Bill Robertie is a chess master, poker player extraordinaire, and a world champion at Backgammon. He’s a rare bird indeed. He made a living in the early 1970’s playing chess and stumbled into Backgammon and poker along the way. Rarely does an individual master one domain, much less three. He is worth a study. Here’s his magic formula for improving. You will see this signature habit, if you choose to study high performers, all the time. There is a melody line to the magic. Here it is.
He studies his mistakes.
He focuses on his mistakes. He consciously considers his errors. He painstakingly reviews what happens after he plays a chess match, a poker hand, or a backgammon game. He mostly wins, so he’s not reviewing his mistakes that, necessarily, cost him money. He’s reviewing mistakes in the way of his mastery. He doesn’t hide his mistakes. He doesn’t hope they magically go away. He doesn’t get bummed and overwhelmed looking at the negative. In fact, he gains energy where most lose it. He gains energy studying what went wrong and what could be improved and then he ACTS upon what he’s learned. This is simply the way performance gains are habituated. Few are willing.
Few.
Masters practice fixing tiny mistake after tiny mistake regardless the outcome. Masters are practically obsessed with getting better. Most folks can’t face the facts and not lose hope. Masters can. Masters do. Masters embrace, cultivate, and carefully investigate their mistakes. AND, with an intense squint in their eye, masters lean in and do it again. Magic.
Robertie is a master in the making. Robertie is practicing. He is practicing with a purpose. His purpose is not to simply win more games. His purpose is to learn from his mistakes and improve. This is the master skill that every CEO and leader alike, must embrace if they are to travel the road toward high performance with a team that can’t wait for the next practice.
Excellence simply requires such a price.
Next time we’re together building each other, get ready to study our mistakes and get after it. Get ready to focus on small, seemingly insignificant nuances to your performance in work and life. Get ready to rinse and repeat until it’s squeaky clean. Get ready to get tired reviewing something that you thought was “good to go.” Get ready to retrace your steps and focus on some mistakes. Get ready to hear “good work,” from your builder followed by the figurative “blow of the whistle,” an intense squint in my eyes, and the command of good – Now let’s do it again.
Remember, excellence is our target, I believe in YOU, and it is good to have someone make you do what you can. Few have such a builder beside them. Few. Be thankful for the hit, the acute hurt, and the aim at getting better together. Happy Thanksgiving, friend. We’re good, right? Good…
BUILT TO LEAD 