--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want to build a high performance…" description: "\"If you want to build a high performance organization, you've got to play chess, not checkers.\" — Mark Millar" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png" --- # If you want to build a high performance organization… ![“If you want to build a high performance organization, you've got to play chess, not checkers.” quote by Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png) > “If you want to build a high performance organization, you've got to play chess, not checkers.” [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High‑performance teams require strategic, long‑term planning like chess, not short‑term tactics like checkers. **In simple terms:** Strategic planning beats quick fixes. Key Takeaway Adopt chess‑like strategy. Themes leadership strategy performance Mood determined confident Type business motivational When to use this quote - startup scaling - corporate restructuring - project management - sports coaching Key Concepts systems thinking competitive advantage long‑term vision Questions to Reflect On - What strategic moves can you make now? - How to stay adaptable while planning long term? A Different Perspective Complex environments may resist rigid strategies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Checkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checkers/) [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [Hold'em is to stud what chess is to checkers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-moss/hold-em-is-to-stud-what-chess-is-to-checkers/) Johnny Moss > [In the barber shop you start playing checkers, and eventually you want to learn how to play chess. The pieces look a little more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-j-mayo/in-the-barber-shop-you-start-playing-checkers-and-eventually-you-want/) [O. J. Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-j-mayo/) > [It's the horsey-shape piece that moves in an L shape. It's what makes chess complicated, and why stupid people can't play chess. Go play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/it-s-the-horsey-shape-piece-that-moves-in-an-l-shape-it-s-what-makes/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [“Imagine an organization where the physical plant honors the mission, celebrates the employees, shares information, holds people accountable, shapes the outside world's view and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-liff/imagine-an-organization-where-the-physical-plant-honors-the-mission/) Stewart Liff > [I'm like Bush, I see the world more like checkers than chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/i-m-like-bush-i-see-the-world-more-like-checkers-than-chess/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [Chess programs don't play chess the way humans play chess. We don't really know how humans play chess, but one of the things we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-j-russell/chess-programs-don-t-play-chess-the-way-humans-play-chess-we-don-t/) [Stuart J. Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-j-russell/) > [We all play chess with Fate as partner. He makes a move, we make a move. He tries to checkmate us in three moves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/we-all-play-chess-with-fate-as-partner-he-makes-a-move-we-make-a-move/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [He liked to play chess and do intelligent things, and I was a serious drinker and nonthinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-harding/he-liked-to-play-chess-and-do-intelligent-things-and-i-was-a-serious/) [Warren G. Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-harding/) > [Thank you, darling, for learning to play chess. It is an absolute necessity for any well organized family. (in a letter to his wife)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/thank-you-darling-for-learning-to-play-chess-it-is-an-absolute/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [I like to play chess with bald men in the park although it's hard to find 32 of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-like-to-play-chess-with-bald-men-in-the-park-although-it-s-hard-to/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [“Deal me in. If they want to play checkers, we’ll play chess. Fuck them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-lehr/deal-me-in-if-they-want-to-play-checkers-we-ll-play-chess-fuck-them/) Dick Lehr > [“If u want to work in Corporate, then u should know how to play Chess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honeya/if-u-want-to-work-in-corporate-then-u-should-know-how-to-play-chess/) [honeya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honeya/) > [When humans team up with computers to play chess, the humans who do best are not necessarily the strongest players. They're the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/when-humans-team-up-with-computers-to-play-chess-the-humans-who-do/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [I see myself used in terms of reading mismatches. If it's small, go inside. If it's big, come outside. And if it's in between,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thon-maker/i-see-myself-used-in-terms-of-reading-mismatches-if-it-s-small-go/) [Thon Maker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thon-maker/) > [I think understanding where you are as an athlete is important. Creating a baseline so that you know in what direction you are moving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-andersen/i-think-understanding-where-you-are-as-an-athlete-is-important/) [Morten Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-andersen/) ## More by Mark Millar > [The past is an anchor with suffering written on the rope. I don't live there now. I am cutting myself free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/the-past-is-an-anchor-with-suffering-written-on-the-rope-i-don-t-live/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [For years I've wanted to work with this guy, so to actually write at the top of my scripts "Empress, Script by Mark Millar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/for-years-i-ve-wanted-to-work-with-this-guy-so-to-actually-write-at/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I spent as much time writing proposals in '98 and '99 as I did writing scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-spent-as-much-time-writing-proposals-in-98-and-99-as-i-did-writing/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I was desperate to work with Stuart Immonen, who I have talked with for several years about doing a project together. So just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-was-desperate-to-work-with-stuart-immonen-who-i-have-talked-with/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [ He \[Stuart Immonen\] and I have known each other over email for 18, 19 years or something, so to finally work with him is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/he-stuart-immonen-and-i-have-known-each-other-over-email-for-18-19/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [Guess that's thirty-one pieces of silver you've got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/guess-that-s-thirty-one-pieces-of-silver-you-ve-got-now-huh-sleep/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [ I think exactly the same qualities as men \[women role model needs\], exactly the same, which is kindness, courage and intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-think-exactly-the-same-qualities-as-men-women-role-model-needs/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I'm honestly as happy writing Superman Adventures as I am writing Wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-m-honestly-as-happy-writing-superman-adventures-as-i-am-writing/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [There's almost a universe as big as the Marvel Universe with X-Men. I mean, Deadpool is something I think everybody was taken surprise by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/there-s-almost-a-universe-as-big-as-the-marvel-universe-with-x-men-i/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-wanted-to-portray-very-very-dark-subject-matter-and-a-deceptively/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [In the U.S., Superman or Batman or something, the law-enforcement people, are the most famous comic characters. Americans have a respect, I think, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/in-the-u-s-superman-or-batman-or-something-the-law-enforcement-people/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [The books are all very, very different so the publishers really had to be different too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/the-books-are-all-very-very-different-so-the-publishers-really-had-to/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I've done so many superhero comics, and I've actually just been really excited about sci-fi, and Chrononauts and Starlight were both sci-fi, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-ve-done-so-many-superhero-comics-and-i-ve-actually-just-been-really/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [Anytime something becomes a success in this way you always get imitators. I'm an imitator of the guys I love. I imitate people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/anytime-something-becomes-a-success-in-this-way-you-always-get/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [“I know that ostensibly I’ve been teaching you in our period together, but on the other hand I genuinely believe that you’ve been teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-know-that-ostensibly-i-ve-been-teaching-you-in-our-period-together/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) [Explore all 102 Mark Millar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) ## More Checkers quotes > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Don’t get too hung up on working with any one person, because it’s like a game of checkers where dudes are hopping over one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t-2/don-t-get-too-hung-up-on-working-with-any-one-person-because-it-s/) [Ice-T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t-2/) > [My dad's the type of guy when I was 5 years old, we played checkers and he would not let me win. That's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/my-dad-s-the-type-of-guy-when-i-was-5-years-old-we-played-checkers/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [It's the horsey-shape piece that moves in an L shape. It's what makes chess complicated, and why stupid people can't play chess. Go play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/it-s-the-horsey-shape-piece-that-moves-in-an-l-shape-it-s-what-makes/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [In the barber shop you start playing checkers, and eventually you want to learn how to play chess. The pieces look a little more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-j-mayo/in-the-barber-shop-you-start-playing-checkers-and-eventually-you-want/) [O. J. Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-j-mayo/) > [I'm like Bush, I see the world more like checkers than chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/i-m-like-bush-i-see-the-world-more-like-checkers-than-chess/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [A reckoning is coming on the state of the internet journalism, because right now, the way it's set up, there is so much room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/a-reckoning-is-coming-on-the-state-of-the-internet-journalism-because/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [“Bathing Checkers was a strenuous occupation and not to be lightly undertaken. Checkers hated being bathed, partly because he couldn't see where he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livi-michael/bathing-checkers-was-a-strenuous-occupation-and-not-to-be-lightly/) [Livi Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livi-michael/) > [“Looking at the sky, he suddenly saw that it had become black. Then white again, but with great rippling circles. The circles were vultures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/looking-at-the-sky-he-suddenly-saw-that-it-had-become-black-then/) [J.M.G. Le Clézio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/) > [The farmer doesn't care for the pitchers' battle that resolves itself into a checkers game. The farmer loves the dramatic, and slugging is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/home-run-baker/the-farmer-doesn-t-care-for-the-pitchers-battle-that-resolves-itself/) [Home Run Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/home-run-baker/) > [The dog becomes the repository of those model human properties that we have cynically ceased to find among humans. Where today can we find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-garber/the-dog-becomes-the-repository-of-those-model-human-properties-that/) [Marjorie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-garber/) > [“No matter who you are or what may be your lifework, you are playing checkers with TIME! It is always your next move. Move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill-author/no-matter-who-you-are-or-what-may-be-your-lifework-you-are-playing/) Napoleon Hill (Author > [Chess is a competition. Checkers is a competition. Mostly, I'm interested in doing real sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-skipper/chess-is-a-competition-checkers-is-a-competition-mostly-i-m/) [John Skipper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-skipper/) > [There are checks and balances in science. There's somebody checking the people doing the science, and then there's somebody who checks the checkers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/there-are-checks-and-balances-in-science-there-s-somebody-checking/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Unfortunately, the current generation of mail programs do not have checkers to see if the sender knows what he is talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-s-tanenbaum/unfortunately-the-current-generation-of-mail-programs-do-not-have/) [Andrew S. Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-s-tanenbaum/) [Browse all 52 Checkers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checkers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you want to build a high performance organization, you've got to play chess, not checkers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Millar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance-organization-you-ve-got-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Checkers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance-organization-you-ve-got-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/mark-millar-4714_checkers_if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance_2224746.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you want to build a high performance organization, you've got to play chess, not checkers.” — Mark Millar", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Millar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you want to build a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance-organization-you-ve-got-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/if-you-want-to-build-a-high-performance-organization-you-ve-got-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```