Playing Pool on a Boat: Life & Leadership in Motion
Lead Like You’re Playing Pool on a Boat
Ever tried playing pool on a boat? It’s a whole new game. The table rocks, the balls roll unpredictably, and your usual strategies fail. You need a new approach—one that adapts to constant motion.
Now think about leadership, or life in general. Most people operate like they’re playing pool in a quiet, stable bar. But real leadership? That’s playing pool on a boat in a storm.
The Illusion of Stability
We like to pretend business, leadership, heck, even life follow fixed rules. If you take the right shot at the right angle, you expect a predictable outcome. But that’s a lie. Markets shift, teams evolve, crises erupt. The table is always moving.
Some leaders panic. They try to force control, gripping the cue tighter, trying to will the game into stability. Others give up, blaming external forces. But the best? They adjust. They study the motion, anticipate the shift, and take their shot accordingly.
The Skill of Adaptability
Playing pool on a boat demands flexibility. You don’t just focus on your shot—you focus on everything around it. The movement, the wind, the rhythm of the waves. In leadership, it’s the same. You don’t just push a strategy—you read the room, sense the shifts, and move accordingly.
The best leaders aren’t the ones with perfect plans. They’re the ones who can execute even when the ground beneath them won’t stay still.
So here’s the real question: Are you still trying to play by the old rules?
Or have you learned to play pool on a boat?