Work-life balance PLAYING MIND GAMES

Transcription

1 Work-life balance PLAYING MIND GAMES 36 January 2015

2 A PLUS Whether it s chess or checkers, many Institute members use strategy games to train their minds. Tigger Chaturabul finds out how these games also strengthen finance skills and further enrich their roles Illustrations by Tigger Chaturabul Allan Lee can build a business on the game board. Enterpriser, a traditional Western board game developed by The Economist, teaches players how to build a financial empire in a simulation of the real economy, and helps players practise different methods to tackle adversity. The Director of Allan Lee Professional Solutions and member of the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs was first introduced to Enterprise about four years ago and was coached on how to make use of the game in corporate training. I use this game in workshops to help participants build businesses and experience of being an entrepreneur, says Lee. In addition to hosting workshops for Institute members, Lee also plays with university students, neuro-linguistic programming practitioners, hypnotherapists and professionals from other disciplines. Accounting professionals often use strategy games to develop mental skills that can also be used in the office or in daily life. In addition to the relaxation that comes with engaging in a favourite hobby, strategy games also allow CPAs to practise certain management theories and tactics on a smaller scale to see their immediate results. Enterpriser involves using investment strategies, networking skills and contingency planning to build the highest-value enterprise at the end of the game. It s not just about earning money; you also need to know how to invest, explains Lee. We have to prepare for the worst while trying to earn money for future investments to win the game. Lee says Enterpriser is an ideal platform for CPAs to think about business from a January

3 Work-life balance In both accounting and in bridge, you need to be prudent when you re vulnerable and estimate the risks when you either want to compete for or sacrifice a contract. different perspective. The game inspires young people to have breakthroughs in their existing mind-sets about management. Lee has noticed that younger players tend to use strategies the older generation never thought of, which in turn also gives him another perspective on how to run a business. I have only lost at this game twice, he says. Once was to my mentee, which actually made me very happy because I coached her. Lee believes that accountants are not just another part of a bigger business and encourages CPAs to take more ownership to develop better results. We aren t just accountants. We can become entrepreneurial accountants, he says. This game helps people realize how important entrepreneurial leadership is. Fruitful partnerships The competition was tough at the 49th Asia Pacific Bridge Federation Championships competition trial match, where Dora Lee, Senior Manager, Professional Development at KPMG and an Institute member, battled a reigning ladies team to represent Hong Kong. Contract bridge is a partnership game where you need to have a good understanding between you and your partner, says Lee. That s why it came as a surprise when her newly formed team won the match against opponents who had been partners for more than 20 years. In order to have good results in bridge, Lee recommends players listen carefully to the cards bid by a partner or opponent and count the points throughout the game. In both accounting and in bridge, you need to be prudent when you re vulnerable and estimate the risks when you either want to compete for or sacrifice a contract, she says. Lee first tried her hand at the game at a bridge club in secondary school but it wasn t until she was invited to join the Institute s Bridge Interest Group that she became an avid player. As I learned more about bridge, I became fascinated with the game, she says. We were recommended to read the Standard American Yellow Card book to help us improve our understanding of each other s bids. Since then, Lee has won a number of trophies in both the Bridge Interest Group tournaments and open tournaments around Hong Kong, with the most recent in Decem- 38 January 2015

4 A PLUS The Institute s Bridge Interest Group 2014 tournament winners and participants Building bridges between members The HKICPA Bridge Interest Group is the perfect place for Institute members to meet other bridge-playing enthusiasts and learn more about useful techniques to improve their game. Stephen Fung, Convenor of the group, has been playing the game for more than 40 years. Back when the Institute was still at Lippo Centre, the group had trouble finding a place to meet for monthly gatherings, he says. Since the move to Wu Chung House, and with help from the Institute's former president, Susanna Chiu, the group now has a space within the seminar rooms to hold a Saturday gathering once a month. The Institute was keen to support our group because they wanted to promote communication between members who can speak the same language, says Fung, referring to their common love for bridge. In addition to monthly casual gatherings, the group also holds quarterly mini tournaments, an annual tournament and a training course once a year to introduce interested beginners to the game. We like to invite existing players to come to the training course so that newcomers can get acquainted with the game and catch up to the same playing level, he says. Joining the Bridge Interest Group also allows members to come together and share what they have learned. Finesse, he explains, is one useful strategy that newer members can be taught. Beginners tend to play according to the suit order, but when you learn to take advantage of the location of certain cards, you can win more tricks, he says. Fung says playing bridge encourages people to think more logically and do more analysis, which results in the ability to think faster. When you apply these skills to professional work, your mind can react quickly, he explains. You are quicker to infer information from a person s reaction. Experience is the key to learning more about bridge tactics, Fung says, adding that learning from mistakes is the best way to play successfully. He encourages members to overcome shyness and ask questions about better playing strategies. January

