Play Better Games
“Play better games. Win better prizes”
The default plan for most people to get better prizes seems to be playing harder. Put in more hours. Get more training. Kiss up to the boss more.
Those can lead to better outcomes in your game. Or, you could switch games and play a better game.
Not all games are equally rewarding. Some pay better. Some are much more satisfying.
Obvious example: you can win the career game and lose the family game. At the end of our life, it will be the family game that you want to have won. Those "prizes" are the best one.
Less obvious example: you may be in a job that doesn't fit your best skill set. I have two close friends that I have talked in the last few months who are realizing that while they are able to do their job well, neither of them are able to use their best skills at work.
One friend leads a team that manages large loans, so big they are spread across multiple financial institutions. He's good with numbers, but his best skill set (and greatest satisfaction) is engaging with people (he's exceptionally good there).
My other friend leads teams that oversee IT/development for a different big company. He's smart at understanding the systems, but what he loves most (and is brilliant at) is strategic planning and foresight at a grand scale, not getting into the weeds.
Both work at huge companies, have leadership positions, and get paid well. But both realized they are playing the wrong game.
If they are that successful playing a game that doesn't match their wiring, then how much more could they win if they played a game that let them run at full speed?
And how much more would they enjoy their life?
One of the big "game changes" that I made in my career was when I realized that I work much better in a team than I do solo. So even though I had enough solo work to do stay busy (and be very profitable), I started doing bigger, more complex strategy projects that required teams of 2-4 people to pull off (company transformations). We are making a huge difference--and I'm firing on all cylinders. And not only have I been able to sustain that for a longer time, we are building a company "engine" that gets better and better every year.
When have you played the wrong game? How did you know? What “game” was a better fit for you?