Manager's chessboard

There is an underline synergy between being a manager and a chess player.

At the start of a chess game, if you were to win, one thing you would need to be certain and clear with the strategy, be it a waiting-for-mistakes-from-opponent, balanced attack and defence, or strike with all price. You also need to keep a very close eye on the strategy of your opponent, if you are not familiar with his/her style already, and adapt your counter plan.

For every move, not only you have to consider the immediate effects on material loss or gain, more importantly, you have to evaluate things like position of the pieces, support for the future development of your overall plan, maybe even traps to trick your opponent, as the big picture. Every move is a decision with consequence, as a manager, you have to make yours, with all the information available to you, given that you have your eyes and ears opened to receive them - you have to be able to read well whatever is on the 8x8 square; able to see through the moves from the pieces and predict the goal of your opponent, be it a local win on points or strategic position acquisition.

You have your resources - pieces, which are pretty much the only thing is on your side to get this game over with a desirable result. To mobilise and maximise the potentials, you have to be well aware of what they are capable of - En passant, what they could become - promotion, what the killing combinations are, how to coordinate the pieces - coordination, how to create healthy dependency and protection chains, how to double check.

Again, you have to make your decision, none of them will be easy, or else you might be better off just to get out of the game and try something else. Sometimes decision demands sacrifice, compromise, exchange of materials, concentrated attack, defend and counter attack. In other situation, it means being flexible (forcing a tie), realistic (evaluating situation and selecting the most appropriate play going forward), brave, calm (facing panics after mistakes).

There will be unhappy scenes, with pieces lost, positions given up, conflict interests and plans. In real world for managers, to create and manage a positive and healthy political environment is part of the job, critical one. However, the truth is, you can't make everyone happy, you never will or should. I like in 24 season 7 Jack Bauer answers Renee how he could live with all the decisions he has made. Sometimes you have to choose between two evils. "If you’re going commando to do what you believe is right, it doesn’t mean someone isn’t going to be pissed, but it should allow you to go to sleep at night." Apparently Michael Lopp has a term for this - Subterfuge.

Responses:

1. Thanks for Jiayao's comments. Pattern analysis and retrospective thinking is how a chess player can learn from the past and become better and stronger. This is in a way very much like skill training. Learning from the past, other players, summarise and make these patterns your own versions. This gives the chessboard another dimension - as a manager, you might not succeed in every situation with every team, the important thing is, there is no bad or good experience, it's just experience and opportunity to grow from, inc. other people's lessons.