NILESH WAGHELA Business Strategy
LESSONS FROM CHESS
Lessons from Chess: Learning to Think Ahead Being able to look ahead in business and anticipate – even to a small degree – changes and trends is a valuable quality that can reap tremendous rewards. It’s a quality that many experienced chess players possess, helping them to see the board as a whole and think through many moves in advance.
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Here’s how to think ahead in the business world:
WORK ON THE BUSINESS A lot of people work in the business and don’t spend as much time working on it. Doing the latter calls for pulling yourself back from the company – whether by way of an off-site meeting or something similar – and thinking about the bigger picture.
GET COMFORTABLE OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE Being a step ahead calls for working outside your comfort zone and being comfortable doing so. It
also means acting quicker than you’re used to in some instances. While it’s vital to base business decisions on complete information, being outside the comfort zone will call for moving with speed.
DON’T EXPECT VALIDATION When you’re one step ahead of everyone else, it will seem like you’re violating what’s considered normal. People will likely ridicule or question your efforts, so don’t expect validation.
When you’re one step ahead of everyone else, it will seem like you’re violating what’s considered normal. 3
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