I’m a terrible criminal. My first crime was at the ripe age of 6.

Gearing up to play Candy Land, I did my dynamic stretching, re-read the charts of probability, listened to the soothing voice of David Attenborough while meditating, and schooled my features. 

20 minutes in, I drew Plumpy.

Plumpy is the equivalent of a giant whitehead on the tip of your nose mere hours before a real-life in-person blind date.

In my Kindergarten heart, I despised Plumpy.

My pre-game ministrations and mental fastidiousness had not prepared me for this completely unexpected upset.

Plumpy sent me back to the very beginning of the board game (I was winning prior to my chance drawing of Plumpy’s mug).

I lost.

Because of a plum caretaker.

I was outraged. How could a game be played like this? Who was OK with these results?

A chance draw of a fictional 3 inch tall character and you’re suddenly back at square one?

Why would you give one sole card that much power?

Who engineers a game to be won or lost by a mere draw pile (and a fictional fruit tree character)?

Plumpy was my introduction to the difference between games of chance versus games of strategy.⬆️This is a metaphor you can use in any work presentation⬆️

✨Senior leaders everywhere want to hear that you’re playing a game of strategy - and playing to win.

✨Senior leaders everywhere also want to hear… well, check the comments for more on this.

Full of conviction, I vowed to play Mancala exclusively. My days of stone fruit losers were over.

Remember how I said I’m a criminal? Right. Full disclosure: This bit gets Breaking-Bad-bathtub-scene bad.

Post- family game night, I crept into the game closet. I ripped open Candy Land in a blood lust. A Plumpy blood lust. I found Plumpy’s card and shredded it into 80,000 pieces and left the bones underneath a couch cushion.

Mom found the evidence. A parental lesson was taught. 

Like I said, I’m a terrible criminal. But this isn’t really about criminality, is it?

It’s like that moment you realize Clueless is a remake of Emma by Jane Austin. I might have just blown your mind.

If you want to know how to mold your stories into (corporate) presentation-ready metaphors like this one, I share all my best work in my weekly Tuesday email. It's 100% free and couldn’t be easier to get in on - click the link in the first comment 👇

RIP Plumpy, just kidding I dance on your shallow grave.