Poker and Leadership

Poker is the game closest to the western conception of life, where life and thought are recognized as intimately combined, where free will prevails over philosophies of fate or of chance, where men are considered moral agents and where - at least in the short run - the important thing is not what happens but what people think happens.
John Luckacs, Poker and the American Character (1963)

The first and foremost responsibility of leaders is to have a vision of where they want to take their organ­izations. You certainly wouldn’t sit at a poker table without the vision of winning the game. This is not something one can find in a book, be it this one or any other. It must emanate naturally from the heart and mind. Although it is fine to seek out as much information about the organization as possible, the leader must intrin­sically have a firm sense of direction. A skillful poker play without the vision of winning will miss the “tells” or subtle clues in the other.

Why is Poker such a rich metaphor for leadership. Find out more at Leadership: Texas Hold 'em Style.