The game of poker and its many variations were chosen as a means to demonstrate the art of leadership in a book that can be an excellent reference guide for leaders in the military, police, fire-fighting, emergency services and manufacturing vocations.
The cards, the suits, the games and strategy are metaphors with which to paint a picture of leadership. Like all art, there is an underlying element of science--a painter chooses colors, the musician notes, and the leader chooses actions. Moreover, academic research, theories, models and practical experience are woven into the art and science of leadership. For instance, in poker, each player draws from the same 52-card deck. Some players are extraordinary in the application of those randomly chosen cards. The poker player and the leader share the same dilemma---they can't choose the resources they were given, they have to play those cards. Poker and card play are the rich metaphor from which lessons about leadership are drawn.
The rules are always the same but the hands, games and tables are always different.
Each play requires your experience and your intuition. Your ability to read the situation, rely on your understanding of the theories of play, and your decisive use of the cards dealt. The leadership tools in the chapters of this book are the cards. You have to decide when to play them, when to fold, and when to raise. Leadership is about people, not things. That's why it's difficult.
Just as the cards change, the people at the table change. Like your followers, some come and some go. Perhaps more importantly, the players that stay are also growing; they are learning and changing. What works in one hand won't work again. Just as you figure out how to get them to line up, they will change or the environment will change.
You have to grow with your followers. Stay ahead and lead. If you are a really good leader, you are going to find your followers surpassing you. They're going to know the play before you do. This is because one of the fundamental tasks of leadership is to grow the next batch of leaders.