Everything I Know About Business I Learned from Monopoly: Successful Executives Reveal Strategic Lessons from the World's Greatest Board Game

by Alan Axelrod

Everyone has his or her own strategy about how to win at the MONOPOLY game -- bank lots of cash, invest prudently in real estate, or take plenty of chances and hope for a windfall from the Community Chest. The reality is that many entrepreneurs had their first real estate and finance experience while playing the world's most popular board game, and many formulate lifelong business philosophies as they learn to balance skill, luck, competition, and social interaction. In this authoritative, thought-provoking book, America's top executives and entrepreneurs -- including the likes of Michael Dell, Carly Fiorina, and Jeff Bezos -- reflect on the lessons they learned from rolling the die in the fantasy game of self-made wealth and power. Their insights are both practical and entertaining, and they also prove the enduring popularity of the MONOPOLY game.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Money

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is a prolific author of history, business and management books. As of October 2018, he had written more than 150 books, as noted in an online introduction by Lynn Ware Peek before an interview with Axelrod on the National Public Radio station KPCW. Axelrod resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Elise Cleary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book, but after skimming it, realized it was a waste of time. It uses way too many cliches and the information is very basic and common sense. The title is misleading because the book only contains quotes from executives, whereas I was expecting interviews amd indepth info. It's a great read if yoi are trying to learn how to play monopoly, but not if you are striving to glean information on how to run a business.

[Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Чтобы понять, так ли эта книга будет полезна бизнесменам, стоит разобраться в том, кто же такой Алан Аксельрод.
Он написал больше 150 книг по менеджменту, карьере, истории, лидерству и бизнесу в целом. Это явно говорит о том, что он опытный публицист, а не сколько-нибудь бизнесмен, который может похвастаться предпринимательскими успехами.

Тем не менее, Алан Аксельрод за свои успехи в литературе вполне достоин внимания. Да и в названии книги он совсем не соврал, он лишь подчеркнул факт, что все его знания о бизнесе – результат овладения игрой Монополия, не больше и не меньше.

Как следствие, мы имеем книгу, которая легко читается (автор опытный литератор), пусть местами и скучно. Видно, что проделана огромная исследовательская работа, чтобы наполнить книгу аналитическими данными о Монополии и бизнес-цитатами экспертов и успешных предпринимателей. Жаль, в плане пользы для бизнеса, книга пригодится лишь новичкам, а не специалистам в экономической сфере. Чтобы книге стать полноценной бизнес-литературой, нужно больше реальных примеров и аналитики, а не только логичных банальных рассуждений.

А вот чего в книге достаточно – безмерной любви к игре Монополия. Её превозносят, чуть ли не как идеальный тренажер для достижения успешного успеха. Книга изобилует параллелями между игрой и реальных бизнесом и рекомендациями на основе игры, которые помогут в реальной жизни. Хотя и все они сводятся к весьма банальным: нужно рисковать, жизнь на зарплату - не жизнь а выживание, нужно инвестировать и т.д.

Польза от книги все же есть. Во-первых, она действительно научит лучше играть в Монополию. Во-вторых, она наравне в другими подобными книгами запускает правильные мысленные процессы и заставляет действовать. Но если вы не собираетесь стать гуру Монополии и прочитали много бизнес-литературы, что-то уникальное и экстремально полезное для себя в этом произведении не найдете.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise and it had some interesting Monopoly related information. However, it was not well edited or structured and very disjointed. Thankfully it was a pretty quick read, otherwise I don't know if I would have finished it. I almost wish I had read a book about Monopoly and a book about business instead. If you want a little bit of both in a package that hits you over the head again and again with the same information than this is the book for you.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my thesis background research and for that purpose this served fairly well. It details and goes through the rules of Monopoly nicely which is what I personally was after - and now I feel like I could actually play the game after many many many years and not fail immediately. As for the business side, it's not too heavy on that which I found nice. However, if you're looking for business tips, this might now be the best book for that.

[Michael Lortz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read - less than 200 pages. Applied some business ideas to Monopoly. The title is kinda backwards. But I am looking forward to the next time I play Monopoly and applying some of the strategies and ideas.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

More fun than philosophy, more game strategy than life or business strategy. Worth it for the Monopoly pro tips. Take the material analysis with multiple grains of salt.

[Brandon]

Easy enough to move through fast. While booking itself as not a Monopoly manual, my main takeaway was I need to update my Monopoly gameplay.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything I know about business I learned from Monopoly is an interesting look at the strategy behind the game of Monopoly and tries to turn it into business lessons. The book succeeds with the first part and is lukewarm on the second. The writing is very choppy and the focus is not great.

