On Squid Game & Lessons For Business Leaders!
What lessons can we learn from this three and a half minutes game (tug of war)?
Before we jump onto the leadership lessons, let's watch the YouTube video — Tug of War / Squid Games if you have not watched the series yet.
How exciting was it?
Let's jump into some leadership lessons. I am not reviewing the series or characters, but I am writing my thoughts on what leaders and businesses can learn from this one scene — the Tug of War game! There is something that every individual can decipher from and apply in their life!
Some Narrative on the Tug of War Game: Two teams ascend to battle out for life through the tug of war game. One of the teams has all men and all middle-aged, athletic, and appear strong, whereas the other team had three women and an old-aged man and others, portraying a weak team. Don't get me wrong when I say women and the old man are weak, but this is how it has been shown in the series. Both the teams battle for their lives by playing the 'tug-of-war.'
What Businesses and Leaders can Learn?
Many think that the tug-of-war game is a game of strength, and the team with the strongest can win it. This scene is proof that tug of war is not just about strength but a combination of strategy, team effort, coordination, mindset, trust, and can keep piling words over it!
Let's start with the old man (oh Il-Nam)!
Organizations and teams assume older men are out of synch with the latest technologies and thus, cannot fit in a group of youngsters. While it may be true that older men may not be on par with technological advancements, they bring in a lot of experience and wisdom. They shall be one of the best mentors or guide the younger generations when handling a crisis or putting up a strategy! It would be a killer combination when a wise and experienced is paired up with younger ones who are technologically savvy.
It was only because of the old man's strategy that the team gained confidence and could inch closer to winning the game.
- Squid Game: Having a good leader is essential. The person at the front — keeps an eye on how the other team is performing, and the rest of the group focuses on the back of their leader's head and follows their lead.
Lesson for Leaders & Businesses: Leaders in any organization should watch how their competitors perform. It is also essential to learn lessons from competitors. Like Squid Game, a business isn't a game of life and death!
2. Squid Game: The leader performs his role, and other team members do theirs. The leader listens to Sung Woo when the team faces a do-or-die situation. The leader (Ji-hun) did not interfere or stop Sang-woo and trusted him as they all functioned as one team!
Lesson for Leaders & Businesses: With multiple leadership courses and quotes across LinkedIn, many want to prove their leadership capabilities. Imagine a situation where everyone turns out to be a leader and none to perform the task? That's the sad situation where everyone claims to be a leader but stands poor on their jobs. There must be none, but one as a leader for a particular group or a team, and the rest do their tasks.
3. Squid Game: The game is already over if the leader seems weak or looks like their spirit is begging to falter.
Lessons for Leaders & Businesses: Organizations should be mindful of whom they appoint as leaders to set an example for their entire team. The behavior, situational awareness, handling crisis, conflict resolution, teamwork, etc., set an example for the team. The team learns leadership from their immediate leader. Thus, an organization's future depends on the leader and the team with him.
4. Squid Game: And at the end of the rope, you'll need to have someone solid and dependable like an anchor of a ship. After that, it is all about how you arrange the rest of your team.
Lessons for Leaders & Businesses: If you are a team leader or a business owner, ask yourself: How many of your team members or employees are dependable? How many anchors does your ship have? Leaders must be aware of the difference between anchors and silos! The ship should have enough anchors, and too many of them may turn out to be silo dragging the organization.
How many Xavi or Iniesta does your team have? (Soccer — FC Barcelona)
How many Rahul Dravid does your team have? (India — Cricket)
5. Squid Game: It is all about how you arrange the rest of your team. Both of your feet should be facing straight forward and then, hold the rope in your armpits. That way, everyone can put in all of their strength.
Lessons for Leaders & Businesses: The arrangement of teams does not mean seating arrangements or hierarchy in the organization. The arrangement is nothing but all team members getting aligned to work for a single common goal. If each team member is not aligned towards a single goal, their energies get distributed or wasted. Wouldn't it be a sight to see the entire team working towards one common goal with their highest energy levels? That is possible only with a fantastic leader leading a team.
6. Squid Game: Once the game begins, for the first ten seconds, you have to hold your ground. You should lean back and practically lie down and throw your head back to the point where you can almost see the person's groin behind you. If you can hold out for that long, you will be able to catch a moment in your opponent's hold, and their rhythm breaks.
Lessons for Leaders & Businesses: Once you start a new business, get a few customers to trust you. These first few customers one has to hold on to, forever. These first sets of customers are your forte and should never let your competitors poach them. Hold your ground and do whatnot to ensure you take proper foundation and await an opportunity to penetrate the market for further business opportunities.
7. Squid Game: Ji-Hun listened and allowed Sang-woo to speak out his strategy when their opponents started breaking their rhythm. Sang-woo (supposedly the clever guy out there in the team, came out with a plan — Taking three steps forward was a great idea so that the other team may trip, after which Ali and others can pull it off!
Lessons for Leaders & Businesses: Leaders must be open, allow and listen to ideas from team members, especially when the situation is critical or when the company is under a crisis. They must believe and trust that the views from team members aim to better the team or the organization. If Ji-hun had not let Sang-woo speak out his idea, the entire team would have failed.
8. The mindset in Play: The first move of leaning back is to break the opponent's spirit. People genuinely underestimate how important your mindset is. If your spirit breaks, a.k.a; you suddenly lose confidence in something, it significantly affects your performance.
9. Panic / Crisis: A team usually has people who panic. Though they are part of the team, they might not be a significant contributor. Leaders may find it easy to weed them off or fire them. However, before any such attempt, it is essential to give them an opportunity. As a leader, one must coach and show how to get things done towards organizational success.
Mi-Nyeo lost hope, and she panicked when the team lost rhythm. Her panic was good enough to deter the confidence of the rest of the group. Only when Sang-Woo came up with a brilliant idea did the rest of the team and Mi-Nyeo win the game.
The three and a half minutes of this Netflix blockbuster have inspired me to draw parallels with business and leadership. I hope you liked this analogy, and to conclude: A team of averagers would do wonders than a single stellar performer who is not ready to fit as a cog in the machine.
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