Offense or Defense?

My friend is an exceptional Connect 4 player.

Some might even call him a Connect 4 Shark.

On average, I’d say he wins roughly 85% of the games he plays.
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His self-professed secret is this:

Knowing when you’re on Defense and when you’re on Offense.

Why?

This is a game where you have to make tradeoffs constantly:

• Will you use your move to block your opponent? Or to advance your own position?

• Is there an opportunity to do both?

• Is it worth giving up enticing momentary progress so that you can use your turn to live another day?

• Are you able to foresee the killer moves that your rival has planned and act now before it’s too late?

Here’s why I bring this up:

Business leaders need to master the exact same secret:

Are you on Offense, or are you on Defense?

When you’re on Defense, you need to stay alive to fight another day. You’re extremely tactical. You’re getting those sales whatever it takes, cutting costs, sitting with the team, eking out one more percentage point of margin so you can get in the black this month.

When you’re on Offense, you have some room to think and dream about what’s next. You’re able to be strategic. You look into the future, make a bet on what will happen, and make moves that will result in a killer position in 3-5 years.

These modes are both necessary. The trick for a CEO is knowing which mode you should be in now and context-switching quickly.

Sounds simple, but as many beaten players in Connect 4 know - it’s a lot harder than you’d think.

Be too strategic when you should be on Defense and your company goes bankrupt.

Be too tactical when you should be on Offense and opportunities will pass you by.

So the question is this: What mode should you be in now?

…Are you sure?

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