Winning Moves: The Games Successful Leaders Play

Leadership is an exciting endeavor. There is enough excitement in leading a team, aligning corporate goals with functional objectives, and making it all work together seamlessly. And precisely for that reason, leadership and games are similar in nature. Because, when we think of games, we envision excitement, strategy, teamwork, and the thrill of victory. What if I said these same elements are at the heart of outstanding leadership? The best leaders don't just manage; they play to win, turning business challenges into engaging games that inspire, motivate, and drive success for the org. Like master game players, exceptional leaders know how to set the rules, motivate their teams, and strategize for long-term success for the org, their teams, and themselves.

Let's explore the positive games that influential leaders play, games that transform organizations and leave lasting legacies for everyone involved.

The Vision Quest (Epic Adventure Game)

In epic adventure games, players explore vast, unknown territories, uncover hidden treasures, and face formidable challenges before they achieve their goals. They must make critical decisions that shape the game's outcome, often with limited information. Much like the game, the leader's role in defining and communicating the vision is to create a vivid picture of the future, painting an immersive world that the org has to see even before it exists in reality. They must make the vision so compelling that team members are eager to join the quest, facing challenges with enthusiasm and determination.

When Nadella took over as CEO in 2014, Microsoft was struggling to maintain relevance in a rapidly changing tech landscape. Nadella introduced a new vision for the company: "to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more." This vision was more than just a catchy slogan. It represented a fundamental shift in Microsoft's approach, moving from a Windows-centric strategy to a cloud-first, mobile-first philosophy.  The impact of this vision on Microsoft's workforce was profound. It gave employees a sense of purpose beyond just creating software or selling products. They were now part of a mission to empower people and organizations globally. This vision helped to break down silos within the company, encouraging collaboration across different divisions.

The Empowerment Puzzle (Strategy Puzzle Game)

Strategy puzzle games require players to analyze complex situations, identify patterns, and make optimal moves to win the game. Each piece or decision affects the entire board, and success often comes from unexpected combinations of the pieces on the board. Like a complex strategy game, the empowerment puzzle requires leaders to understand the unique strengths of each team member and position them for maximum impact to achieve their overall goal.

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, implemented a management philosophy he calls "management by absence," empowering employees to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Employees are given significant autonomy in their roles. For instance:

1. Employees are encouraged to create their own job descriptions and set their own goals.
2. The company has a flexible work policy that allows employees to surf, ski, or climb when the conditions are good, trusting them to get their work done on their own schedule.
3. Patagonia's "Let My People Go Surfing" policy encourages employees to pursue their passions, believing that this leads to more creativity and productivity at work. 

This philosophy has led to high employee satisfaction, low turnover rates, and consistent innovation within the company. Employees are empowered to own the outcome without being micromanaged daily.

The Learning Labyrinth (Educational Role-Playing Game)

In educational RPGs (Role Playing Games), players navigate a complex maze of knowledge, continuously learning, adapting, and acquiring new skills and knowledge to progress to the next level. They face an increasing level of challenges that require applying what they've learned in creative ways to continue advancing in the game. The game world evolves as players advance, mirroring how leaders navigate challenges not just for themselves but guiding their entire team through the labyrinth.

Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, demonstrated this during the COVID-19 pandemic. She not only learned rapidly about the virus and its implications but also effectively communicated this knowledge to the public at large. Her approach of "go hard and go early" was based on quickly assimilating new information and acting decisively to stem the spreading of the disease.

The Feedback Relay (Cooperative Team Game)

Cooperative team games involve passing the baton of constructive communication back and forth between the players. They demand clear communication, trust, and mutual support to win the game. Players must relay crucial information quickly and accurately, adapting their strategy based on feedback from their teammates.

Cooperative team games in a leadership context are strategic exercises where leaders emphasize collaboration, build trust, enhance communication, foster innovation, develop empathy, and practice adaptability - skills crucial for effective leadership and team dynamics.

In a tech company this translates into building a product that involves complex coding challenges where different teams must work together to build an application, with each team responsible for a different module all of which must come together. The leader's role would be facilitating communication, allocating resources, and ensuring all teams work towards the common goal.

Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, institutionalized this game through the "Braintrust" meetings. These sessions provide candid feedback on films in progress, but with a twist—the feedback is purely advisory, and the director maintains the ultimate creative control of the movie. This approach has led to a culture of constant improvement, resulting in numerous blockbuster hits for Pixar.

The Recognition Rally (Points-Based Achievements Game)

In points-based games, players are motivated by a constant stream of achievements and rewards where every action, no matter how small, contributes to the overall score, encouraging consistent effort.

In leadership, a points-based achievement game is a structured system that rewards employees or team members with points for accomplishing specific tasks, reaching goals, or demonstrating desired behaviors. This technique borrows from video game mechanics to increase engagement, motivation, and performance in a professional setting.

Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, was known for her personal touch in recognizing her workforce. She wrote over 400 letters each year to the parents of her senior executives, thanking them for raising children who became outstanding leaders in her org. This unique approach to recognition created a strong emotional connection and sense of belonging among her team.

The recognition rally is like a points-based game where every positive action counts. The thrill comes from seeing the score (team morale and performance) rise with each acknowledgment.

The Collaboration Conquest (Multiplayer Strategy Game)

Multiplayer strategy games require players to form alliances, share resources, and coordinate complex actions amongst themselves. Success depends on leveraging each player's unique strengths and compensating for weaknesses.

This strategy game involves breaking down silos in the organization and forging alliances across different functions and teams. The objective? To conquer challenges that no single unit could overcome by themselves.

Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford Motor Company, mastered this game during Ford's turnaround in the late 2000s. He introduced a management system called "One Ford," which broke down regional fiefdoms and encouraged global collaboration. This approach allowed Ford to weather the financial crisis without government bailouts, unlike its competitors in the automotive industry.

The collaboration conquest is similar to team-based strategy games where players must combine their unique abilities to overcome formidable opponents. The excitement builds as teams see how their combined efforts lead to victories that would be impossible alone.

The Resilience Obstacle Course (Roguelike Game)

Roguelike games are known for their severe difficulty and permadeath features, where players must learn from each failure, adapt their strategy, and improve their skills to progress further in subsequent attempts at the game. This closely mirrors how leaders navigate the obstacles they face, bouncing back stronger after each challenge.

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani, has played this game throughout his career. From starting with a rundown yogurt factory to facing a product recall crisis in 2013, Ulukaya has consistently demonstrated resilience before being called the ‘Yogurt King’ and expanding into various other business ventures. He not only bounced back from setbacks but used them as opportunities to improve operations and strengthen customer loyalty for his brand.

The resilience obstacle course is like a challenging platformer game where each failure is a learning opportunity. The excitement comes from overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds and emerging stronger on the other side.

The Ultimate Leadership Game

The games that effective leaders play are far from trivial pursuits. They are strategic, engaging practices that create value, foster growth, and build strong, motivated teams resulting in groundbreaking innovations to transformative organizational changes.

The next time you think about the "games leaders play," remember that the most important games in leadership are those that bring out the best in others, drive positive change, and create lasting value for the org and the team. These are the games that truly great leaders dedicate themselves to mastering, and they're games where everyone wins.

In the end, leadership is the ultimate game—one that combines strategy, skill, teamwork, and purpose. The best leaders know that by approaching their role with the same enthusiasm, engagement, and strategic thinking that gamers bring to their favorite games, they can create organizations that not only succeed but thrive and make a positive impact on the world.