Chess Not Checkers: Elevate Your Leadership Game
- 1h 18m
- Mark Miller
- Berrett-Koehler Publishers
- 2015
As organizations grow in volume and complexity, the demands on leadership change. The same old moves won't cut it any more. In Chess Not Checkers, Mark Miller tells the story of Blake Brown, newly appointed CEO of a company troubled by poor performance and low morale. Nothing Blake learned from his previous roles seems to help him deal with the issues he now faces. The problem, his new mentor points out, is Blake is playing the wrong game.
The early days of an organization are like checkers: a quickly played game with mostly interchangeable pieces. Everybody, the leader included, does a little bit of everything; the pace is frenetic. But as the organization expands, you can't just keep jumping from activity to activity. You have to think strategically, plan ahead, and leverage every employee's specific talents—that's chess. Leaders who continue to play checkers when the name of the game is chess lose.
On his journey, Blake learns four essential strategies from the game of chess that transform his leadership and his organization. The result: unprecedented performance!
About the Author
Mark Miller is a business leader, best-selling author, and communicator.
Mark began writing about a decade ago. He teamed up with Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager, to write The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do. Today, over half a million copies of The Secret are in print, and it has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. Recently, he released The Secret of Teams, which outlines key lessons learned from a twenty-year exploration of the question “Why do some teams outperform the rest?” His most recent book, The Heart of Leadership, released in March 2014, explores how to become the type of leader people want to follow.
In addition to his writing, Mark loves speaking to leaders. Over the years, he’s traveled extensively around the world teaching for numerous international organizations. His theme is always the same: encouraging and equipping leaders. His topics include leadership, creativity, team building, and more.
Mark started his Chick-fil-A career working as an hourly team member in 1977. In 1978, he joined the corporate staff working in the warehouse and mail-room. Since that time, he has provided leadership for Corporate Communications, Field Operations, Quality and Customer Satisfaction, Training and Development, and Organizational Effectiveness. Today, he serves as the Vice President for Leadership Development. During his years with Chick-fil-A, annual sales have grown to over $5 billion. The company has almost two thousand restaurants in thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia.
In this Book
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Chess Not Checkers—Elevate Your Leadership Game
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Introduction
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The Decision
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Harder Than It Looks
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Something Has to Change
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A Different Game
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Game On!
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Start Here
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Place Your Bet
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What’s Important?
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Who Cares?
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It’s Your Move
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Game Plan
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What’s Next?
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Epilogue
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Additional Resources
