How “Playing the Game” Can Limit Your Creativity

One of the powerful messages we are taught very early in life is: “Play the game… to win.” We learn this as children at home when parents set the rules of behavior. We learn this with friends, some of whom have personalities that tend to dominate social interactions. We learn this in school, where the administration and teachers lay out very specific rules about what we will be rewarded for and what actions will lead to punishment. Of course, we all want to win, to receive praise and acknowledgment. Prizes in the form of a trophy, even a gold ribbon or a gold star become goals. We’re expected to win, aren’t we?

What are the consequences of this state of mind? How do these experiences improve who we are? On the positive side, competitiveness, goal-setting, determination, diligence, obedience are certainly very desirable traits to develop. Aside from the obvious evil of excessive obsession toward any of these traits, what else happens in our brains when we focus on what we think we know or understand, i.e. the rules of the game?

In the startup ecosystem, how is success defined? Obviously, entrepreneurs want to build a valuable company. Perhaps they are motivated by the idea of generating personal wealth or the ego gratification that comes from beating competitors. Some are mission-driven and believe that they are contributing products and services that will be useful for society. Is building a company a game for entrepreneurs?

Investors are mostly interested in ROI, the return on their investment. This is their game. Entrepreneurs, especially inexperienced ones, tend to believe in the “Golden Rule: He who has the gold, makes the rules.” The universally asked question is: “How do I write a business plan or prepare a pitch deck that will attract investors (venture capital)?” Thousands participate in incubators and accelerators in hopes of gaining this advantage in playing the game. While that is certainly a practical concern, is that really the most important thing to be thinking about when starting to build a sustainable business?

Unfortunately, there are always a small number of entrepreneurs who offer inaccurate information in order to persuade investors to invest in their companies. This is lying with intent to defraud and is a serious federal crime (securities law). One of the recent, very high-profile cases is Theranos, a biotech company whose founder and CEO was a charismatic young woman, Elizabeth Holmes, who became a billionaire (on paper) thanks to the stratospheric valuation of the venture. After a public offering of stock, legal authorities have uncovered a long-standing pattern of falsified documents and fictitious research reports, proving that fraud did occur. The founder claims to be innocent of the charges, and I am not suggesting that she is guilty. That will be determined by a trial that has yet to take place.

What games were being played in this situation? The billions of dollars involved support the conclusion that personal greed for money and power motivated those who perpetrated the fraud. Was this behavior a perversion of “following the rules to get as much money as possible from investors"? Certainly, systematic fraud at this level requires lots of creative energy, but how was that energy directed? Who benefited in the short-term and the long-term? Money changed hands, thus the illusion of wealth was created for some, at least. But was value truly created, and for whom? What is the price of a lie?

Each of us has only 24 hours in a day. Some people require less sleep than others, so presumably, they have more energy resources. How do we choose to motivate ourselves to be productive? How do we choose to use our creativity? How we express ourselves defines our unique value, to ourselves and to others. How do we face ourselves, not only from a moral or ethical perspective but when asking ourselves: “How has my life contributed value to the universe (or just to me)?” Don’t we deserve to feel good about what we do? Why can’t we give ourselves the opportunity to enjoy our creative energy in as many ways as we can?

As the end of December approaches, we traditionally assess the past 12 months and plan for the coming year. This is a time to reflect on what games we are playing, individually and collectively (e.g. politics). We can examine our assumptions of what those games are about, who makes the rules, what it takes to win. Let’s ask ourselves: Why do we choose to limit ourselves to what we perceive as rules dictated by others who want to exploit us by getting us to play their games?

Ultimately, in the game of life, what do we care about? After we die, what impact will our lives have had? What lessons will be our legacy for future generations?