A small rectangular wood or plastic block with a face marked with dots resembling those on dice. Dominoes are typically used for playing positional games where one domino is placed edge-to-edge against another, with each domino either identical or forming some specified total.
Lily Hevesh started playing with dominoes as a child, using her grandparents’ classic 28-pack. “I loved the feeling of setting them up in straight or curved lines, flicking the first one, and watching everything fall in sequence,” she says. “You get this feeling of achievement, and also that it can go really fast.”
Hevesh’s childhood passion turned into a career as a professional domino artist. She now has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers who follow her as she creates spectacular domino setups for movies, TV shows, and events. The key to her success? Creating simple, effective systems. She starts each project with a single goal and then breaks it down into smaller tasks. She ranks the tasks in order of importance, with the most important receiving her full attention until it is completed. Then she moves on to the next task. This process, she calls the Domino Effect, allows her to achieve seemingly impossible feats, such as creating a chain reaction that leads to a domino tower taller than a skyscraper.
In business, the Domino Effect can be applied to planning and execution of projects and strategies. In fact, it is the underlying principle behind the renowned “5 Ps of Performance,” created by the U.S. Army Reserve’s Special Operations Command in 1996. The acronym stands for plan, prepare, practice, persuade, and execute. These principles help military leaders and other professionals in their roles at home and at work.
A Domino Effect can also occur in your personal life. For example, you may want to change your job or make a significant relationship commitment. But these changes can feel overwhelming, making it easy to push them off. By taking small, manageable steps and focusing on your most important goals, you can overcome these obstacles. Eventually, the results will build momentum and propel you towards your goal.
The Domino Effect is an apt analogy for many of the challenges facing businesses today. As companies strive to meet consumer demands, it is essential to have a well-defined strategy and to take the necessary steps to ensure its success. In addition, it is crucial to maintain a strong culture that promotes the company’s values.
In the case of Domino’s, the company recently faced a labor shortage that impacted its ability to deliver pizza. However, the company responded quickly by embracing its core value of championing customers. This included listening to what its customers had to say and implementing new changes, such as a relaxed dress code and leadership training programs for college students. As a result, Domino’s was able to overcome these challenges and continue its growth. As more and more people embrace online ordering and delivery services, I expect Domino’s to continue its upward trend.