A domino is a flat, thumb-sized rectangular block with one face marked with a pattern of spots or pips that resemble those on dice. A domino set contains 28 such tiles. The name is derived from the Italian word domino, meaning “flip.” Dominoes are used to play games and can also serve as a teaching tool.
The first domino you flick may fall easily, but to build a chain of dominoes that will eventually come crashing down requires a great deal of planning and preparation. This is especially true if you want the dominoes to form a specific shape or pattern, such as a 3-D artwork or a portrait. When Lily Hevesh began making these mind-blowing domino creations at age 9, she was hooked on setting up a line of them, then flipping the first one and watching the rest fall into place, domino by domino. Now, the 20-year-old has a YouTube channel and has built impressive domino setups for film, TV, and events, including an album launch for pop star Katy Perry.
When Hevesh makes a domino installation, she starts by considering the theme or purpose of it, and brainstorming images or words that might go with it. She then makes test versions of each section, filming them in slow motion to make precise corrections when something doesn’t work as planned. Hevesh then begins putting the sections together, starting with the biggest 3-D ones and working down to the lines of dominoes that connect them all.
Like a domino, the success of a story depends on many different factors, from character development and timeline to the quality of writing and dialogue. But perhaps the most important element is timing. Dominoes and stories must be paced correctly so that the cascade of scenes doesn’t feel too long (too slow or repetitive) or too short, especially at moments of discovery or excitement.
Domino’s founder, Tom Monaghan, understood this principle well, and he built the company around the value of listen to your customers. From the beginning, Monaghan made it clear that customer feedback was vital to the company’s growth and success. And, when customers voiced concerns, the company responded quickly.
In his book, Domino: The Story of a Business Idea, Entrepreneur, and Revolutionary, author and former Domino’s CEO Keith Reinhard describes how Monaghan learned from his mistakes early on and then took decisive action. He made several changes to the company, including a new leadership training program and a college recruiting system. These and other initiatives helped him turn things around in a very short time. But the most significant change was the culture shift that started with his reiteration of the company’s core values.