“THREE BILLION HOURS A WEEK IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH GAME PLAY TO SOLVE THE WORLD'S MOST URGENT PROBLEMS.”
— JANE MCGONIGAL
No matter what our parents say, action video games DO prepare us for life in the workplace.
Think about it. Games put the player in a constant state of disruption and risk. They force us to use technologies and platforms that are unproven and ideas that have never been tried. And there is only one means of gaining currency and resources in this game:
TAKE RISKS.
At Ubisoft Sweden, home to the Massive Entertainment development team that helped produce blockbusters “Assassin's Creed” and Tom Clancy's “The Division,” that is how the game is played—constant innovation that keeps consumers in a $100 billion industry from getting bored. One of the most cutting-edge innovations has been open-world games, in which control is handed over to the player. That means players need not follow a single, predetermined objective, and there are side missions to explore.
In his approach to the sprawling, 300-employee design floor at Ubisoft, Associate Producer Andre Tiwari fell back on leadership lessons he learned serving 13 years in the U.S. Navy. Rank and title were not the keys to commanding sailors' respect and motivating a crew, and neither was handing out shore leave or pay raises. Similarly, Tiwari noted, designers must have a passion for the journey itself.
“On a fundamental level, both game developers and sailors do what they do because they love it,” Tiwari notes.
“NOT FOR MONEY, OR PRESTIGE, BUT FOR THE LOVE OF THE JOB. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT AFFECTS A LOT OF HOW YOU DEAL WITH PROBLEMS OR MOTIVATION.”
Wise leaders know that they need technical expertise and business acumen, and also that they need to be perceived as someone who has something to offer in the form of knowledge, guidance, and support. In order to chart a course and persuade others to follow them voluntarily, these leaders understand that followers must perceive them as delivering value.
The three chapters in this section concern the process of converting past experience into leadership wisdom. Chapter 4 explores the reflective mindset that allows us to derive the full benefit of experience. Chapter 5 deals with the skills by which we internalize successes and setbacks, putting them into perspective as part of a “work in progress.” Chapter 6 begins a turn outward, as we gain a picture of how others perceive us as a leader and how we ensure that those perceptions align with our values and desired reputation.