have you ever thought about how some decisions unlock doors effortlessly while others leave you stuck? I recently stumbled upon a fascinating read about strategic thinking, which reshaped how I view leadership, decision-making, and growth. The central theme? Winning is rarely about brute force; it’s about making the right moves at the right time.

Here’s the deal: The path to success—whether in life, business, or scaling your team—isn’t paved with endless hard work. It’s about clarity, leverage, and focusing on what truly matters. Think chess but with more variables and higher stakes. Below are five mental models I’ve adapted to help founders, leaders, and businesses not just play the game—but dominate it.

1. Control the Center: Prioritize High-Impact Areas

In chess, controlling the centre gives you maximum influence. From there, your pieces can move in almost any direction, gaining a strategic advantage. Business works the same way. Your “centre” is where your efforts create the most leverage.

• Early-Stage Founders: Forget trying to do everything at once. Focus on building a product people actually want. Perfect your offering before you even think about scaling or marketing.
• Team Leaders: What’s the biggest obstacle affecting performance? Is it communication? A lack of clear goals? Solve the core issue, and watch the ripple effects elevate the whole team.
• Growth-Stage Businesses: In competitive markets, your “centre” might be owning a niche. Instead of spreading resources across multiple verticals, focus on one market and dominate it. When you're known as the go-to solution, expansion becomes easier.

The question to ask yourself: Where’s the centre of my board right now, and how can I position myself there?

2. Value Every Piece: Right People, Right Roles

In chess, every piece has unique potential, but its true value depends on its position. A queen in the corner of the board? Useless. A well-placed knight? Game-changing.

• For Teams: Is everyone playing to their strengths? Misaligned roles are like pawns trying to act like queens—inefficient and frustrating. Get your people in the right roles, and watch them shine.
• For Startups: Limited resources mean every dollar, hire, and hour matters. Stop spreading thin. Instead, double down where returns are highest—whether that’s a feature your users love or a channel that’s showing traction.
• For Growth-Stage Businesses: Expansion demands precision. Are you overinvesting in areas that don’t move the needle? Maybe your marketing team is chasing trends while your operations team struggles to deliver. Redirect your resources to where they’ll create maximum impact.

Jim Collins said it best: “Get the right people on the bus and in the right seats.” Take inventory of your people and resources. Are they where they’ll do the most good?

3. Position Before Submission: Build the Foundation First

In chess, rushing to attack without a solid position is a beginner’s mistake. Pros? They dominate the board first, creating an unshakable position before going in for the win.

• For Startups: Before launching into new markets, ask: Is our product strong enough? Do we have the operations to back us up? A premature launch might win attention but could cost trust if you can’t deliver.
• For Teams: Want your team to perform better? First, give them the tools, clarity, and support they need. A well-positioned team doesn’t just work harder—they work smarter.
• For Growth-Stage Businesses: Say you’re in a fast-paced tech market. Positioning might mean solidifying your supply chain, ensuring compliance, or securing partnerships before an aggressive push. Foundation before fireworks.

Ask: What groundwork must I lay before making my next bold move?

4. Own the Initiative: Momentum Wins Games

The player dictating the tempo in chess often wins. In business, momentum is king. Once you’re moving, the hardest part—starting—is behind you, and progress gets exponentially easier.

• For Founders: Early traction doesn’t require perfection. It requires action. If you’re waiting for the “perfect moment,” stop. Land a few key customers, deliver for them, and build momentum that attracts the rest.
• For Teams: Lead with initiative. Propose solutions before problems pile up. Momentum inspires confidence, and confidence sparks productivity.
• For Growth-Stage Businesses: In a competitive industry, owning the initiative might mean being the first to market or capitalizing on emerging trends. For example, integrating AI into your tools before competitors catch on could set you miles ahead.

Momentum creates compounding results. Sometimes individuals and organisations build momentum but fail to maximize their gains.

The question: What’s the smallest action I can take today to start moving forward?

5. Embrace Tactical Retreats: Step Back to Leap Forward

Here’s the hardest truth—sometimes the best move isn’t forward. A tactical retreat feels counterintuitive, but it can position you for greater success.

• For Founders: Drop clients, products, or processes that are draining resources without returns. A demanding low-margin customer might seem essential, but letting them go could free up time to focus on higher-value opportunities.
• For Teams: If a strategy isn’t working, pause. Take a step back, regroup, and pivot. Retreating isn’t failure—it’s recalibration.
• For Growth-Stage Businesses: Scaling too fast can break even the strongest companies. Pull back, reassess, and reallocate resources to ensure sustainable growth. For instance, exiting a smaller market to dominate a larger one isn’t defeat—it’s strategy.

Ask: What move am I avoiding because it feels like a step back? Could it actually be the setup for my next big win? There is nothing wrong with pulling back, but we have to ensure that it is on our terms.

Play the Long Game: Strategic Thinking for Growth

Success isn’t about grinding endlessly—it’s about making smart, calculated moves. Whether you're a founder chasing traction, a leader optimizing teams, or a business scaling in a fast-paced market, these principles apply:

1. Control the Center: Focus on what drives the most leverage.
2. Value Every Piece: Align people and resources for maximum impact.
3. Position Before Submission: Build a foundation that sets you up for success.
4. Own the Initiative: Take decisive action and ride the momentum.
5. Embrace Tactical Retreats: Step back when necessary to leap forward later.

Business is strategy, not luck. Every move matters.

So, what’s your next move?