Being able to look ahead in business and anticipate – even to a small degree – changes and trends is a valuable quality that can reap tremendous rewards. It's a quality that many experienced chess players possess, helping them to see the board as a whole and think through many moves in advance.

1. LESSONS FROM
CHESS
NILESH WAGHELA
Business Strategy

2. Being able to look ahead in business and anticipate – even to a
small degree – changes and trends is a valuable quality that can
reap tremendous rewards. It’s a quality that many experienced
chess players possess, helping them to see the board as a whole
and think through many moves in advance.
Lessons from Chess:
Learning to Think Ahead
2

3. Here’s how to think ahead in the business world:
WORK ON THE BUSINESS
A lot of people work in the business and don’t spend
as much time working on it. Doing the latter calls for
pulling yourself back from the company – whether
by way of an off-site meeting or something similar –
and thinking about the bigger picture.
GET COMFORTABLE OUTSIDE THE
COMFORT ZONE
Being a step ahead calls for working outside your
comfort zone and being comfortable doing so. It
3
When you’re one step ahead of everyone
else, it will seem like you’re violating what’s
considered normal.
also means acting quicker than you’re used to in some
instances. While it’s vital to base business decisions on
complete information, being outside the comfort zone
will call for moving with speed.
DON’T EXPECT VALIDATION
When you’re one step ahead of everyone else, it will
seem like you’re violating what’s considered normal.
People will likely ridicule or question your efforts, so
don’t expect validation.

4. To learn more
about this topic,
visit the blog of
Nilesh Waghela.