Making decisions
A chess game is a chain of interconnected personal decisions based on the "go in and out" principle. Making decisions in life is a problem for many. At the chessboard, responsibility cannot be transferred to someone else., postpone or make a half-hearted decision.
I know from my own experience: there is no one right decision, after which the company began to prosper and earn millions. Every day for a businessman is dozens of decisions made, among which, undoubtedly, there is room for mistakes. Main, so that there are more correct decisions. But for any responsibility lies with you - it is important to be aware.
Logical thinking
Building logical chains is the "strong point" of a good chess player. “The opponent went like this, to then make a move there, and we will disrupt his plans and go like this ... ",- this is what the players think, and this is how an entrepreneur should think. The logic of the decisions made and their sequence is the basis for the success of any business.
It is logical to invest more in that direction., which shoots and makes a lot of profit. I, for example, so i do. I devote 80% time for him, I am working on opportunities for further growth. These are all logical steps in the development of the company..
Assessment of the situation
Before you make a move, chess players ask themselves: “What does this position give me? What do I need - to win or not to lose? What is the strength and weakness of this position for me?». This assessment of the state of affairs is useful not only in chess.. Asking yourself questions about the current situation, goals and objectives for today and in the future, we structure our life.
Assessment of my capabilities in specific periods of the company's development helped me to refuse tempting offers to open clubs in Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Minsk. I am confident in their correctness. We were not ready for this, and I'm glad, that we were able to soberly assess our strength.
Goal setting
In a chess game, it's not enough to want to checkmate an opponent., but in life it is not enough to want to make a million. Achievement of the main goal consists of dozens of moves. You need to see the perfect image of your company in a few years, submit, how the processes will be built, what will be unique for clients, what is the estimated profit. But you need to go towards the goal progressively..
In business, as in sports, it is better to put yourself a small, but the real goal, than try to solve the super task, and then reproach yourself for failure. I may be aiming for a black belt in karate in a year., and I will not achieve this. But my goal is to get an orange belt - and this is quite real.
Planning
Define attack and defense tactics, potential threats and ways out of them, as well as the moves for the created position - this is so similar to real life! As soon as we identify the most relevant moments for a position on the board or in a life situation, it's time to embody plans and make moves.
Planning the work of the company, as well as goal setting,- an important chess skill. For this year we have already delivered and digitized plans, thought over the development of services and products - what new we will create and how to improve the already working directions.
Visualization
Visualization skill is important, and goals are easier to achieve, if she is clothed in the image. Chess teaches you to see a board with figures in your mind and mentally make future moves. It becomes so natural, what to imagine and visualize everything turns out, anything.
Five years ago (two years before starting a business) I already represented my company like this, what is she getting now. In the same way, I now imagine the pictures of the future - what kind of people are around me and what positions my business will take in three or five years..
Анализ ошибок и успехов
Any chess player analyzes won and lost games. It is imperative to analyze failures - once you have lost, means, Wrong, and you need to understand, where exactly. But it is equally important to analyze your victories - because sometimes you can win not because of your skill, and by coincidence. Accustoming yourself to daily analysis of your actions and actions, we reduce accidental risks and become stronger.
I kept a diary at one time, where he recorded his behavior and the behavior of opponents during the game. It's important to observe in business too, memorize and analyze all actions. If you do this constantly, performance will improve dramatically.
Strategy development
Combining position assessment, analysis, goal setting and planning are important components of the overall strategy. The ability to correctly combine and use these tools is strategic thinking, which allows us to see the most complete picture of what is happening in the game, business and life.
Time management
Chess teaches time control. To 10 minutes for the game are allocated for the blitz, to 1 hours - for fast and up to 3,5 hours for classical chess. Appreciating every minute and managing time correctly during the game is critical..
Experienced players use this skill to become automatic.. In business, this skill helps me to best manage my time for work and play..
Empathy and emotional intelligence
Corporate chess tournaments and matches between companies are a great way to defuse the atmosphere and unite the team. We held tournaments at Sberbank, The State Duma, Inter RAO, FSK UES, and I saw, that a chess match is beyond the scope of an ordinary corporate event. This is a real holiday, in which hundreds of people participate - chess players, their family members, colleagues and other fans.
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A good businessman doesn't have to be a good chess player.. But planning techniques, tactics and strategies, risk accounting and systems management for chess and business, in fact, are the same. And most importantly, what any business and any game boils down to,- victory is not a number, but skill.
author: Anton Kuzin, founder of the "Russian Chess School" and international master of sports in chess
