As children we loved to play games and are familiar with the thrill, the spirit and the rules of it. We can learn a lot from this childhood passion and adopt it successfully to business.

In a game there is always an opponent against whom we play and most of the time one looses while the other wins. In business, there is no one opponent but many and all play to win. The striking difference is, a game is an event which ends in a day but business is a process which once started does not come to an end quickly.

In business most of the times, the game is lost by self goals/hit wicket which many a times we fail to recognize. I have chosen this subject to draw some similarity between games and business to throw some light on how to play business as a game and to win always.

Known Game: One can play a game only if he knows to play that game. Rather one should play only the game one knows fairly well if he has to compete and stand a chance to win. How many businesses are started with adequate knowledge of the business? Most of the times, business is started seeing others in the field and no wonder the business ends in defeat. The first rule therefore would be to start a business you know or you can learn to play before starting it. Today there is sufficient information and material available apart from training institutes to develop skills before starting a business venture.

Playing by the rule: Every game, however informal it may be has a set of rules and most of the organized games have institutions to frame and implement the rules. The players in that game have to follow them to be participating in it. Likewise, businesses have certain rules framed by the Government, Society, the market place and the industry associations which one must follow. In India, we take violation of rules particularly in business as a birth right and assume this as a constitutional guarantee. Following the rules ensures that you do not get retired hurt and even when in a loss you gain sympathy and are not penalized for violations stripping you of your medals and glory. Fixing matches and tampering balls does not ensure a victory and in any case a victory fair and square is much sweeter.

Kits and Gears: One cannot play cricket with tennis racket that too in a football ground and the same applies in business as well. One should have the right machinery, technology, man power and the right place to be in business. Businessmen in an eagerness, start with compromises and fail to produce the right product. Also, as we grow in our business, we move into higher leagues competing with bigger players which calls for upgradation in all aspects including the attitude to win at that level. Many times we have seen many state players failing miserably in the national level or the international and this is more due to the attitude and the preparedness to face the challenges at that level. The rule then is to equip to the field before entering the game.

Game Plan: Strategies play a big role in winning the game. After all, in the world of competition today, almost all the players have access to the same technology, information and skill sets and only strategies decide the ultimate winner. All teams competing at a level of sports have similar skills and the winner is the one who could play the right strategy on the particular day of the match. For this in sports today, teams have coaches who guide the team in adopting strategies and are paid only for that. The coach judges the ability of the players vis a vis the opponents and plans a strategy to win the game. Similar approach in business with an outside consultant reviewing the business potential, executive skills and the commitment to make you a winner would definitely be a good bet.

Team Player: Most games are played as a team which is true in business also. The captain may be the best player with best record but on any day he cannot ignore or overlook the team’s potential. No team with one best player has won many matches and no team without full contribution can make a consistently winning team. This is what must be understood by every entrepreneur or CEO. First the CEO or the proprietor should have no ego and build a team by sharing, contributing and even upgrading the skills to build and retain a good combination. Many a times a good team is spoilt by selfish leaders even with the seemingly best teams and have failed to win because of this. A good player also should not corner all the glory but must share it with the team members and make everyone feel proud of their contribution for the team’s success. A strong team is what makes the business sustainable and this should be the CEO’s priority.

Ball in the Game: Very few games are played without a ball and no game is played without something to hit, chase or be focussed on. In business, in my view the ball is your objective which needs focus and attention all the time. May be, at times we do not know our objectives and this is why we are thrown out of business being declared unfit to participate in the competition.

The Competition: In business, most of the players fear competition and this is one of the main reasons stated for failure in their business. In sports there is no game without a competitor and the game is interesting only when played by strong teams. Competition gives value for money to the spectators and it also enhances the quality of the game and provides motivation for improvement of skills. I wonder why this spirit is lost when it comes to business and many successful businessmen also fear competition to some extent. Whatever one may think about competition, in the game of business, more players only goes to show the potnetial of the business, further there are more people to spend resources to educate customers on the products and expand the market. Moreover in business if you cannot compete, you have the option to join the competitor and still win.

Finally, practice makes a player perfect, as does good business practices, make winning, a child’s play.

(The author Murali is from DoMore Financials & Consulting (P) Ltd., which provides mentoring services. For feedback send mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it his contact information is in page 24)

Issue BG20 Nov02

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