Maurice Ashley, the first Black Chess Grandmaster and an ESPN commentator, shares his journey from a childhood passion for chess to achieving greatness. He emphasizes the importance of a beginner's mindset and continuous improvement. The discussion highlights how elite players learn from mistakes, focus on endgames, and temper overconfidence. Ashley also draws parallels between chess strategies and effective leadership, advocating for resilience and learning as key tools for growth both on and off the board.
Continuous improvement is essential in today's fast-paced world, as lifelong learning fuels both personal and professional growth.
Embracing mistakes and reflective practices can transform failures into valuable lessons, driving innovation and higher performance.
Deep dives
The Necessity of Continuous Learning
In today's fast-paced world, acquiring a degree or certification is no longer sufficient for long-term success. Continuous improvement is essential for personal and professional growth, both as a leader and as an individual. The podcast emphasizes that learning is a lifelong journey, where the drive to become better fuels overall development. Adapting to constant change requires one to seek new skills and knowledge actively.
Situational Awareness Over Future Thinking
The discussion highlights that chess grandmasters, despite their reputation, don't always look multiple moves ahead in every situation. Instead, they focus on situational awareness and the current state of the game, which allows them to make informed decisions based on clear, present conditions. This principle extends beyond chess, suggesting that successful individuals must assess immediate challenges and solve them rather than get lost in hypothetical future moves. Fostering situational awareness enables better decision-making and simplifies strategy in complex scenarios.
Returning to the Basics for Improvement
To achieve mastery, individuals must often revisit foundational skills, as elite performers constantly cultivate a beginner's mindset. The podcast mentions that grandmasters often feel like 'advanced beginners,' realizing there is always more to learn and improve upon. This perspective encourages consistent practice of basic skills, allowing for deeper insights and greater proficiency. Mastery in the basics not only enhances performance but also paves the way for creative improvisation in challenging situations.
The Power of Learning from Mistakes
Embracing mistakes is vital for personal growth and improvement, as they serve as effective learning tools. The discussion points out that poor performers tend to avoid their mistakes, while high achievers engage with them to uncover valuable lessons. Reflective practices, like post-mortems in chess, enable individuals to analyze their errors and develop strategies for future success. Encouraging a culture that tolerates mistakes allows for innovation and progress, countering the societal trend of amplifying failures.
Maurice Ashley: Move by Move
Maurice Ashley is a Chess Grandmaster, an ESPN commentator, a three-time national championship coach, and an author. In 1999 he earned the title of Chess Grandmaster, making him the first Black Grandmaster in the game’s history, and in 2016 he was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame. He's the author of Move by Move: Life Lessons on and off the Chessboard*.
There was a time that you could get a degree or a certification and you’ve be set on your learning for awhile. Those days are long gone. With change happening at the speed of thought, we must keep improving. In this conversation, Maurice and I discuss the mindsets and tactics that will help you keep growing.
Key Points
Jazz artists don’t think about each note, but instinctively know how to make beautiful music. The best chess players are like this.
Elite performers constantly look for ways to cultivate the beginner’s mindset.
Chess players who pay attention to the endgame are less likely to get caught up only in the tactics.
The most vulnerable time for a chess player is when they have a big lead.
Poor performers avoid spending time with their mistakes. The best players learn from them through debrief.
Determine in advance where you need to stay hyper-focused.
Temper overconfidence by posing additional in-game challenges for yourself and your team.
Resources Mentioned
Move by Move: Life Lessons on and off the Chessboard* by Maurice Ashley
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294)
How to Prevent a Team From Repeating Mistakes, with Robert “Cujo” Teschner (episode 660)
How to Grow From Your Errors, with Amy Edmondson (episode 663)
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