We all Play "Games" in an Effort to "Hopefully" Win some form of Success in our Endeavors.
It's Inevitable.
Especially if you are a Business Leader, Entrepreneur, or Creator.
Now, the "Game" will depend on Your Goals.
How Well you Play the Game will Impact your Success.
To Win a Game, you Must Understand the Rules.
You Must Play to the Rules.
Plus, you want the Game to Work "With" Your Strengths, Ideally for the Long-Term.
But, there is something I have Not Spoken about when it comes to Playing the "Game".
This got Highlighted on a platform that I regularly Write On.
Typeshare (Which I do Love).
It is a platform for Digital Writers with some Amazing Tools.
I've Written about the "Game" of Typeshare.
In it, I laid out the Rules of the "Game" (which have altered slightly since I wrote it).
In the article, Alex highlights an issue they noticed on the Platform (Which, to be fair, is an issue that exists on "Every" Platform).
People are Focused on "Winning the Game", but are missing something Crucial.
Quality.
See, it is True that we must Understand the Game and Play by the Rules.
But there is a "Wrong" Way to do this.
If you Play the Game to "Beat The System", You'll Lose.
You could call these "Shortcuts".
Every Game has "Tricks" and "Shortcuts" you can Utilize to get Seen Faster.
As Alex highlights, on Typeshare, that is Getting Signal and Streaks to "Appear" on the Leaderboards that exist.
Now, the Leaderboards are not Inherently a Problem.
They are "Tools" and "Motivation" for Writers to get Noticed.
Tools are only "Good" or "Bad" based on How they are Used.
A Hammer is Great at Hitting Nails.
A Hammer is Horrible at Fixing Windows.
On Typeshare (and Every Platform), there "Are" Ways to "Move Faster" to get Noticed.
But there is a Problem with this.
The More You're Seen, the More People "See".
What do I mean?
It has to do with Quality.
You could be the "Worst" Business Leader, Entrepreneur, and Creator and get "Seen" on Any Platform if you "Know" the Rules and use them to your Advantage.
But "Knowing the Rules" does not change that you're Not "Good".
Which Creates a Gigantic Problem.
Loss of Trust.
If you Get Seen, but Are Not "Great", People will Stop Looking.
You may "win" the day, or week, or month, but You will Not "Win" the Long-Term.
In the Long-Term, You Lose.
Without Trust, You Have Nothing.
You'll be "Seen"...
As a Fraud...
As a Crook...
As a Cheater.
Then, people Stop Paying Attention.
This means Failure.
Using the Rules to your Advantage only "Works" if Your Work is Good.
That simple.
In "Every" Game, there are people who will try to Use the Rules "Without" Improving their Craft.
They "Always" Lose in the Long-Term.
There is a "Hidden" Rule in "Every" Game that you will not see Listed.
Quality Is Important.
You Do "Not" want to be at the "Top" Unless Your Quality is Worthy of Being at the Top.
I have talked about the 8 Stages to a Quality Career before.
We must "All" go through these Stages.
Each Feeds into the Next, and Ideally as you Move to Higher Stages of your Career, you will want to "Also" Move Up in the Games You Play.
The Quality Should Match the Level of Success in the Games.
If your Quality is Not at that Level yet, Focus on Improving Your Quality first.
If you Do Not, You'll Get Seen, but in a Negative Light.
Then, You Lose the Game.
So, the Game is Important to Understand, but More Important is the Quality of your Work.
Your Character.
Your Consistency.
Your Effectiveness.
Without these, you'll Lose.
Now, at the "Top" of the Game, for Long-Term Success, you want to become a Sage.
The Sage is so Dedicated, Consistent, and Effective that they not only are "Masters" of their Craft, but they are Actively "Innovating" their Craft.
If you are a Sage "And" Playing the Game Well, "That" is where you Find Long-Term Success.
Your Quality "Fuels" Your Success in the Game.
The Success of the Game "Fuels" More People Finding Your Work.
This becomes a Virtuous Cycle of Leadership.
That is the Secret to Winning the "Game".