Chess Not Checkers

As organizations grow in volume and complexity, the demands on leadership change. The same old moves won't cut it any more. In Chess Not Checkers, Mark Miller tells the story of Blake Brown, newly appointed CEO of a company troubled by poor performance and low morale. Nothing Blake learned from his previous roles seems to help him deal with the issues he now faces. The problem, his new mentor points out, is Blake is playing the wrong game. The early days of an organization are like checkers: a quickly played game with mostly interchangeable pieces. Everybody, the leader included, does a little bit of everything; the pace is frenetic. But as the organization expands, you can't just keep jumping from activity to activity. You have to think strategically, plan ahead, and leverage every employee's specific talents-that's chess. Leaders who continue to play checkers when the name of the game is chess lose. On his journey, Blake learns four essential strategies from the game of chess that transform his leadership and his organization. The result: unprecedented performance!

Mark Miller is the author of five books, including two with Ken Blanchard. In addition to his books, he serves leaders through his blog: GreatLeadersServe.com. The site is rated as one of the top leadership blogs in the world. Miller also sells chicken. He started his Chick-fil-A career working as an hourly team member and today serves as the vice president charged with leadership development for the organization.

Introduction 1. The Decision 2. Harder Than It Looks 3. Something Has to Change 4. A Different Game 5. Game On! 6. Start Here 7. Place Your Bet 8. What's Important? 9. Who Cares? 10. It's Your Move 11. Game Plan 12. What's Next? Epilogue