Think & Do

"The laws of Chess do not allow a free choice: you have to move like it or not" (Lasker)

   I firmly believe that chess is an effective and useful tool  in the preparation of a professional who aspires to be useful in their daily work. As commented in my presentation, i'm going to alternate posts with analysis and discussion , with other concepts in which try to relate both worlds (chess and businesses).

  In all lectures / courses that I have done on marketing or project management began in one way or another telling what a SWOT analysis (Strengths-Weaknesses-Threats-Opportunities), presenting it as a key element for the development of the we wanted to do. I can only agree ... if done right.

   In almost every analysis I have seen throughout my professional life, you tend to overestimate their own strengths, minimize competition, underestimate our weaknesses increasing competition one: the Business Case "have to go" because this is good and can not be stopped because the figures do not say it in Excel.

  Here we forget the objective assessments, we get carried away by our subjective and because we are pre-convinced of the result not wanting to see that we could be wrong, or at least is necessary to revise the approach.

  The analysis of a chess position not unlike virtually nothing of a SWOT analysis: see what's from the point of view of what our strengths and the weaknesses of the opponent to see where we have to attack, review the threats that we rival and tried to cover our weaknesses, and as the weight of each factor will make a move or another.

  Every player has fallen many times in the mistake of overestimating or underestimating the strengths of the opponent, and we have all lost a lot of games for this. The development of a player, among other things, is based on the ability to achieve the objective assessments in the playing positions

   Let's consider the chess board as our training camp to make SWOT analysis: working objectivity, the correct reading of the conditions and those of others, we can develop a "sixth" sense to find hidden threats and can fail to see where our seemingly good position. Finally, working our ability to search for opportunities, even in complicated situations where there seems to be nothing.

  All these points are important in itself, but I'm focusing on the last one personally think it's an important nuance.

  Chess forces you to think, but also to act, we can not "in pass" the move just because it doesn't ring the bell ... and on top you have limited time.

  Many times both in professional situations and in the derivatives of the game we were out of options, we were blocked with no ability to react to the situations. Like all,  imaginative capacity to find solutions and answers to complicated situations can be trained, you can work from the standpoint of constructive forces you to find "something".

  The problem is that in the office is playing "live fire" and be answered faster than we would like or need to find an answer yes or yes and if not used, often we do not know how to start looking.

  The best professionals that I've met are precisely those who could manage in these situations without blocking. There are many ways to prepare for this, and I think one of the best is just chess.

The original post was published in Spanish in my collaboration with the website Chesslive.com