I have a confession to make. I have watched every season of the Reality TV show Survivor.  Not only do I enjoy watching it every week with my teenage daughter but surprisingly there are some good business lessons to be gleaned from this show as well. Survivor is a microcosm of today’s business environment.  There are many aspects to the game of Survivor but at its core, it really is a social game. People are thrown together from all walks of life and are part of a team (at least at the beginning) with the ultimate goal of being the one to outlast, outwit and outplay everyone.  They have to learn to live and work together in less than perfect conditions. The contestants face many hurdles in the forms of challenges and puzzles that have to be figured out, not to mention the severe competitive nature of everyone knowing that only one person will come out on top.  What is quite fascinating to watch is that each season there are a few contestants who underestimate the importance of the social aspect and they inevitably don’t do very well. When you stop and think about it, business really works in the same fashion.  So much of a business environment can be broken down to learning to get along with co-workers, superiors and being part of a team, to achieve a common goal (business plan).  The consequences in business however are far more damaging than just getting kicked off a TV show.  Here are some other common aspects that both Survivor and business share:

Survivor                                               Business

Tribe mates                                       Co-workers

Competitions                                    Deadlines, projects, unplanned events

Tribe leader                                       Boss, immediate supervisor

Lack of food and resources           Budget constraints, cost reductions, staff reductions

Tribal Council                                   Employee reviews, promotions, demotions

Success is business often comes down to the business relationships you have. How is your social game at work?  Are you playing to win or merely survive?