If you subscribe to Netflix or read the news, chances are you’ve heard of Squid Games. For some, the mere mention of the title induces enthusiastic praise for the survival series that attracted more than 142 million views worldwide. For others, the two words provoke disgust for the ultra-violent show featuring destitute contestants risking their lives for cash. Before you get excited or offended, let me assure you that this piece won’t spoil the show or focus on controversy. Instead, I mention the series to highlight an undervalued topic featured in the episodes that many businesses fail to prioritize, strategy. This vital element determines the life and death of a company, just like it determines the life or end of the characters on the show.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines strategy as “a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal, usually over a long period.” Historically, a strategy focuses on reaching political goals, often employing fear or power. However, over time, business leaders discovered great value in what military leaders learned from their war experiences and applied it to their business challenges. An example of this is when an Ex-Navy Seal Jacko Willink wrote several New York Times Bestsellers and launched a company teaching tactics for business that he learned from combat and training. Today, we design strategic plans for everything from quelling a global pandemic to winning a youth soccer game. No matter the situation, devising a strategy when resources are limited always increases the likelihood of success.
The smart players in the Squid Game series realized quickly their survival depended on their ability to strategize. Each episode features different children’s games the contestants must play to win and ultimately stay alive. Even though the players learn the game moments before it’s played, it only takes one game to inspire them to think hard about tactics for future games. Imminent death is a strong motivator for survival.
Forward-thinking businesses use the same motivation to deliberately plot maneuvers and regularly shift their approach when their initial strategy doesn’t work. Constantly evaluating the plan, and revising it, according to the available means is vital to the process. One episode in Squid Games illustrates the importance of this concept. In this episode, the players form teams of ten for an unknown game. Each group strategizes on what type of characteristics they should seek in teammates. Most players believe the game requires strength, so they attempt to join with athletic individuals. The reveal of the game confirms that a strong team increases the chances of triumph. But, one elderly player takes charge of his humble squad and proposes a creative strategy to overcome their lack of muscle. When the event begins, his plan works, and the opposing team struggles to keep up. However, when the opposing team slowly reunites their strength to overthrow the clever strategy, the weaker group loses their edge, provoking a teammate to suggest a risky plan to trip up the other team and ultimately take control. His teammates follow his orders, and they regain control and win. They were the obvious underdogs in the game of strength, but their ability to work together to execute varied strategies secured their success and survival, even though they lacked resources.
Sun Tzu, the notable author of the book, The Art of War, sums up the failure of the stronger team with a quote,”Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Even though the sturdy team had the brawn to overpower the scrawnier team, they did not have the foresight or skill to revise their strategy when it failed. No matter how confident you feel about your blueprint for victory, you always need to be prepared to re-evaluate and adjust accordingly. Resources, environments, and situations constantly change, and we must change too.
One of the best ways to develop an effective strategy is to think big and then design small. You need a central system to guide your daily plan, so your efforts constantly progress towards long-term objectives. As you work towards your daily pursuits, make sure to pay attention to environmental and resource changes to make necessary adjustments. Too often, individuals and businesses are emotionally attached to their plans and have difficulty moving away from an executed approach because of their emotional connection to the time and resources already spent. A business must remember that its inability to change could prove more costly. In the case of Squid Games, it cost the other team their life.
When you refocus your attention to be aware of what is happening around you and not just on your efforts, you will find that you will reach your goals much faster and avoid more heartache. A consistent strategic mindset can mean the difference between life and death for your business. Famous boxer, Mike Tyson, said it best, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So make sure that no matter how hard the unknown hits you, your team is prepared to get back in the game before it’s too late.
Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about how Tansley can help you devise a fluid Digital Ecosystem strategy that empowers your business to adjust to the forthcoming changes to achieve success.
