­ While I am a voracious reader, I also listen to a lot of books on tape. A couple of years ago, as I first listened to The Great Game of Business on Audible on a cross-country road trip, I was captivated by Jack Stack’s rich voice as he described the transformation of his business through a totally new concept of how to run a business. Having been at the helm of a business for 28 years at that time, I thought I had seen—and tried everything. I will confess that through the years, my staff understandably would start rolling their eyes every time I launched a new initiative, planning process, or management approach that sprung from my latest read. But The Great Game of Business® was different. I asked everyone on my staff to make a priority of reading or listening to the book. I was committed to changing the very nature of our business this time, starting with training the team in financial literacy, and opening the books.

The word profit can mean many things to many people—especially in our current political climate. But for an increasing number of folks, profit has become a negative term—a dirty word—which has huge implications for the economic sustainability for businesses across the world.  At a time when company values and purpose have gone mainstream, and when even the Business Roundtable has begun prioritizing stakeholders over shareholders, the basics of what goes into making a profit has come under fire.

In more than 35 years practicing The Great Game of Business® at SRC, as well as three decades helping thousands of companies implement The Game in their own companies, we have determined the fastest, most efficient and most reliable path to Rapid Financial Results and Lasting Cultural Change™ follows a set process.  We honed and developed the 10-Step Approach to GGOB Implementation to guide companies implementing The Great Game of Business in their organizations. 

Making the decision to write a book isn’t for the faint of heart. For most people, it takes a significant investment of time and sometimes money to pull it off. There’s also the question of why you would ever write a book in the first place. At times, it can seem like a very egocentric exercise: Look at me and what I wrote! And don’t get me started on what happens when people actually read and remember what you wrote – down to the page number and paragraph. They hold you accountable for it. To be honest, I never figured I would ever write another book after Bo Burlingham and I wrote two of them, The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome back in the 1990s. I had already experienced my moment in the spotlight. What more could I possibly have to say?

Capitalism is under attack—especially in today’s political arena. Given the increasing gap between the have and have-nots, it’s not surprising that people are looking for a scapegoat—for someone to blame. And, often unfairly, it is business leaders who increasingly find themselves in the crosshairs.    That’s led some influential voices in the business world to consider new tactics. A prime example is how the Business Roundtable, a group of about 200 leaders of the world’s largest companies, recently created headlines with an announcement that they would prioritize their commitment to their “stakeholders”—which includes employees, customers, suppliers, and communities—over the short-term gains to their shareholders.

Are you ready to introduce Great Game™ to your employees? Reading the book as a group is a great way to establish the concepts of the Great Game of Business® with your staff, whether your company is new in implementing open-book management, introducing new hires to The Game, or refreshing your Great Game knowledge.

These three Great Game® videos illustrate an overview and the why behind Great Game methodology, highlight the origins of open-book management & the Great Game of Business®, and give a live example of one of our fundamental practices: the Huddle Cycle. Check them out to see how GGOB instills Lasting Cultural Change while promoting Rapid Financial Results™ in organizations across the globe. 

The Great Game of Business® is not for everyone. It's for business leaders looking for true transformation—those who fantasize about a business life in which others share the burdens often reserved for owners and executive staff. It's for those who view prosperity as a journey, not just an outcome. It's for leaders prepared to learn, teach, and share in The Game. 

You've heard about Great Game All-Stars, but what does the transformation of a company that achieves All-Star status actually look like? This Gravitas Impact webinar, the second half of a two-part series, features Rich Armstrong as he discusses the real-life case study of Great Game practitioner Practice Velocity, measurable results, detailed MiniGame™ examples and more with Gravitas Impact President, Keith Cupp. 

Gravitas Impact is a global coaching network that guides, challenges, and supports CEOs in their growing companies. They work with internationally-recognized thought leaders to help CEOs ignite groundbreaking insights to empower positive growth and ongoing success. This webinar hosted by Gravitas Impact President, Keith Cupp, features Jack Stack as they cover his role as a passionate leader over 35 years and concepts from the Great Game of Business.   Sneak Peek- What's Included in the Webinar: What is the Great Game of Business and why does it make a difference? What are companies afraid of when implementing The Game and what are barriers to implementation? How SRC has not only survived four recessions, but doubled in value within five years of each of these economic downturns.  What is SRC's Critical Number™? The Living Laboratory in Springfield, MO. The Great Game applied in Non-Profit organizations and international countries

This Fall our VP, Steve Baker, attended the INC 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio, TX to connect and celebrate with business leaders from all over the country! Here is his interview hosted by Approyo while at the conference!

We're so pleased to hear about how OBM and The Great Game of Business has inspired yet another company's growth in this podcast by Hubstaff Blog.