improve our game vs. change our game

English translation: improve the way you do something vs change the way you do something

04:01 Jul 23, 2016

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Management

English term or phrase: improve our game vs. change our game

Hello everyone,

http://www.shadowsgovernment.com/shadows-library/Act Like a ...

page 81 of the pdf

One reason we’re having trouble with authenticity is that we make more frequent and more do-it-yourself transitions today.3 When we are working at ***improving our game***, our authentic sense of self is a compass. It helps us navigate choices and work toward our goals. But when we are looking to ***change our game***, authenticity is an anchor that easily keeps us from sailing forth.

According to the author herself, if I understand her correctly (The Do-It-Yourself Transition: Why Outsight Is More Important Than Ever, page 17-18), this do it yourself transition implies that you yourself should do something in your current job to step up to a bigger leadership role.

From page 18:

"The changes in managerial responsibilities are not trivial and require commensurate adjustment. Yet among the people who reported major changes in what was expected of them, only 47 percent had been promoted in the two years preceding the survey. The rest were nevertheless expected to step up to a significantly bigger leadership role while still sitting in the same jobs and holding the same titles, like Jacob. This need to step up to leadership with little specific outside recognition or guidance is what I call the do-it-yourself transition."

Note 3 (page 129) is about people changing jobs ("People born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 11.3 jobs between age eighteen and forty-six (US Bureau of Labor Statistics....")

My impresson is that for the author this do-it-yourself transition can mean at least two different things: (1) simple changing jobs, which may have nothing to do with getting a bigger leadership role, and (2) stepping up to a bigger leadership role while having the same job.

So, what is the difference between "improve our game" and "change our game" then?

Thank you.

Mikhail Korolev KudoZ activity Questions: 2410 (none open) (10 closed without grading) Answers: 130
Local time: 21:30

Selected answer:improve the way you do something vs change the way you do something

Explanation:
I don't believe this is just about continuing in a "job" or moving to a new job. Yes, Terry is right about improving your game meaning doing it better but I think it's talking about approach. Raising your approach up a notch and using a sense of self as your compass. But, when changing our game or approach, our sense of self can hold us back and perhaps stop us from making the breakaway/breakout or significant changes needed in our approach.

The text says that these people were expected to make major changes and take on leadership roles even though only 47% had been promoted. In other words, the majority have to stand out from the crowd themselves in a "do-it-yourself transition" so the "commensurate adjustment" has to do with making the changes necessary to fit this bigger leadership role and, in my opinion, some of these could concern using totally different approaches and getting out of the rut you've been in.
In other words, just improving how you do things may not be enough and you may have to radically alter your approach

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Note added at 19 hrs (2016-07-23 23:44:33 GMT)
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"change your game" is linked to adapting, changing your game plan
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/game-c...
http://www.barryovereem.com/15-lessons-in-leadership/

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Note added at 7 days (2016-07-30 11:23:21 GMT) Post-grading
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glad to have helped

Selected response from:

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 19:30

Grading comment

Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Gallagy.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +3

see explanation

Terry Richards

4 +2

improve the way you do something vs change the way you do something

Yvonne Gallagher

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

see explanation

Explanation:
The way I read it, improving your game is continuing in the same job (even if it is in a different place) but doing it better. Changing your game is moving to a completely new job.

In the first case (improving), a sense of self is an asset - it helps you do your job better. In the other case (moving), it is less of an asset because it can block you from making the change.

I'm not entirely sure that I agree with this but it is what the author is saying!

Terry Richards
France
Local time: 20:30
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

19 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

improve the way you do something vs change the way you do something

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 19:30
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 51

Grading comment

Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Gallagy.

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