What Dungeons & Dragons can teach entrepreneurs
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks is a master of games, both in the boardroom and on the game board. Like host Reid Hoffman , Chris has been playing Dungeons and Dragons since he was a child, and he credits D&D with teaching him important business skills. In the most recent Masters of Scale episode, Chris and Reid discuss their passion for gaming, particularly D&D, and extract valuable business lessons from their decades of playing. Here are some key highlights about leadership and teamwork from their insightful conversation:
Charisma counts. Chris compares the leadership of a Dungeon Master (the organizer or guide to the fantasy role-playing game), working to keep their party motivated and captivated, to that of a business leader. He explains, "That's a powerful aspect of leadership — being an attentive leader and always having a portion of your mind focused on the table around you and on a common goal." Connecting with your team helps keep them focused, energized, and excited.
Disagree and commit. Expert gamers and entrepreneurs like Chris and Reid know the importance of one cardinal D&D rule — "Don't split the party." "Or in modern parlance — disagree and commit," Cocks says. "There's nothing more powerful in business than having unity in terms of action. Having really strong dialogue and even disagreement about what you do ultimately leads to conviction about what the right approach is, and then how you execute that conviction."
Embrace everyone’s hero journey. "We are all heroes in this journey, right?" says Reid, thinking back on his time playing D&D and his storied career as an entrepreneur. "We're heroes collaborating, working together. [We should always ask,] How do we have a collaborative heroship, a mission, a goal?" Support and empower your team to celebrate and grow both as individuals and together, especially as the year comes to a close.
To join in on more of the fun with Reid and Chris, watch their full conversation on YouTube (or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts).
🖥️ Watch: How AI can help us converse with our environment
"What would it mean to give voice to the voiceless?" This was the central question of Dr. Sean White 's talk at Masters of Scale Summit, presented in alliance with Capital One. Sean — the CEO of Inflection AI — shares how through the power of large language models (LLMs), we have, for the very first time, the potential to get unprompted insights from our datasets, from different species, and from the entire natural world.
🚀 Explore: Cultivate your AI edge with Turing
In today's business landscape it has never been more important to have an edge, especially when it comes to AI. By transforming complex data into actionable insights, Turing enables enterprises to harness the power of generative AI to unlock business solutions. From custom AI solutions to end–to-end deployment, their team of human experts are trusted by thousands of companies to build products that drive innovation and efficiency. Learn more about Turing here.
Recommended by LinkedIn
🏆 Apply: Second annual Business Awards
Sign-ups have begun for the 2025 Masters of Scale Business Awards applications.
Our second annual Business Awards celebrates organizations that embody the qualities and achievements we highlight each week on Masters of Scale.
The inaugural award — presented in alliance with Capital One Business — celebrated a cohort of winners from across the scale spectrum, from early-stage founders to Fortune 500 companies. So, regardless of where you are on your journey, we want to hear your story and celebrate your success. Learn more about the Business Awards here.
More from the team behind Masters of Scale
🤖 Pioneers of AI: How AI can unlock the mysteries of our health
Kevin Slavin shares how microbes shape us, how AI can accelerate our understanding of them, and more ways AI can transform our health. YOUTUBE | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY
⚡Rapid Response: Big Tech trends shaping 2025
Nick Thompson explores the dominance of companies like Nvidia and Apple, the personalities shaping tech, and the shifting landscape of AI and innovation. APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY
⚡Rapid Response: Six lessons of Rapid Response for 2025
We've rounded up the most definitive business lessons of 2024, as heard on Rapid Response. YOUTUBE | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY
Principal Analyst/Early-Stage Investor
3wThe highlight of my Strategy Session cameo in 2023 was hearing Reid give a shoutout to the hidden business lessons of D&D. At least one D&D party was formed in the episode chat.