I first heard the idea of ‘playing stupid games earns you stupid prizes’ from Naval Ravinkant (@naval) on his podcast. He didn’t originate the quote or idea, but it’s a good one, nonetheless.
While you can derive many meanings from this statement, I have framed it around the ‘games’ played in the corporate environment. ‘Games’, in this sense, are the meaningless interactions between co-workers or customers that result in net-zero or net-negative productivity. We can also use this same frame in our personal lives.
This also makes me think of a quote from Harry S. Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit”. This, in effect, is the antithesis of ‘play stupid games, win stupid prizes”.
When you think of categories of interactions as ‘games’, you begin to realize which ones are productive and which are stupid.
- Wanting the last word just to have the last word. Stupid.
- Wanting to have the best idea even when great ideas have already been presented. Stupid.
- Arguing over an outdated customer policy just because it’s policy, even when you know it’s not the best idea. Stupid.
- Arguing on social media. Stupid.
These are just a few examples, but there are plenty of others.
Think of your interactions in terms of their intent and the outcomes you are aiming for. If the outcomes are not positively productive, you should question the interaction. My guess is this will save you time and lower your stress levels.
Don’t play stupid games.
