Theory of the game
I've long admired Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, for the depth of his thinking about systems and strategy. In several interviews he's talked about the origins of this superpower, and he's offered an interesting hypothesis. He believes he built mental grooves in his adolescence through a fascination with Avon Hill war games that simulated famous military battles. As he went deeper into this realm, he realized you needed a Theory of the Game to win. Ultimately, he came to see the same principle at play in his life and work.
I love that insight. I love the way it lightens the load of our personal and professional preoccupations. So many of the worries and fears that fill our thoughts are simply the effects of a “game” we happen to be playing, consciously or not. It's worth remembering the arbitrary and time-bound nature of that game, to avoid taking it, or ourselves, too seriously. As the old saying goes, both the king and the pawn go back into the same box.
Beyond loosening the pressure release valve, a Theory of the Game demands clarity. It reminds us that games, no matter how complex, can always be reduced to a few simple principles. What are the win conditions? What drives improvement? What explains the way the players interact? A Theory of the Game was what drove me to write The Sales MBA, attempting to define the first principles behind influencing corporate buyers.
The fact is, we all have a Theory of the Game in some sense. We can't interpret reality without it, because the world is too difficult to process without an explanatory filter. Few of us pause to reflect on our underlying assumptions, but we can't fully appreciate the game we're in until we do.