10x Your Success: Applying the Secrets of a Chess Grandmaster to Your Everyday Life

It’s not one of my top three priorities for the year, but it’s so well done that I fell for it.

What am I talking about?

The new training course of Noël Studer, the youngest chess grandmaster in Swiss history. (Noël is a reader of this Newsletter and I’ve been lucky enough to meet him and build a friendship. Another advantage of writing 😀)

Although I had only completed 20% of the course at the time of this writing, I’ve already noticed a big improvement in my confidence and results.

If you’re a beginner (like me), this course is incredible…

If you’re more advanced, you’ll find what you’re looking for in his other course here…

One of the first questions Noël asks us reminded me of a principle that changed my life…and may well change yours 👇

10x Your Success: Applying the Secrets of a Chess Grandmaster to Your Everyday Life

Noël’s training invites us to think like a chess player.

Before you make your next move, ask yourself these 3 questions:

• What does my opponent want to do?
• What do I want to do?
• And if I do that, what happens?

Starting with the “other” transformed my game in a profound way.

That’s when I had my “Aha” moment. This principle, which I learned over 20 years ago in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, has transformed my life in every way.

• Career
• Leadership
• Relations
• Daily life…

And it just might change yours too.

10x your success: Career.

Whether you’re looking for a new job or to progress internally.

Your skills are no longer sufficient.

What makes the difference is your ability to understand what they want and demonstrate that, with your skills, you can help them succeed.

I’ve been promoted 8 times in my corporate career. Looking back, I realize how crucial this point was.

Formally (during an interview) or informally (over a drink at a corporate party), try to understand what they’re trying to achieve.

Questions to help.

• What are your biggest challenges right now?
• In an ideal world, where do you see your service, your department, the company in the next 3 years?
• What could help you get there faster?

10X your success: Leadership

When we launch a major new project (CRM/ERP), we often praise the tool’s merits to convince our teams.

It certainly has to be done at some point. But we too often forget to work on this crucial point.

What’s in it for them?

In general, we confine ourselves to the tool’s functions and try to transform them into team benefits.

Save time, collaborate more effectively…

Anyone who has ever implemented a new system knows that before you get to that point.

It’s more like dysfunction, overtime, stress, problems…

But despite this, everyone will have the opportunity to :

• Master a tool that enhances technical skills. (improves employability)
• Handling complicated situations (improving soft skills)
• Learn to collaborate with other departments (improves internal visibility)

In fact, this project is a growth booster for every employee who seizes the opportunity.

10X your success: Relationships

Whether with our partners, children, or our friends.

Every time we understand their worlds better, we improve the quality of our exchanges.

This is the principle of Stephen R. Covey’s Habit No. 5. Seek first to understand, before being understood.

3 points to help us get there:

• Listen to understand, not to prepare our response.
  • Tell me more?
• Listen to help them find their own solution, not to give advice or judge through our autobiography:
  • Avoid, “ha yes that reminds me…”
  • Suggest :
    • What have you ever tried?
    • What else could you try?
• Listening to build trust: the more you do it, the more likely you are to make the other person want to listen to you.

My teenage son plays too many video games for my taste. I do my best to help him. But I’m having trouble. So I look for ways to improve. Noël (he again; see at the beginning of this newsletter 😀) recently suggested a book to me. I’m right in the middle of it.

The best resource I’ve read on the subject so far.

And guess what the first chapter looks like.

“Understanding Games and Your Gamer”.

Yet another reminder of the principle that changed my life. It always starts with the other….

Conclusion

The more I concentrate on myself, the less results I get.

The more I try to understand others, the more I progress in all areas.

This principle has profoundly changed my life. It’s easy to understand and hard to apply.

We can never fully control it. But we can always improve. And it’s one of the most beautiful missions of our lives.

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