Can Your Business or Nonprofit Win Covid-19?
Is the game Poker or Chess?
A while back, I wrote about playing chess versus playing poker. Playing chess, we see all the whole board and can anticipate all the moves and plan accordingly. However, with poker, the only information we have is what cards are in our hands, and whatever may be showing on the table. And so we have to make our best decisions with the best information possible.
As I observe organizations and governments respond to COVID 19, it struck me that people seem to be expecting chess-like solutions in a poker-like environment. This is dangerous because it assumes there is one right solution to opening schools, handling testing, etc. And because people are approaching the problem thinking there is one right solution, this causes fear on the one hand because people don't want to make mistakes, and judgment on the other hand because some people think they have all the right answers.
It's not about right or wrong solutions. It's about the best solution we can make in this moment, given the information we have at the time. It's about recognizing that every decision is about choosing one set of pros and cons over another set of pros and cons. So, just as Sarah wrote about giving permission to be the mission's keeper and make hard choices, I want you to see this as permission to let go of feeling like you have to make "the one right decision" and feel free to make the best decision you can given what you know, your experience, and the wisdom of your team.
“Nobody’s ever “played” COVID before, and it’s not something we can win. ”
Leadership in general, and specifically in a pandemic, is not about winning the game. Nobody's ever "played" COVID before, and it's not something we can win. We can lead through crisis by using the information we have and our best thinking to make our decision.