Bowling at the Alley
Those who have bowled a few games would know getting a Strike is about consistency. You get a lot of practice starting from the same position, using similar routines, efforts and angle of attack. If the ball hits the head pin with momentum, there is a good chance you can get a Strike! If you are a pro with your own ball or play in tournaments, the oil patterns will affect you but you would also have had more practice.
In contrast – hitting a Spare can be harder. You do have to play the cards you are dealt. Some spares are easy while some splits are impossible. It needs you to be more intentional and precise, or delicate even. Getting a spare by hitting a pin or to may be easy technically, psychologically it can be actually harder than getting a Strike.
Second chance is a Feature, not a Bug in this game.
“Bowling” at Work
Imagine our work as a game of bowling – we always strive to get Strikes. If you have good routines, tools and relationships, things will be smooth there is a high chance you get it right the first time. You may even get perfect games some days!
In reality, on most days you have the opportunity to go for Spares. Things happen – whether due to your own performance or factors beyond control. A typo on a document, an angry customer, a misread email. But it is entirely up to how you recover from the bumps, and that is in a way what the game is about. What makes a difference is how you respond to both the good and bad days. The pros would say – Strikes are easy as you practice that all the time, Spares are the differentiator between a good and a so-so player.
Remember – while having lots of Strikes obviously gives you extra points – doing well in bowling is more about being consistent and getting those spares to bring your average up. If you have a good habit of recovery, the good days will take care of your average game as you improve. Similarly, at work – if you diligently own up to solve problems, taking care of the little things and your customers, there will be no limit to your growth over time!
Sidebar for the curious
A professional player generally has an AVERAGE score above 200. They may get 6 Strikes or more in each game, but they still need to Spare the other frames to achieve that average. Having an Open means you get a single-digit score for that frame, instead of teens or twenties. As an A player yourself, every role requires you to do well at what you are good at, AND also recover and learn from what you are not. By Design.
Recovery cannot be underrated indeed.
