Leadership Lessons from Wordle

I played my 100th Wordle puzzle this morning! As I have strategically laid out my letters and words over the past few months, I continue to think about how Wordle relates to leadership. In true Wordle fashion, here are 6 Leadership Lessons from Wordle…

1-Every day I am convinced at some point in the game that I’m going to lose. Yet my win percentage is 98%. In the heat of the moment, sometimes our feelings don’t line up with the evidence. Be cognizant of your emotions but ground yourself in the evidence of what you know is true.

2-Just like the letters in the puzzle light up when they’re correct for the puzzle but in the wrong spots, so it is w/leadership. Jim Collins said to get the right people on the bus and in the right seats. Focus on your people’s talent and strive to get them in the right seats.

3-One of the things I often forget is that letters can be duplicated within the same puzzle. The same is true for us. We often see a need and shut it down or because we don’t funds for more personnel. Let go of what has always been and lean into “what could be.”

4-The longer you play, the harder it is to move the win percentage. The higher the win % the harder it is to increase it. So it is with elite organizations that are trying to improve performance. Focus on the right things and be consistent in giving your best effort every day.

5-If you try to submit a word that is really not a word, the game will tell you. It doesn’t shut down or forfeit your game. We need to remember to risk. Be thoughtful and bold as you think outside the box to try something new.

6-Wordle only lets you play 1 game every 24 hrs. I wonder if that is part of the attraction. Sometimes we get so obsessed with a problem that we fatigue. The art of leadership is determining what things need our immediate attention and which could be assisted by some time and space.

For more leadership tips, follow me at @jillmsiler or jillmsiler.com. To see this entire strand, check out: jillmsiler.com/2022/05/22/leadership-lessons-from-wordle. And to try your hand at Wordle, visit www.nytimes.com/games/wordle.