The Money Game Lessons: Some questions you should have asked (if you had more political skills)

· What are the rules, both written and unwritten?

· How might they be interpreted?

· Enforced? Changed?

· What assumptions am I making about the game and others in the game? Are they justified? What assumptions are other likely making about me?

· What are my goals? How do my values and emotions influence my goals?

· What are the goals of others involved? Values and emotions of others and how they influence their goals?

· Can we find common ground so that it can be a positive sum situation? Of is this inherently a zero sum game with no way to interpret the rules or change the rules to make it a positive sum game?

· Am I looking far enough ahead—am I looking to the end rather than just at the present?

· Have considered all possible strategies/tactics/ways to communicate, not just the obvious ones?

· How many allies and supporters do I need to be successful?

· Who are they?

· What is the best way for me to influence others to go along with my ideas – this requires a careful inventory of my own strengths and weaknesses as well as understanding those I want to influence.