Jenga

My wife and I are constantly searching for creative ways we can spend time with our children.  Other than watching “SpongeBob” (the great communicator across ALL generations), it is becoming increasingly difficult to find common ground.  Years ago, we stumbled upon the game Jenga, and it seems to have satisfied our criteria for effective family entertainment: No groans when we suggest the game, and no tears when it is all over.  For those of you not familiar with Jenga,  players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of 54 blocks. Each block removed is then balanced on top of the tower, creating a progressively taller but less stable structure.  When a player removes a critical supporting piece, and the tower falls down, that player loses, and everyone screams “Jenga!” (Some louder than others).  In the game of Jenga, you never know which piece, when removed, will cause the entire tower to collapse.  Clearly, some pieces are more critical to the stability of the tower and others can be removed without any disturbance to the overall structure.

In the same way, our lives are full of Jenga pieces. In order to maintain our happiness and success, we need to recognize which pieces are critical to our overall stability.    In our personal lives, which relationships, if lost or strained, will cause major upheaval and heartache?  Perhaps it is a spouse that provides bedrock support or motivation to keep it all together.  Perhaps it is a parent that always provides that timely advice or understanding that staves off an inevitable collapse.  As salespeople, we need to recognize which customers, if lost, will have major negative financial consequences on our portfolio.  Perhaps they are not the largest, but they are influencers or pioneers that believe in your product and attract other customers.    As managers, it is critical to understand which employees, if lost, will cause the rest of the team to disperse or underperform.  Perhaps it is not even your top producer.  Recognize that attitude is critical to the dynamic of your organization and retain those workers that serve as the glue for your team. As business owners, we must recognize which partnerships, if dissolved, will cause the rest of the enterprise to come tumbling down.  Does the partnership give you the best chance to succeed?  Does it align with your mission?   (Warning: The best partnerships are usually about more than revenue).  Understanding which areas of your business and your life you need to protect and develop is an incredibly valuable skill.  Give it some critical thought and do not take this lightly.  Your happiness and survival are at stake!

But sometimes things are not always what they seem.   Some pieces appear to be important, but, when removed, have little impact on your life.  There is a lot of sizzle in both our personal lives and our business lives.  Relationships which start out exciting and fun can end up shallow and pointless.  Salespeople can beat their chest about how much they bring to the bottom line, when, in fact, they deliver little value to their clients or your team.  Partnerships can look great on paper but ultimately have minimal impact, or even a negative impact on your bottom line.  These pieces can all be removed without any damage to the structure of your life or your organization. The sooner you recognize this, the sooner you can focus on the pieces that truly matter.

How can you tell the difference between the critical pieces and the ones that can easily be removed?  Unfortunately, it takes a lot of trial and error.  Sometimes, you will let a close relationship collapse that was key to your happiness.  Learn from it and re-build that relationship or go out and build a new one.  Sometimes, you will let a key employee get away (to another company or another career).  Recognize the qualities of that person, and do not let it happen in the future.  Sometimes, you will dissolve a business partnership that provided a boon to your bottom line.   Protect yourself from this mistake in the future and search out the next great partnership.  As long as you are learning from your mistakes, it becomes much easier (over time) to recognize and appreciate those pieces that make a profound difference in your life.

The worst case scenario is not so bad.  As devastating as it is when that tower collapses, remember that you can always rebuild!  Life, like Jenga, is a never-ending game.  The destruction and chaos is only temporary.  Keep building your tower.  Learn from your mistakes and focus on the truly important pieces in your life.  Above all else, you must summon the strength to keep playing!  You will only get better if you keep moving forward.  That is life.  That is resiliency!

Until next week, have a great Memorial Day weekend, remember our troops, and keep smiling!