It's hard to say we’re lucky when we face a crisis, but we at least have the luxury of knowing that action is called for—of being forced to move. The truest tests of skill and intuition come when everything looks quiet and we aren’t sure what to do, or if we should do anything at all. — Garry Kasparov
Many people might know what to do in the face of imminence - when sales are weak, when creative differences have put the movie at risk, when the new data is clearly pointing in a different research direction. But what about when all is calm and the signals are weak? What then?
It's an interesting question. The moves we make "when all is quiet" count just as much as those driven by urgency.
Kasparov's quote comes from a warm and illuminating book I recently finished, "The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive" by Brian Christian. I really can't recommend it highly enough.
The first African-American International Grandmaster in chess, Maurice Ashley, will present at IdeaFestival 2012 on "the relationship between chess, business strategy and success" during an event for all-access pass holders. All-access passes are now on sale.
Wayne
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Some rights reserved by Adam Jones, Ph.D.