CLICK BELOW TO REDISCOVER HUMANITY
A DECADE+ OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET

Chutes And Ladders

When I was a kid, one of the board games in my rotation was Chutes and Ladders. Originating in India, this classic family game was later marketed as “Snakes and Ladders” in England before being commercialized in the United States by board game powerhouse Milton Bradley in 1943. The game has since stood the test of time. I am many years removed from the last time I played Chutes and Ladders, but I understand its many lessons, mainly applied to the business world.

The object of Chutes and Ladders is simple: you climb a playing board and reach the top before your opponent(s). Each player takes turns flicking a spinner and moving their markers (pawns) to the designated spaces. We start— where else? —at square one (where the phrase originated), and finish precisely at square 100. On any given turn, one can land on designated squares that enable an advance of squares (climbing a ladder) or set a player back multiple spaces (going down a chute). The first player to land on square 100 in the exact number of moves needed off the spin wins the game.

Empirically, Chutes and Ladders is a metaphor for the sheer unpredictability of life—its grandest takeaway: there are no guarantees.

The fortune of any player can suddenly and drastically change on any given spin. There is no strategy. The board giveth, and the board taketh away. One turn, you can be riding high, leading the field, only to come crashing down on your next move. Or, you can be within striking distance of a goal, only to remain stagnant for numerous turns as others gain ground, pass you, and eat your lunch. Within the rules of play, we learn the distinction between virtue and vice; on a deeper level, the game teaches us patience, acceptance, and resilience.

In the real world, of course, there is no spinner, no finite distance to traverse in pursuit of a goal. We constantly move out of turn, our gains and losses running side-by-side. Consider the middle manager promoted to the C-suite, the founder securing an initial round of funding, and the sales rep landing that first colossal deal—all earned outcomes fastened to a backstory of struggles, setbacks, and moments of self-doubt. Contrast the wins to the bitter sting of being unceremoniously downsized, the abrupt loss of seed money, and the prospect’s change of mind and reaffirm there is no sure thing in business.

A Parting Thought

As professionals, we acknowledge that success and failure coexist and that achievement is a function of competency and effort. Not everything we do falls between all and nothing or lends itself to comparing extremes. There are many lateral moves along the way. The key is participating, remaining competitive, and giving yourself a fighting chance to win. There is a thin line between taking a well-deserved step up the rungs and an unforeseen slip into the abyss. Fate continues to live up to its billing as a fickle mistress.

JD Gershbein
JD Gershbeinhttps://jdgershbein.com/
Since 2006, JD Gershbein has been at the forefront of the LinkedIn conversation. One of the world’s first independent LinkedIn consultants and a pioneer in LinkedIn education, JD serves ambitious professionals striving to make their mark in the Digital Age. As a speaker, facilitator, writer, and media producer, he draws upon his diverse academic background—a fusion of psychology, neuroscience, and the humanities—and the improvisation skills he honed at Chicago’s famed Second City to bridge the knowledge gap that exists between businesspeople and the virtual world. Widely regarded as a leader in personal branding, social networking, and social entrepreneurship, JD is blazing a trail as one of the most original personalities in the professional development arena. View JD’s LinkedIn Profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdgershbein

DO YOU HAVE THE "WRITE" STUFF? If you’re ready to share your wisdom of experience, we’re ready to share it with our massive global audience – by giving you the opportunity to become a published Contributor on our award-winning Site with (your own byline). And who knows? – it may be your first step in discovering your “hidden Hemmingway”. LEARN MORE HERE


11 CONVERSATIONS

  1. A brilliant perspective, JD. I had no idea that a game I loved and played as a child, and still play with my grandchildren could convey so much about life, as this was not something I focused on.

    One of my takeaways from your article relates to being almost Home and ending up down the chute or down to the tail of the snake. Life is filled with uncertainties, and decisions we make, or events outside of our control can influence the results we experience as entrepreneurs. Everything can be going well in our business then certain factors can send us spiraling so that we lose momentum, or lose connection, or something else. It does not mean we have failed. We can get back on the board again.

TAKE STROLL INSIDE 360° NATION

TIME FOR A "JUST BE." MOMENT?

ENJOY OUR FREE EVENTS

BECAUSE WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER