Have you ever opened the box of a new board game, card game, or even a new game app on your smartphone and just started playing?  Or, did you read (at least some of) the rules first?  Or did you already know some of the rules, but not the “unwritten rules” of how to play the game?  What did that feel like?  How long did it take you to understand the written as well as unwritten rules?  Did you persevere and push through without regard to the rules, or did you take a step back, evaluate the landscape, find and understand the rules and then move forward?  How successful were you?

Just like any board game, card game, or mobile game you might play, the game of business has written and unwritten rules.  The sooner you know what they are and can incorporate them into your style, the sooner you may find yourself successfully playing the game.  As Albert Einstein once said, “You have to learn the rules of the game, and then you have to play better than anyone else.”

Think of your career like a game (okay – not a frivolous game, but a serious one with rules, regulations, and measures of success).  Jean Otte, founder of Women Unlimited, Inc., tells us in Women are Changing the Corporate Landscape | Rules for Cultivating Leadership Excellence, “Every organization has its own rules of the business game.”  The written rules are generally easy to come by – they may be your company’s code of business conduct, rules of ethical behavior, and processes and procedures that are documented for your position, department or facility.  What might not be as easy to find are the unwritten rules.  But how do we find out about these unwritten rules?

One way to find out what some of them might be is to ask a seasoned member of your organization how things get done.  Some organizations work in a more hierarchical manner and going over your immediate supervisor is seen as disrespectful, even if it’s just to have lunch.  The image that you’re having a private conversation with your boss’s boss can lead to tension.  In other organizations, so called “skip level” meetings are common and encouraged.

These unwritten rules can vary by the type of industry you’re in.  For example, the technology sector is often portrayed as more laid back and casual, while traditional corporate America is more…well.. traditional.  Understanding your corporate culture is a key aspect of the unwritten rules.  A window into this culture can be found in the dress code that is in place.  Not too long ago (15 years?) some offices in corporate America still required suits – with coat and tie!

Note in the picture above of the Monopoly Rules, the first two sections are Equipment and Preparation.  What equipment do you need to do your job well and succeed in your career and are you preparing yourself appropriately with developmental opportunities?

As you go along “playing the game” how do you know if and when you’ve “won”?  What are the measures of success and how will you find out what they are?  Many companies have formal performance evaluation processes.  Find out early in the performance period what you will be measured on and continue to stay abreast of your performance throughout the year.  Review the expectations for your position (ask your manager what they are if you don’t know already), and perform your own self-evaluation periodically.  Are you accomplishing what you set out to do?  In what areas do you have gaps?  How can you fill them?  Be sure to have these types of conversations with your supervisor/manager as well as any direct reports you have – their view of your performance as a leader is a very important measure of your success.

Now get out there and discover the rules of your business game.  Roll the dice, pass Go, collect $200 and win!