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4 Tips for Creating a Generational Inclusive Workforce

May 6, 2021 by Tonia Morris 0 Comments
For the first time in our history, we have five generations in the workforce, each generation bringing a different perspective and their own set of expectations. Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce, and employers must rethink their workforce norms. As diversity grows with this generational shift, employers across the globe find themselves with a workplace culture challenge as they try to adopt best practices for building and maintaining generational inclusion in the workforce to attract and retain top talent in their organization.
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Time is Money: Playing The Game in a Service-Based Company

Oct 11, 2019 by Heather Carbray 1 Comment
I have often heard that The Great Game of Business® (GGOB) seems like it is geared toward manufacturing companies, or organizations that are more product-based. That was my initial impression when I first read the book. While the practice of open-book management seems versatile, some of the rules may seem like they do not apply to a service-based company. But once you open the books and start playing The Game, it is easy to adapt.
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Get Ready Now for the Economic Upturn in 2020

Sep 27, 2019 by Darren Dahl 0 Comments
More and more news stories these days center around the R-word: recession. It certainly came up often enough at the 2019 Gathering of Games—including in Jack Stack’s keynote speech. There are plenty of warning signs to catch your attention. The list of potential culprits as to who or what might bring the country’s economic expansion to a halt ranges from tariffs and trade wars to increasingly long lead times and historically low unemployment rates. What’s interesting is that Stack and his team at the SRC family of companies have been forecasting a recession to hit in 2019 or 2020 for the past 10 years—a process they kicked off right after the last recession just about obliterated the economy. Part of the rationale behind that forecast was experience:
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Conference Insights, 21 Hats, and a New Book

Sep 20, 2019 by Loren Feldman 0 Comments
Every year, like a little kid, I dread the passing of summer, but in recent years I’ve found a reason to look forward to what follows Labor Day, specifically the Annual Gathering of Games. It’s a special conference where I reconnect with old friends and learn something new – but this year’s Gathering was extra special for me.
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An Emotional 2019 Gathering of Games

Sep 12, 2019 by Darren Dahl 1 Comment
When John Costello took the stage on the second day of the 27th Annual Gathering of Games conference, he had already won a bet with his wife, who happened to be in the audience. Costello, the CEO of Cherry’s Industrial, had wagered that it might only be a few minutes into his talk before he’d start crying. He was right. But the tears that Costello shed on stage—which then quickly spread among the 700 rapt audience members—weren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of relief; freedom from a heavy burden that he had been carrying on his shoulders for years.
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3 Ways GGOB Underpins Lasting, Evergreen Companies

Aug 23, 2019 by Dave Whorton 0 Comments
I believe Evergreen™ businesses are the most important companies in our society today—successful, profitable, and lasting companies, those that positively impact their employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and most importantly, families. These companies are fueled by purpose, put people first, and are committed to continually growing to last 100 years—or more. In many Evergreen companies, GGOB plays an essential role in the competitive advantage that these businesses enjoy.
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Leadership Begins With Thinking About Yourself

Aug 16, 2019 by Jason Hynson 0 Comments
I recently saw a semi-truck with a large arrow pointing towards the cab of the truck and this statement, “Our greatest asset sits 63 feet up here.” I have seen it before, but this time it struck me differently. I thought, Does the culture of that company support this statement or is it no more than a marketing slogan? Companies want to be “on top”, “cutting edge”, “innovative”. The question is: Does the culture support the cutting edge marketing? It’s great to have a catchphrase or some values on the wall, however, it is not easy to lead a group of people every day, month, and year after year. It’s not easy to lead the pack and in fact I am going to say DON’T lead the pack. Lead yourself first. Any great business coach will tell you to know your team, but do you know yourself, who you are, and why you do what you do?
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Business Success Through People Success is the New Leadership Frontier

Aug 13, 2019 by Santiago Jaramillo 1 Comment
As business leaders, we care deeply about employee engagement, but we can’t operationalize a culture of engagement by ourselves. Without a strategy for scaling it across the business, it’s tough to move the needle. As my own business has grown, I’ve realized that the best thing we can do for our employees is to focus on the top two or three actions that will have the greatest impact—and hold our people-leaders or “trusted lieutenants” accountable as owners of those initiatives.
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Can Equity Ownership be the Ultimate Stake in the Outcome?

Aug 8, 2019 by Martin Staubus 0 Comments
We all know the fundamental building blocks of the Great Game of Business®: Know and teach the rules Follow the action and keep score Provide a Stake in the Outcome® When it comes to that third step—providing a stake in the outcome—what’s the best way to do that? Two common choices include cash bonuses and equity sharing. Many owners, especially those new to the Game, are skittish about sharing equity with employees. They can’t always put their finger on why it makes them nervous, but the reality is that using equity interests can be a great way to provide a stake in the outcome to your associates.
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4 Takeaways for Achieving Results in Your Business Transformation

Aug 5, 2019 by Kylie Sprott 0 Comments
How does someone take three conservative intellectual property businesses with very traditional cultures and transform them into an engaged, high-performing business? To compound the challenge, we were now publicly listed and were moving the business from a partnership model to complete transparency. The Great Game of Business® helped us to overcome these challenges, culturally transform our business, and achieve both improved engagement and financial results. In the process, we learned four important lessons:
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About The Great Game of Business

Our approach to running a company was developed to help close one of the biggest gaps in business: the gap between managers and employees. We call our open-book approach The Great Game of Business. What lies at the heart of The Game is a very simple proposition: The best, most efficient, most profitable way to operate a business is to give everybody in the company a voice in saying how the company is run and a stake in the outcome. Let us teach you how to develop a culture of ownership, where employees think, act and feel like owners.