We often talk about “soft skills” in leadership, but sometimes the best lessons come from unexpected places. For many of us, that place has been the board game table. Seriously! It’s surprising how much I’ve learned about effective leadership simply by playing games like Werewolf, Pandemic, Catan, and more. Let’s face it - leading a team isn’t always a straight line; it’s about reading people, anticipating moves, and adapting to the unexpected.
These are some of leadership skills I’ve honed thanks to some strategic gaming with my NimblePros teammates and others.
Reading the Room 👀
Games like Werewolf and Betrayal at the House on Hill are all about deception and observation. You have to be constantly assessing people’s behavior, looking for subtle cues, and trying to figure out who to trust (or not trust!). This translates directly to tech leadership - understanding your team’s dynamics, identifying potential conflict, and knowing who’s truly invested in a project. It’s about active listening and intuitive understanding.
Strategic Planning & Risk Assessment 🗺️
Games like Catan and Pandemic force you to think long-term, consider risks, and adapt your strategy when things go sideways. Just like in tech, you need to forecast potential challenges, weigh options, and build a roadmap. Pandemic, in particular, highlights the importance of collaboration and distributing responsibilities - a crucial lesson for scaling a team.
Resource Management & Prioritization 💎
Splendor demands careful resource management - balancing actions to build your collection of resources while hindering your opponents. Similarly, Factorio and Satisfactory are also great in how to find and manage resources while trying to explore and achieve goals. Tech leaders need to excel at this: allocating budgets, prioritizing features, and recognizing when to pull back.
Influence & Negotiation 🗣️
Strategic board games center around forging alliances, manipulating events, and leveraging persuasive bargaining. Whether you’re securing routes in Ticket to Ride or reshaping a planet in Terraforming Mars, success hinges on understanding your opponents’ desires and expertly navigating complex social dynamics. It’s a game of words, actions, and calculated risk.
Quick Thinking & Improvisation 🧠
5-Minute Dungeon (and even the quick rounds of Sushi Go) forces you to make split-second decisions under pressure. Tech projects rarely go according to plan, and leaders need to be able to react quickly, adapt to changing circumstances, and make informed choices with incomplete information.
Teamwork & Shared Goals 💪🏻💪🏽💪🏿
Games like Catan and Pandemic really highlight the need for a cohesive team working towards a common goal. Recognizing each member’s strengths and leveraging them is essential for success.
Conclusion
Don’t underestimate the power of games to teach leadership lessons. Next time you’re feeling stuck or struggling with a leadership challenge, consider picking up a board game - it might just be the unexpected solution you’ve been looking for.
Game References
These are links to the games on BoardGameGeek. These are not affiliate links.
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf
- Betrayal at the House on the Hill
- Coup
- Catan
- Pandemic
- Splendor
- 7 Wonders
- 5-Minute Dungeon
- Sushi Go
- Ticket to Ride
- Terraforming Mars
Post-Editing Note
This blog post was inspired by our YouTube short on How to Use Schedule Send in Gmail in Your Web Browser.