The game has changed
Do we even know what game we were playing in the first place?
It’s the last game of the season, the last game of a great basketball high-school team. We are playing the team that defeated us by double digits the last time we played them. They are stronger, taller and more gifted than our team. Somehow we end up taking care of business and win the championship.
About 20 years have gone by, and it still amazes me how in the face of adversity, and complete disadvantage, we came together and drove away with the win.
Looking back, I remember with joy how we came together and beat that challenge, and besides an impressive deal of luck, I believe we won because we understood the game we were playing. We understood that basketball was a mental game. By dealing with our fears and emotions, we executed play-by-play with marvelous success. It didn’t matter that the other team was bigger, stronger or more gifted. It was a beauty to watch.
During this time of complexity and uncertainty, this game has been on my mind a lot. I don’t remember the plays or the score. I don’t remember the crowd or the noise. What I remember are the minor details.
I remember before the game started we warmed up, and we joked around just to hide how nervous we were. I remember the clarity we had as a team, our strengths and weaknesses, and what kind of game we were looking to play.
Once the game started, time slowed down. Everything seem easier. All the plays had flow. I remember the feeling of coming together, of being present. I still can feel the peace it generated in me, and what I hope it felt to the team, just knowing the game we were playing.
Last week in a conversation I had with a friend of mine, General Manager of a global retail fashion brand, we were talking about how the game (business) has change.
The thing is, I said to him, I don’t think we even know what game we are playing.
I don’t even know if we knew the game we were playing before all came crashing down because of Covid-19. Most of us keep running around trying to figure out the recent crisis, or in this case the new pandemic.
We forgot what game we were playing a long time ago. Between the quarter results and the day to day hustle, we forgot the game is about connecting humans to a purpose. In business, all you do is connect an idea to a person, and it comes down to the right fit.
Funny enough, we know all the specs and all the details of our solutions and products, and try to market it that way. We review every financial scenario and think that this with all the technical information will get us ahead.
The truth is the buyer is looking for someone that could translate their vision into reality. That person or company that connects with their deep ideas. They want to feel as a buyer, but not as a transaction.
We forgot the game we were playing, or maybe we didn’t even know it.
I see most companies playing the wrong game.
They base philosophies and strategies on moving the merchandise, not engaging with the customer. That’s why most eCommerce initiative fail. Built on the concept of easing the troubles of the customer to buy something, they forget that the experience of connecting with the brand and the people in the brand are as important, if not more, than the purchase itself.
Shopping centers and brick and mortar stores are failing the same way. Having a gigantic box full of items and a couple sellers give zero advantage, it connects you in no way to the consumer.
It surprises me this town-hall-like places are failing. We are social creatures that feed on the collective interaction. It does not matter if I know you; we are part of this experience; we buy together. This happens not on the superficial level but on the deep level.
No one stops going to the movies because streaming came to maturity, the same way as bars are still full even though beer is way cheaper at home, people want to feel as they belong, even if they don’t know it, they are feeling it.
Brands like Nike, Apple or Natura have the same effect. They connect to their customers on a deeper level. Every time you wear your Jordan Air sneakers you feel as you are part of a community. Every time you open your iPad and see the iOS system up and running, you know deep inside that as you, someone else is connecting the same way. Every time you use a Natura product, you know you are part of the collective effort of helping the world.
Apple’s physical or online stores always feel like a unique experience. They understand that the experience of purchasing a high-end item makes you feel as a high-end buyer. You want to feel the online purchase just as personalized and differentiated as the physical store. The experience might not perfect, but it has enough to leave you longing for the next interaction with the company. Their leaders know the game they are playing, and they are playing it right.
These days, with all the confusion around, the game I played 20 years ago feels present more than ever. That the memory comes with all the emotions, reminds me of the fact that I haven’t got it in a long time.
We all need to make a quick stop and ask ourselves if we know the game we are playing, and what it it requires from us, at least, before the game looks at us and realizes it might be time to change its players.
