In 2013, John Henry and I wrote Secrets of Buying Packaging Machinery: How to Win in a No-Win Game. We used “game” figuratively, but it has gotten me thinking. Perhaps it really is a game. I don’t mean a game in the recreational sense (like bowling, golf, softball or other competitive activities). It is much more serious than that. Many people, our employees, our co-workers, our families, our customers and other stakeholders are counting on us to work seriously and be successful.
Consider why we play the various games we do, whether they be team sports like softball or more individual activities like poker or video games. Not only are we not paid for them, generally they cost us money. So why play? In some cases, we play for bragging rights. In most cases, whether we think about it or not, we play for the sense of challenge and bringing out our best.
Now think about why people go to work each morning. In too many cases, it is because they need the money to put a roof over their heads. That worthy goal can’t be ignored, but it’s not enough. There has to be more to our jobs than that, or we get stuck in a rut from which we can never escape. We’ll never excel.
We need to view our jobs the way we do games. We need to see them as challenges to overcome — as opportunities to learn new things and to improve. We must guard against complacency. It must never be “good enough”. We must continually do just a bit better.
Don’t worry if you don’t achieve any world-changing breakthroughs. Focus on the little things. This game is like a freight train: it may seem hard to start, but it keeps building power and momentum — becoming unstoppable. As the saying goes, if you want to be a winner, you have to play the game.
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