CORPORATE LEADERSHIP BETWEEN CHESS, RISK, AND POKER
May 2026
The days when corporate leadership resembled a sophisticated game of chess are over. Strategy remains crucial – but geopolitical power shifts and political unpredictability are fundamentally changing the playing field. Leaders today must be capable of more than planning the next move: they must prepare their organisation to play multiple games simultaneously.
When Stefan Zweig wrote his Chess Story in Brazilian exile in 1941, Europe was in the midst of an existential crisis: states were collapsing, borders shifting, and a world that had been shaped for decades by trade, mobility, and cultural exchange was sinking into war.
All the more remarkable is the game at the centre of his story: a system with clear rules, a limited playing field, and defined moves. And a game that, with thirty-two pieces, allows for an infinite number of different matches.
It is precisely this combination of order and complexity that makes chess so fascinating. Success does not arise by chance, but through foresight: those who can think several moves ahead will win.
For a long time, the global economy could be described in a similar way: companies operated on a playing field whose rules were largely known. Markets opened up, supply chains became global, capital flowed across borders, and competition followed a relatively stable order.
Today, however, the global economy can hardly be compared to a classic game of chess; instead, it resembles a hybrid mix of chess, Risk, and poker. Chess skills are still required, and strategic thinking remains essential. At the same time, geopolitical power dynamics are shifting: spheres of influence are changing, new industrial power centres are emerging, and political decisions increasingly override economic logic. And in some arenas, poker is being played – with tactical pressure, political distraction, and calculated unpredictability. For companies, this means they must think strategically as in chess, act geopolitically like in Risk, and at the same time interpret political signals reminiscent of a poker game. Yet the greatest challenge is this: all three games are taking place simultaneously and in parallel.
New Players, New Rules – But Not a New Phenomenon.
Such eras have occurred repeatedly throughout economic history. In the 19th century, when railway networks spread across Europe and North America, previously separate markets became interconnected, new industries emerged, and companies had to operate in a space that had suddenly become larger, faster, and more complex. The playing field had expanded. But today’s dynamics go one step further: the playing fields overlap.
China exemplifies how a playing field can shift within just a few decades: from an agrarian society, it first became the world’s manufacturing hub and later a centre of industrial scaling. Today, China presents itself as a leading industrial nation, setting technological standards in automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Innovation cycles are shortening, industrial ecosystems are emerging at rapid speed, and entire production systems are being built up in a very short time – developments that put traditional industrial centres under significant pressure. The result: competition today increasingly takes place not between individual companies, but between industrial ecosystems. While many companies are still trying to play a classic game of chess, the game has long since changed: new pieces have been added, multiple games are being played simultaneously, and the rules differ significantly.
Leadership as Game Management.
The economic games of the future will therefore not be decided by brilliant strategists alone, but by organisations – by teams that understand different game logics and can act collectively. Futurist Jonathan Brill captures the challenge succinctly: in complex systems, a central leadership task is to structure organisations so that they are prepared for different scenarios.
Corporate leadership becomes game management. Like a coach, leadership decides which team competes on which playing field. Leadership no longer means determining the next move oneself – but rather deploying strong, resilient teams with the right capabilities into the right games. In the end, it is not the best move that decides success, but which team is positioned on which playing field and dominates until the baton is passed to the next team. Because whether chess, poker, or Risk: the new game is a marathon with dynamic team sprints.
What This Means for Executive Search
The implication for executive search is clear: the focus is no longer primarily on leaders who master a single playing field perfectly, but on those who can switch between different game logics. What is required is strong strategic judgement, high adaptability, and the ability to remain effective in uncertain environments.
Equally important are social and organisational capabilities: the ability to orchestrate teams, integrate different perspectives, and develop collective performance. Accordingly, our focus is increasingly on the targeted composition of leadership teams – and thus on building high-performing teams capable of playing multiple games simultaneously.
How this looks in practise is illustrated by three recently completed mandates:
- For a mid-sized industrial company with global reach and private equity ownership, we searched for a Chief Commercial Officer. The appointment took place in the context of the rapid implementation of a global diversification strategy. The selected candidate has demonstrated an impressive track record, particularly in crisis-affected markets.
- We supported an industrial company undergoing transformation, with international market presence and increasing regulatory pressure. In this case, the Board of Directors was specifically strengthened – with a member who brings proven experience in industrial ecosystems, geopolitical risk management, and digital transformation, in order to actively support the strategic repositioning and strengthen governance in an increasingly complex environment.
- We placed a CEO EMEA for a globally active technology company. The candidate had proven experience in the key areas relevant to the client, particularly nearshoring in sanction-affected markets.
At Witena, «Hiring for Cultural Fit» is at the heart of what we do – it’s how we support our client companies achieve lasting success. Further information can be found at www.witena.com and additional insights at https://www.witena.com/en/category/insights/.