The 3 Levels of Sudoku Awareness

Do You, Sudoku ?

In all of my travels, I have found that there are three levels of Sudoku awareness.

Those that say "Sudoku, no clue." To be in the 'no-clue' crowd you must not open a paper, you must not leave your home and you must not be too interested in the world around you. Life is either spinning too fast for you or has come to a stand still.

Then there are those that say "Sudoku, for you!" The 'for you' guys have either tried Sudoku and had their self-esteem seriously impared by the challenge so have decided that the stress is just too much for them at this time. Or, they have simply seen the numbers, thought the game would require math skills and remembered that they can't add or subtract without a calculator.

Finally, there are those that shout "Sudoku, wohoo!" The 'wohoo' crew have experienced the addicting rush of achievement and keep coming back for more. These are the grid junkies. It is at this level the Sudoku leadership principles can be understood and continually practiced.

Wouldn't it be nice to practice your leadership skills and not lose your job if you make a mistake?

Tell me your challenge and I will show you a Sudoku leadership principle that can help you meet that challenge.

The Patient Sudoku Player

OK - you have been on a number rush in your Sudoku game. The voice in your head is screaming "I AM INVINCIBLE." Then you hit the wall of 'no clues' and the game begins to slow down. Patience begins to run thin and three things happen:

• We make assumptions
• We make bad decisions
• We become impetuous

What happens to your game?

Sometimes I quit in frustration. Other times I slow down, follow my plan, and my patience always pays off when I finally see the clue that breaks the wall.

How's your leadership game? There is a rush we get with achievement and a wall we hit with challenges. Being successful depends on whether our patience runs thin or we slow down to follow a plan. If we become impetuous the rush controls our success - or lack of it. The wall is there for a reason and that is to teach us how patience can be an investement in our leadership success.

Sudoku Survival

Every book I have read on how to solve a sudoku game covers the same 5 perspectives, but always in a different manner. They all mention some form of solving for a row, column or cube. Some start with the obvious groups having the most numbers while others start with the obvious number that occurs the most within the grid. None of them mention my personal key to success and that is to have a plan and stick to it.
Three things about a plan help me to be successful with my game:

• I always start in the same place.
• When I get frustrated it doesn't slow me down because I know the next step.
• I always come back to the plan to be successful with my game. (no matter how long I have been away from it.)

Leadership is the same in many respects.

• We all have our style of leadership. Some styles are successful, others are not as effective. If our 'plan' of leadership is not creating the results we want then maybe we need to change the plan to create a proven record of success.
• Even the most successful leaders can become frustrated when their efforts are not producing results fast enough. Patience and perseverance helps to keep us focused that we are only one step away from the goal.
• When challenged, we should always come back to our 'plan'. As a leader, the 'plan' includes those proven skills that have taken us to success before.

Change the approach to your sudoku game. Create a plan of approach. Use your past success skills it will support your future achievement.

Remember.... Effective change always begins within.

The 5 Sudoku Game Perspectives

I am sure most of you went through a period of personal emotional devastation while you were learning the game. You remember when you thought you were doing so well, only to find two number 6's in a row !!!!! I became very frustrated but learned quickly that all I needed was a plan of attack to be successful. That plan starts with seeing the game from 5 perspectives.

• A horizontal group
• A vertical group
• A single row
• A single column
• A cube

We all know the simple rule of sudoku - put the numbers 1 through 9 in each row, column and cube without duplicating numbers in any row, column or cube. This simple rule is what has hooked the world on the game. Numbers are understood across cultures, countries, demographics, and geographics which is why sudoku needs no translation. The game turns us into adrenaline junkies with it's ebb and flow of achievement. Stay tuned to learn the tricks of each of the 5 perspectives and have achievement adrenaline at your finger tips.

The Sudoku Leadership blog is back

Over the last few months I have taken my passion for sudoku game theory from blogging to the print media. Now I'm back and will share those more developed theories with my blog community.
We all know that there are 5 perspectives to solving a sudoku game but did you know that those 5 views can teach you 9 basic leadership skills. Yes indeed, you no longer need consider your sudoku passion a waste if time.

• Did you know you can learn how to create a vision for your team by playing the game?
• I am sure you have noticed the decision making tricks you learn through the game. Right?
• Have you picked up any relationship lessons during the "mindless" time spent?

You will get all of these answers over the next few weeks. You will also be the first to get the progress on the upcoming book, Sudoku Leadership. Meanwhile, you may just have to settle for a live keynote performance. I will keep you posted.

Sudoku Leadership Lesson #2

Step Back to See the Vision of Success

When you play Sudoku, do you labor over filling each individual square with a number or do you step back and look at how the numbers relate to each other within a series of box clusters. Stepping back became a key factor in improving my Sudoku game and is also a key factor in developing effective leadership skills. Seeing the big picture allows leaders to share a vision with their team. The vision gives your team a purpose and that purpose gives your team motivation to have soaring performance. So, next time you play Sudoku, step back – see the big picture – see the vision of your fast, accurate puzzle completion – when playing in competition, see your score soaring.

Sudoku Leadership Lesson #1

To win consistenty, you have to have a plan.

If your goal in playing Sudoku is to finish faster and with greater finesse then you need a plan. Once I developed an organized approach to my Sudoku game I was able to reach my goal faster and look like a pro at the same time. Successful leadership has a similar foundation, it requires a plan. Leadership skills can be learned if you just have a plan. Some people put their plan in place earlier than others and practice the plan until the skills are second nature and it appears that they are born leaders. Seeing the big picture, making effective decisions, team building, motivation, and goal perseverance are skills that leaders are made of. Recognizing and focusing on building those skills is the first step in becoming a successful leader. And to think, playing Sudoku planted the seed that in order to win consistently you have to have a plan!