5 Work-life balance Like in business, I turn losses into profits by restructuring or developing a new business plan. ber. She is the first female Bridge Interest Group member to win the champion trophy at the 2014 annual tournament. For Lee, bridge presents challenges that can be solved with the same skill set she uses in the office, such as counting, assessing risk and social interaction. And, just like developments in accounting standards, Lee also needs to periodically update her knowledge of bridge techniques as well. The knowledge of bridge is advancing, she explains. In the olden days, some bids had certain meanings, such as a double, but now they mean something very different. At the table, Lee treats everyone like a client. Listen to them, be sociable, show respect and have trust, she says. Accountants would be good bridge players if they had time. Strategic planning When Simon Tang plays Chinese chess, he uses three main schools of thought to plan his moves: game theory, adversarial strategy and Canadian academic Henry Mintzberg s notions of strategy as a pattern. Tang, Director at Hong Kong Gospel and an Institute member, enjoys the challenge that Chinese chess presents, and uses techniques learned from an Accounting Theory and Practice class to win battles. For example, If you play many times, you start to get a mental picture of the possible outcomes when the counterparty starts to move, he says. This is using Strategy as Pattern. The goal of Chinese chess, or xiangqi, is to protect the general and capture the enemy s general by moving pieces on the intersections of the board lines instead of within the squares. Two square zones on either side are the fortress areas while the river divides the board in half. These two special areas restrict the movement of some pieces and enhance the movements of others. It s exciting when an opponent tries to checkmate but I can defend the attack and sometimes even counter-checkmate my opponent, says Tang. Like in business, I turn losses into profits by restructuring or developing a new business plan. While Tang uses accounting strategies on the chessboard, he also transfers the skills acquired in playing the game to life as a CPA. [Playing Chinese chess] reminds me that the business world is more complicated than the world of a board game, he says. Strategy, luck and diplomacy are all involved in my daily life. Chinese chess requires Tang to consider both risk management and the expected values of game pieces from start to finish. The expected values need to constantly be adjusted in reference to the position of the piece in question, the positions of other pieces on the board and the number of pieces remaining, he explains. The aim of Chinese chess is to make an informed decision to give and take. Man with a plan Playing international chess taught Kingston Ho to plan ahead to reduce risk. His curiosity first piqued in secondary school as a member of the chess team. The Institute member has been playing ever since and has learned useful skills to apply in his profession as Senior Vice President, Finance and Accounting, 40 January 2015

6 A PLUS Asia Pacific, at Powa Technologies. Every player knows how a game of chess starts, but no one knows how it will end, says Ho. When he opens a new game, he tends to follow well-studied gambits, such as the centuries-old King s Gambit. By offering pawns to the e4 and e5 positions, the opposition is forced to weaken their kingside to maintain the pawns. When combinations are limited, there are lower risks when you play this way, he says. The look on an opponent s face after realizing a trick has been played is always a priceless memory for Ho. After careful planning, rivals unknowingly fall into one of his clever traps. It s apparent after several moves down the road, Ho explains. But by then, it s usually too late. One of his favourite traps involves no-painno-gain mentality inspired by the famous Polish Immortal game played by Argentinian grandmaster Miguel Najdorf in With a series of brilliant sacrifices, Najdorf managed to finish the game in 22 moves. International chess is also reminiscent to the decision-making process at work for Ho, training him to take risks within an allotted time. Every move at work or in life involves risk, he says. Therefore we should endeavour to calculate them carefully. Every player knows how a game of chess starts, but no one knows how it will end. January