That used to be you

This evening, I attended a talk through the Hudson Union Society given by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum about their recent book That used to be us: How America fell behind in the world it invented and how we can come back.

Those of you who read Friedman’s New York Times column, may be familiar with some if the main points of the book. Namely that there is a global trend towards overpopulation, increased communication and dwindling resources. And that while many predict China may be on the rise to power and the US has mismanaged its economy and slowed on innovation, America should look back at its successes in the past and return to the policy that made it strong while keeping up with communication and green technology.

The book ends with Freidman and Mandelbaum’s ideal 2012 presidential platform. They are advocating that an independent candidate take up issues of investment in infrastructure and education, spending cuts to Medicare and Social Security and tax increases – perferably related to fuel usage.

Of course in a situation like this, topdown change often has the greatest impact. However, I would like to take one of the major questions of the evening and apply it to the individual, in particular the 9.1% of Americans that are unemployed. The question to ask is “What were you doing in the past that worked?” When you think about the good things you’ve done it can focus your energy towards repeating those habits and outcomes. There is something very powerful about putting a positive spin on your assessment of the past. Understanding what you have done well can help you make decisions on where you can add the most benefit. Yes, top down change is going to be necessary to change the direction the US is headed, but bottom-up change and a need for individual innovation and reinvigoration is also going to be crucial to our recovery. This isn’t about glossing over what may have gone wrong – but if you’ve had success in the past chances are you can pinpoint what went right and harness that into more future success.

The games people play

Do the board games families and children play really say anything about our society as a whole? The Washington Post seems to think so. Earlier this month, the newspaper reported that Settlers of Catan was training this decade's entrepreneurs - including Mark Zuckerberg.

As a novice player of the game, I have to admit there is some truth to the idea that Settlers requires more innovative thinking than a more traditional board game. Having an entirely new board laid out by random requires one to access the landscape and adjust your strategy from game to game. One could say that this recreational way to practice a transitional strategy builds out the cognitive functions associated with accessing and adapting to change.

There is also a rule that you can trade resources with your competition whenever they are willing to make the deal you offer. There is a lot of friendly negotiation and maneuvering with players that may then punish you when the dice rolls a 7 in their favor. A 2008 article about frenemy competition in Fast Company, touches on this necessity in business. If you play to "shake using a right hand while plotting your prey's demise with your left," just know you aren't the only one who might be preparing a sneak attack.

Settlers cannot be the only game on the market today that is training the leaders of tomorrow. As for my childhood favorites I credit Pick-up Sticks with my ability to persevere with a detail-driven task, Balderdash with my ability to bluff convincingly and CandyLand with my crippling sweet tooth. What games shaped your personality?