Chess Not Checkers

I have heard that managing people is more like playing chess than checkers. This is because each person that you manage comes with a distinct background, experience and motivation. However, there are many forces that push us in the direction of standardizing our approach to the people that we manage. As an organization grows larger, the CEO is distanced from most of his people. Once this happens, he is inclined to play checkers because he does not want be perceived as unfair or accused of playing favorites. However, this transition from playing chess into a an environment where playing checkers is construed as more “fair” is challenging for many leaders.