Play has remained a key part of my growth, long past childhood. The play table has become one of the places I learn and grow, with the dojo, the sea, the mountains, etc.

This week, let’s discover 3 things play taught me.

Let’s start with an easy one, today :

Mastery!

“I know the rules, but I don’t know the game yet”, a friend once said, adding when asked if he knew a game “I may know the rules now, but I am not sure how they will play out, how I will need to play”.

Experiencing, experimenting, discovering the forces at play, grasping the dynamics of a system, finding synergies and frictions, what works and what doesn’t… is all part of the journey to becoming proficient…

At first, it allows you to win 🙂

Then, when you think you’re finally done and really know a game, other dimensions become important; other goals appear or you will soon find yourself short of adversaries:

. keeping others involved and entertained,

. helping others succeed,

. growing closer as friends…

. moving deliberately between finite and infinite game 🙂

All this applies at work (and in life).

So, how often do we say we know too soon?

And if you play, what else did you learn through play?