Leadership Lesson From A Perfect Game Of Chess And Ecosystems

I am truly awful at Chess.

Ask my wonderful Spouse - she's thoroughly kicked my behind at it.

However, I find Chess to be a fascinating game for many different reasons.

It requires strategy, understanding your opponent, thinking ahead, and waiting to reveal moves at the perfect opportunity!

It is an amazing game.

However, there is one thing that truly struck me as fascinating in reading about Chess Theory earlier today.

What is considered a "Perfect Game"?

Many experts in the game believe that the "Perfect Game" of Chess ends in a Stalemate.

Both players have gotten their pieces and abilities to a point where, legally, another move cannot be made.

There is no Winner, and there is no Loser.

Only two players who have played their pieces to their best advantage to end the game within the constraints.

In some ways, you could say the game ends in Harmony.

Now, what makes this interesting is when we think about this from an Ecosystem Perspective.

See, Chess is a game about war, where "Opposing" sides are going toe-to-toe to determine a "Winner".

However, Ecosystems don't work like this.

Different parts of Ecosystems work together, and the entirety of the Ecosystem wins or loses together.

We can take the Wolves of Yellowstone National Park as an example.

The Wolves of Yellowstone were hunted to extinction, leaving the Park without them for 70 years.

This caused a Trophic Cascade, an effect that ended up Impacting the entire Ecosystem of Yellowstone Negatively.

Deer became overwhelming and vegetation was decimated.

Humans couldn't control the numbers, and conditions continuously got worse.

So Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone.

Almost immediately the behavior of the Deer changed in response to the presence of the Wolves.

The change allowed parts of Yellowstone to Regenerate.

Trees were able to grow 5x the size.

Bare valleys became forests.

This quickly led to Birds and Beavers becoming more common in the Park.

The presence of Beavers led to several river-dwelling mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians to gain new habitats within the Park.

The Wolves also reduced the Coyote population, which led to rodent populations increasing.

More mammals came to the Park that preyed upon the Rodents.

With the Foliage Regenerating, Bears too returned to the Park.

But, perhaps most impressive of all is that the Wolves changed the behavior of the Rivers, allowing the Rivers to become Stronger with less Erosion around the Park.

When the Wolves were removed, the Ecosystem became Decimated.

When the Wolves were returned, the Ecosystem began to Flourish.

Now, what does this have to do with Chess?

The Wolves before returning to the park could be seen as the "Losers".

However, the "Winners" did not really "Win".

The Ecosystem was in turmoil due to the "Loss".

It was only when the Wolves were reintroduced, that a "Stalemate" occurred within the Ecosystem.

However, that "Stalemate" led the entire Ecosystem to Flourish.

All Flourishing is Mutual.

This brings me to Leadership and Business.

We often think of Businesses as a Win-or-Die game.

Many people think of Business like Chess.

There is a Belief that there are Winners, and there are Losers.

Businesses "Win" when Customers have no money.

Leaders "Win" when they force Employees to do work they don't want to do.

Teams "Win" when they get a Larger chunk of the Budget than other Teams.

But is this really the case?

Can we say Businesses today are "Winning"?

Can we say Leaders today are "Winning"?

Can we say Teams today are "Winning"?

Can we say Customers today are "Winning"?

No.

Nobody in their right mind would say that.

Burnout is at 80%.

Employees are constantly thinking about Leaving.

Few are truly Engaged in their work.

Most are not being Utilized Effectively, neither using their Strengths nor getting anywhere near their Potential.

Flow States are nearly non-existent in the workplace which has led to decimated Creativity, Innovation, and Productivity.

Teams are Siloed and fighting each other instead of competing against other Businesses.

Customers can barely afford Necessities, leading to desperation and sometimes even illegal activity as we have seen with Piracy in Streaming.

Companies rely on Addiction tactics instead of better Products and Services to drain Customers more.

Who is "Winning"?

Executives may be making more money, but their Stresses are significantly worse than they have ever been.

Employees may force Organizations to their will through Protests, Insubordination, and Strikes, but their livelihoods are constantly at risk.

Customers may have more options than at any point in history, but what good is that if they are barely able to afford a roof over their heads?

No one is "Winning".

Leaders Idolize Theories of Warfare and Chess without understanding the Highest Ideal of them.

The best Battle is the one you Never have to Fight.

The highest Victory is where there is no Winner or Loser, and there are no moves left to attempt to force submission.

If we are to gain this Highest Victory as Leaders, we need to Realize that All Flourishing is Mutual.

If you, your Employees, your Organization, your Customers, or your Category are not Flourishing, then you are not Winning.

At best you are going to see a slow descent into Destruction, much like Yellowstone was facing.

At worst, you will be treated like the Wolves and Eliminated over Fear.

It could come through Customers refusing your Business.

It could come through Employees all simultaneously Quitting.

It could come through Government Regulations deciding what you can and can not do.

It could come from Internal Implosion as Competitors figure out what the Future of Business looks like.

Which Future do you want?

If you are Wise, you will look to Flourish.

The best path toward that is to Design a Regenerative Legacy.