Playing Big, Fast Games

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You want to play big, fast games? Then you’d better be ready to step up and move at a pace most people simply can’t match.

It’s something I’ve routinely noticed in the people that I work with, even compared to the typical “ambitious” hard-driving leader. The speed and the expectations they have for themselves, their company, and even their employees or coworkers, are not what you find in the norm of everyday business operations.

They push how *they* operate, onto others…

…and sometimes, other people can’t handle it: I once had a CEO sign up for coaching after an internal survey unveiled that he was pushing his team “too hard.” Their description of him? “Decisive and Aggressive.” Both traits, if I’m honest, I would never want to take away.

To do big things, you need big energy. You need a push that a lot of people aren’t going to understand or be able to deal with.

“But Dr. Gurner, do you really want people out there to be aggressive?” In business? Yes. Yes, I do. In fact, it’s a necessity.

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Saying that, how that aggression is channeled is important; you don’t want to be berating your teams or destroying cultures that need to exist to win. But that doesn’t mean you lie down, stay quiet, or just…settle. It means you channel that energy wisely and strategically.

You push others because you push yourself. It won’t always make you popular, but it will produce quite the outcome if you do it right.

Let’s get real: playing these big, fast games is not for the faint of heart, and everyone who plays them is a bit of an extremist. Let’s talk about how you need to operate to play them and win.