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Angry Birds, Believe, believe in yourself, birds eggs, careers, Celebrate, consulting, direction, execute strategy, game, give up, HR, HR Horizons, organisational development, pigs, Precision, right tools, Samir Dawoodani, sling shot, training manager, well-placed move, workplace
Angry Birds isn’t only a game. It is also a surprising source of wisdom, especially relevant to the workplace.
Here are six lessons I have learnt from playing the game:
1. Believe. The goal of the game is to catapult birds out of a sling shot in order to kill pigs that have hidden themselves after stealing the birds’ eggs. The birds are angry and they are out to take action. They believe in their mission. They know what they want, have an intense desire to achieve it and are willing to do anything to make it happen. So, believe in yourself. If you don’t, who will?
2. Use what you have. The birds don’t give up because they don’t have the right tools, they use what they have. Never make excuses about which resources you don’t have; use those that are available.
3. Direction. If you want to achieve something, direction is vital. Moving in the right direction will get you results. Sitting on your sofa won’t.
4. Precision is everything. There are only a couple ways to win each level of Angry Birds and it takes precision to execute your strategy. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in a plan that we miss an opportunity to utilise the one well-placed move that will get the job done.
5. Don’t give up! Playing the game had me banging my head on the wall at times, trying to figure a way out. Like life, my only options were to quit or try again. So the next time you or your team members mess up – don’t think of it as a disaster. Think of it as a chance to practise your comeback. Hang on and be a warrior.
6. Celebrate. After every level, the birds celebrate loudly. It’s important to celebrate the little victories – they will motivate you to achieve more.
– Samir Dawoodani
The writer is an organisational development and training manager at an HR consulting firm. samir.dawoodani@primehr.com.pk
First published in the Careers Section of The DAWN National Weekend Advertiser on April 15, 2012.