Know the Rules of the Game
Study the actual environment before choosing how to compete.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Know the Rules of the Game is a pre-execution strategy check. Before applying a familiar playbook, define the environment in which the team will actually compete. Study formal rules, tools, physical or technical conditions, and the way authorities or platforms enforce those rules in practice. Compare these elements with the environment where the team's existing strengths were developed. Then adjust tactics, preparation, and expectations to fit the new context. The framework matters because expertise is often conditional: a strategy that dominates one game may fail when the ball, officiating, distribution system, algorithm, regulation, or buyer behavior changes. Understanding the real game turns contextual differences from unpleasant surprises into design inputs.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain's discussion of the Redeem Team learning international basketball rather than assuming NBA conditions applied.
Core principles
- 01Success depends on the rules of the environment actually being entered.
- 02Familiar skills may behave differently under different rules, tools, and enforcement.
- 03Small contextual differences can invalidate a proven playbook.
- 04Preparation must include both formal rules and practical interpretation.
How to run it
- 1
Define the Game
State precisely which market, platform, competition, or operating environment the team is entering.
Pro tip Separate the new environment from superficially similar ones.
Watch out Broad labels can conceal decisive contextual differences.
- 2
Learn the Formal Rules
Review documented constraints, permitted actions, scoring mechanisms, and success criteria.
Pro tip Create a short reference the whole team can use.
Watch out Do not rely solely on experience from another environment.
- 3
Study Practical Enforcement
Learn how officials, customers, algorithms, or institutions interpret and enforce those rules.
Pro tip Use examples from recent real cases.
Watch out Written policy and actual enforcement may differ.
- 4
Inspect Operating Conditions
Examine differences in tools, timing, interfaces, physical conditions, and other mechanics.
Pro tip Practice under conditions that resemble the real event.
Watch out A small mechanical difference can change which tactics work.
- 5
Adapt the Playbook
Modify tactics and preparation to exploit the new environment while retaining transferable strengths.
Pro tip Test adaptations before the decisive event.
Watch out Knowing the rules without changing behavior provides little advantage.
In the wild
The US team studied how international basketball differed from the NBA, including the ball, style of play, and officiating. Familiar NBA excellence was not assumed to transfer unchanged.
→ The team prepared for the competition it would actually face rather than the one it already knew.
A marketing team moving from search ads to a short-form video platform studies auction mechanics, creative rules, attribution windows, moderation patterns, and audience behavior before reallocating budget.
→ Its launch plan reflects the new platform instead of copying an unsuitable search playbook.
Common mistakes
Assuming the Games Are Equivalent
Surface similarity can hide different incentives, constraints, or enforcement.
Reading Rules Without Practicing
Teams need to rehearse under the new conditions, not merely understand them intellectually.
Ignoring Unwritten Enforcement
Formal rules alone may not reveal how the environment operates in practice.
Is it for you?
Best for
Teams entering new markets, platforms, channels, jurisdictions, or competitive settings.
Not ideal for
Routine execution in a stable environment whose relevant rules and enforcement are already well understood.
From the transcript
“Know the rules of the game.”
“And they spent a bunch of time understanding the rules of the game, how the ball is different, how it is played, how it is…”
“You cannot win the game if you do not know the rules of the game.”
From the episode
How Team Design Drives Real Growth