As far as monopoly strategy goes this book is very interesting. From statistical breakdowns on property to average time around the board to costs to get around the board the book provides an interesting array of tips and tricks. While the psychological discussion is of limited use it is still interesting to hear about and for a fun read for avid Monopoly fans they will find this part enjoyable.

As far as the business strategy goes it is poorly delivered. There are little specifics given beyond the basic platitudes that so many business books fall victim to in this trite and overused terminology. For those who want lessons on business this is not the book to do it in and you will get very little out of the poor organization and extremely high level analysis.

Overall just two stars. Read if you want to learn more about how to better play monopoly otherwise move on to other business books.

[Lawrence Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring read. This is one of the first full book I read in my mid-30s. The author explains the game of Monopoly while applying the concepts in the game to the reality, or vice versa. You can see why and how the real world work that way. The bank has unlimited money and the ultimate objective of the game: buy a lot of properties and maximize your income and buy more in the same colored area, monopolising the "market" on the street. At the same time, you face competition from others. The fact that you go to jail by luck sends somewhat a message that somehow it's a normal part of your life. In the end, only the amount of money matters. The chance cards give rise and fall to one's life and your job is to mange them. Axelrod is one of my most favorite author which wrote passionately with deep insights, philosophizing simple rules of the game, sparkling up one's interests to read even more. Highly recommended.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not an impressive book in any way. Although it does explore how the game of Monopoly can be applied to life, I felt it was too cutesy and not particularly helpful. Nothing in any way fascinating is revealed here. It was a quick read but I pretty much lost every single tidbit that I read almost immediately upon putting the book down. Just not at all impactful. Cannot recommend this one.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gründe für das Buch:
- sehr gute aufteilung durch die einzelnen Lektionen
- gute Verbindung von Monopoly und der realen Wirtschaft
- gut zu lesen und versändlich geschrieben
Gründe gegen das Buch:
- manchmal zu viele Überschriften/Aufteilung
- für mich nciht viel neues fürs Monopoly spielen
-

[Jim Serger · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a simple game can teach us about business and life-I enjoyed this book for I can see the why the game is so enjoyable to some and how others just hate the game-strategies, guts, risk, patience and more are apparent in the board game as in business. Good book.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like to play monopoly, but this book isn't so much about the game itself. That was dissappointing to me. :(

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

20 minutes to read, 5 seconds to forget.

[Ly Syin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book with good tips for playing the game as well providing lessons from monopoly that can be applied to real life.

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read company profile for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.

[Joseph Ulrich]

After buying the rights from creator Charles Darrow, Parker Brothers introduced the board game Monopoly® in 1935. It soon became an American icon of capitalism in its most competitive form. Popular estimates claim that nearly 1 billion people have played the game. Ironically, the game flourished during a time when the Great Depression still held its sway on the American psyche. Author Alan Axelrod attributes this odd phenomenon to the cathartic affect the game had on people. Still, many attribute its success more to its ability to mirror real life. Monopoly as a metaphor for business serves as the impetuous for this book.

Axelrod fills his book generously with quotes from leaders of industry. While the board game differs considerably from real life in some substantive areas, such as starting out on a level playing field, the game compensates for these few exceptions by creating a playing environment that relies more on skill and attitude. The author emphasizes this important lesson, "...our own fates are in large part decided by our actions and not completely by our starting points" (28). The book primarily aims to distill the practical lessons learned from playing the game, but at the same time teaches you many of the skills needed to become a better game player.

The chief contribution Monopoly® makes to the business world is to expound the point that passing "GO" and collecting a $200 income will not win the game. A winning strategy necessitates aggressive play in analyzing, buying, selling, and trading properties. Axelrod believes that players must be bifocal, keeping an eye on both strategy and tactics, "To be sure, the business of business is making money, but it is also managing and manipulating money" (63). An important component in accumulating properties includes the willingness to leverage your buying power by taking on debt and mortgaging auxiliary properties.

Player psychology also figures in prominently. By better understanding yourself and your opponents you can make better decisions. Successful deals require both players to feel that they gained something from the trade. When negotiating Axelrod reminds us what is most important to keep in mind, "The rookie salesman makes the mistake of selling price rather than value" (99). To improve your own playing build a healthy tolerance for taking calculated risks. Eliminate chance from the equation by "doing the math" and basing decisions on facts.

Finally, the better players build on their investing and psychological advantages by exploiting market conditions, such as economic scarcity. The natural shortage of houses and hotels in the game teaches us that it pays to take advantage of market inefficiencies. This extends to finding deals by picking up properties at auction. Vigilance and preparation rule the day