4 Essential Business Lessons You Will Learn In The Japanese Go Game

The rules of go are deceptively simple. Two players have at their disposal a special board, sets of white and black stones. The main task is to capture as much territory as possible from a competitor. Despite its seeming lightness, go is considered the most complex intellectual game, during which thousands of opportunities open up to solve a particular business situation.

Go business strategies are aimed at efficiently dividing the market and the coexistence of participants, while chess strategies are aimed at destroying the enemy and capturing his market share.

How exactly you will develop your business, what methods to apply, whether you will give preference to short-term or long-term benefits, how effectively you can use existing resources and respond flexibly to the constantly changing market situation - all these questions are played out in the process of the game, where the board is the market and territories, and stones are your resources. Each game of go is a lesson and a separate strategy that is applicable in real life.

Lesson number 1. First strengthening, then expansion

A stable operating business is the main condition for its further growth and full-fledged development. Putting one stone and not providing the figure with proper stability, you can lose all positions. Aspiring entrepreneurs, like budding go players, often do not focus on threats in the vicinity and do not analyze their weaknesses in order to further strengthen them. They strive to expand faster and get as much profit as possible, but in the end, without a proven, stable project, they remain a loser.

The well-known company iRobot started with the creation and production of a robot vacuum cleaner. Having strengthened its position, the company gradually began to conquer the market, expanding its business. Now iRobot's assortment includes sapper robots, scout robots, pool and drain cleaning robots.

That is why, first, you need to concentrate on one idea, one product. Only when you strengthen your rear, get a well-functioning project that is minimally dependent on external circumstances, proceed to the consistent expansion of your business on the market.

Lesson number 2. Develop all over the field

After strengthening your positions, do not limit yourself to a single part of the board. This can result in a strategic advantage being missed, as a result of which your opponent will effectively intercept the vacant territory and win faster.

The board is a huge market in which you need to constantly develop your business, bring new solutions to it. Expand your business: develop fresh directions, offer customers new services, additional benefits, high-quality and original products. Don't let competitors take advantage of your opportunities.

For example, Toyota Motor Corporation is not only the largest Japanese automotive corporation with a wide range of automotive products. It also takes into account modern technology, market trends and consumer demand. It was Toyota who pioneered the mass production and sale of hybrid vehicles.

You don't have to be a large company to follow the rule of capturing as much of the field as possible. Even if you have a small firm, say, a photobook company, try to be forward-thinking and continually expand your product line to suit the changing market environment.

For example, you can additionally offer delivery of orders throughout Russia, printing photomagnets, creating original book covers, and possibly holding photo sessions. In this way, you will narrow down the opportunities for competitors and win a large share of the market.

Lesson # 3. Use stones effectively

Stones are your resources and, accordingly, your future. Business cannot exist in a vacuum. He is on the same board with competitors, customers and the state. Each action with a stone affects the further course of events and the behavior of players.

In go, before making a move, it is important to weigh well its necessity and possible consequences. Lack of planning and forecasting contributes to the accumulation of risks to a critical mass.

At the beginning of the game, both opponents have the same amount of resources, but by the end of the game, each has a different area of conquered territory. Victory depends on how efficiently and deliberately a person knows how to use his resources to achieve the goal.

Where you did not see the gap and did not calculate the future result, the opponent will get an excellent opportunity to improve his position. Potentially effective, strategically verified moves will eliminate the loss of resources.

Both in the game and in business, calculate your decisions at least three steps ahead, taking into account many external circumstances. Spend resources only on positions that are important and effective for the company, feel free to rid your business of areas, product lines, and services that have lost their relevance.

All of your business moves should be thoroughly thought out and adjusted in accordance with the changing situation. This way, you will not have problems with an ineffective organizational structure, unjustified costs, the implementation of projects that, upon close examination, can turn out to be a failure, and the untimely release of new services to the market.

Lesson # 4. Think like an adversary

In business, as in Go, the ability to look at the situation through the eyes of a competitor and a consumer is extremely important for a successful outcome. It is necessary to learn to analyze market realities from several positions at once. Many businessmen understand the importance of this rule by conducting regular market research, using a high level of secrecy in companies and identifying customer needs.

If you carefully study not only the positions of your stones, but also the prospects of the second player, try to predict his plans, analyze strengths and weaknesses, then this will greatly facilitate the path to victory.

An example is Apple's emphasis on producing superior quality products that meet real customer needs and deliver long-term value. This is what makes Apple an exceptionally competitive and strong player in the market. Understanding the needs of customers can be the impetus for the development of an innovative and truly in-demand product that will open up new horizons for yourself.

By playing Go, anyone can learn important business lessons, model potential mistakes, and develop a complete go-to-market strategy. You can start mastering the strategic vision with online resources or specialized go clubs. And do not be afraid of difficulties. The road will be mastered only by walking.