What A Casino Game Taught Me About Leadership

The welcome party was a GREAT way to begin our journey toward the Bahamas. We danced, laughed, and just had a great time together...as a team. Wonderful time!

After the event, many of us stopped back off for another meal. There was so much food on that ship, but it was the engaging conversation that made it special.

In between lunch and the comedy show, a group of us stopped off in the casino.

While walking through, we saw a very popular game called "Cash Crane." It's exactly like the one you play in Wal-Mart where you get to win a teddy bear. Instead of a soft cushy toy, people were trying to grab packets of money.

From what I heard, a couple of people already won some cash and were going back for more. The crowd around the machine made it even more interesting, though.

Swipe after swipe, people were trying their luck at the money grab. Some experienced the excitement of grabbing the packet, but later losing it at the last moment.

Onlookers had plenty of advice to the person in the hot seat. "Move it forward" "move it backward" "yep, you got it!" were commands thrown from around the machine. Yet, only a few actually won anything.

As an observation, I found that when people were winning, large groups would gather to see if another lucky person would succeed. Folks lined up for days just to watch, but few played.

Unfortunately, as more people tried and then failed, the numbers began to slowly walk away. That was until someone else won the cash. Then, like a swarm of bees the numbers came back.

This taught me a valuable lesson about people. We like winners and enjoy being around them. Winners give us the confidence to try our hand in the game or least gives us a person to believe in. However, if the time between winnings takes too long, people begin to lose interest and try other things (or support other people).

To the leaders and winners of the world, we know that fast is fun and slow is painful. Yes, we should be persistent and consistent, but doing something once a week is slow when every day is a option. Win fast and often, people will follow your lead. Win slow and people will lose interest.

Hang around winners, stay encouraged, move quickly and with purpose. Just a few thoughts from a game of Cash Crane.

What lessons can you find in this story?

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