SOLUTIONS
Krishna C. Kalva
My 8-year-old likes playing chess and actively participates in tournaments around the region where we live. I usually drive him around on the weekends for the tournaments and enjoy watching the entire game experience unfold. He wins some and loses some, and my role is primarily to manage his emotions.
This column is an extension of a conversation that took place during a recent chess tournament. It was a tough one for my son. All his opponents were around the same age, but some of them appeared to be better prepared in terms of their game plan and tactics. It was a good experience as the players could learn from one another and improve their overall game awareness.
One of my key observations was how the players were expected to quickly transition themselves from one round to another, irrespective of the result. Generally, the player is on a high when they win a game and down when they lose.
It’s important for the players to realize that each round is a new start, and not get caught up with the previous result. Players must act as though every round has its own beginning and ending.
To build the bridge with the idea of beginnings and endings, imagine any situation from your daily routine. For simplicity, consider you’re reading a book.
Let’s say that every book we read is unique, regardless of the concept, author and size. Each chapter has a message that collectively ties other chapters to keep the readers engaged throughout. And each chapter is divided into single or multiple pages to convey the message the book is meant to deliver.
A similar deconstruction can be applied to everything in both our personal and professional lives. Sometimes the storyline of a book is complex, or the language chosen by the author to articulate their thoughts is not easy to relate to. Or perhaps we are not yet ready to receive the message to follow the storyline.
What might help is to treat every page and chapter in the book as unique without any preconceived labels. The goal of understanding the concept of beginning and ending is to give ourselves permission to separate ourselves from the result.
Let’s again take the chess example. Whatever the outcomes are at the end of each round, it is important for the player to not get caught up with the result. Instead, they try to deconstruct the outcome to further understand the required skillset, mindset and any gaps each player needs to work on to improve their game.
We gain perspective by shifting our focus from the result to the skillset and mindset, an authentic perspective learned through profound understanding of the given situation. Feedback and coaching also play a key role in this journey.
Let me take your attention back to the original idea, beginnings and endings. While the concept of beginning and ending can be seen and felt, it is mostly a state of mind that acknowledges and processes things as they are.
In general, as life unfolds we realize that whatever begins must eventually end. However, it is important to consider that in our individual journeys we don’t associate ourselves or label one another based on the outcomes or results.
Our results are meant to provide perspective about our thinking process and the actions we have chosen to take during our journey. Results will act as a guiding principle to highlight areas where we could adapt ourselves and achieve our planned and desired results.
Keeping perspective about the cycle of beginnings and endings will help us stay focused and treat every moment as unique.
Krishna C. Kalva is program manager for sales leadership excellence in Germany for Siemens Healthineers. Email him at
krishnachaitanya.kalva@siemens-healthineers.com or connect through LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/krishna-chaitanya-kalva-a2773123.