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FROM OUR CEO
Four Lessons Leaders Can Learn from Donkey Kong
February 24th, 2025 | From our CEO
Shortly after my parents divorced my grand parents gifted me with an electronic game ‘Donkey Kong’ – like the one you see above. Probably to make sure my focus was somewhere else than on the changes in my immediate environment.
If that was the intent they succeeded.
For a couple of months, I was obsessed with the Donkey Game game. Until the day I had conquered and completed it. After which it became irrelevant. Today, I then suddenly had a flash back to the game during my morning run. Wondering if there were any leadership lessons from Donkey Kong? I think there is.
Lesson 1 – If You Don’t Move, You Die
The first rule is very simple. Get moving. Otherwise you die. There is no time for ruminating about what to do, and if matters to move at all. The environment changes fast in Donkey Kong. Enemies move in, and those who do not move, lose.
Lesson 2 – Adapt and Calibrate
What might look like as the fastest route from the start to the goal most certainly isn’t the best way. You need to be on constant look out for dangers, and then adapt and calibrate as you go long. In Donkey Kong you might get caught be the giant gorilla, or hit by a stone.
Lesson 3 – Take the Swing at the Right Time
Sometimes you must pass certain challenges by taking the swing at the exact right time. If you do it too early, or especially too late, you fall down, and have to go back to the start. If you catch the swing, you can move forward fast.
Lesson 4 – Move On When Done
When you have completed the game, it becomes pretty boring to play as it is too easy to do it again (i.e. unless you play it 40 years after 😊). So the better choice is to move on to something else. Maybe a different game, or something completely different. I tried out the Gameboy, when it came out a bit later, but I did not catch my attention. Instead, I prioritized track & field. Change leaders must do the same. Don’t focus on the past. Focus on the future. Those are the stories you need to tell.
Did you play Donkey King as kid? – and what did you learn from it?
FROM OUR CEO
Four Lessons Leaders Can Learn from Donkey Kong
February 24th, 2025 | From our CEO
Shortly after my parents divorced my grand parents gifted me with an electronic game ‘Donkey Kong’ – like the one you see above. Probably to make sure my focus was somewhere else than on the changes in my immediate environment.
If that was the intent they succeeded.
For a couple of months, I was obsessed with the Donkey Game game. Until the day I had conquered and completed it. After which it became irrelevant. Today, I then suddenly had a flash back to the game during my morning run. Wondering if there were any leadership lessons from Donkey Kong? I think there is.
Lesson 1 – If You Don’t Move, You Die
The first rule is very simple. Get moving. Otherwise you die. There is no time for ruminating about what to do, and if matters to move at all. The environment changes fast in Donkey Kong. Enemies move in, and those who do not move, lose.
Lesson 2 – Adapt and Calibrate
What might look like as the fastest route from the start to the goal most certainly isn’t the best way. You need to be on constant look out for dangers, and then adapt and calibrate as you go long. In Donkey Kong you might get caught be the giant gorilla, or hit by a stone.
Lesson 3 – Take the Swing at the Right Time
Sometimes you must pass certain challenges by taking the swing at the exact right time. If you do it too early, or especially too late, you fall down, and have to go back to the start. If you catch the swing, you can move forward fast.
Lesson 4 – Move On When Done
When you have completed the game, it becomes pretty boring to play as it is too easy to do it again (i.e. unless you play it 40 years after 😊). So the better choice is to move on to something else. Maybe a different game, or something completely different. I tried out the Gameboy, when it came out a bit later, but I did not catch my attention. Instead, I prioritized track & field. Change leaders must do the same. Don’t focus on the past. Focus on the future. Those are the stories you need to tell.
Did you play Donkey King as kid? – and what did you learn from it?
Article by:
Jeppe V. Hansgaard
Connect directly with Jeppe via one of his social platforms.
Article by:
Jeppe V. Hansgaard
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