Learnings from a Wheel of Fortune Contestant

Facebook recently reminded me it’s been 10 years since my time as a Wheel of Fortune contestant. TEN years? Already? It was a once in a lifetime experience. I vividly remember the excitement of touching the wheel for the first time, the relief of solving my first puzzle, and the joy of my son telling me he was proud of me.

Emotions so fresh the experience could have been yesterday. Yet, as much as I remember the emotions, the value is in the lessons I took away from that day. Learnings I regularly apply to my work coaching people and curating culture.

BUY VOWELS - Invest in Yourself & Your People

Buying vowels is the key to solving the puzzles. This isn't rocket-science. The fact that you must purchase vowels and are paid for consonants confirms my story. Yet people still resist. Why?.

They see a cost, not an investment. I see this resistance regularly in the culture work I do. Budget becomes the excuse for not working on culture and development. If a company is going to only recognize the cost of investing in culture, then they should equally measure the cost of NOT investing in their culture. For instance, the cost of turnover and the cost of disengagement.

COMPETE WITH THE WHEEL NOT EACH OTHER - Everyone can win!

In my game, the 2nd place contestant won $16K in cash and prizes. Not bad for 30 minutes of work. The 3rd place contestant received only conciliatory compensation.

I could see this developing even before the game started. The three of us were paired up in the morning with hours together before our game. Two contestants spent time enjoying each other and the experience, and watching the games recorded in the morning. Spent the time validating the winning formula given to every contestant backstage. The other contestant stayed away, mistaking the players as the "competition" and mistaking this as a zero-sum game.

FOCUS ON THE PUZZLE NOT THE WHEEL - Don't be distracted by the spin.

Where the wheel will stop is determined the moment you remove your hand. Watching it spin wastes time that you could be focused on the solution. Even if Bankrupt is where you land the time spent working on the solution can benefit you next turn.

Worse is the time spent watching the wheel spin for others. It is only the letters they guess, correctly or incorrectly, that matter. These bring the solution into better focus. The prize on their wedge doesn’t affect your ability to solve. Unless they Lose A Turn. In that case your turn is coming sooner, and you best be ready.

There were other learnings at Sony Pictures Studios that day. Lessons that apply to business like staying humble and working the process. And lessons that don't like cameras do not capture the beauty radiating from within a person (I'm talking to you, Vanna) and that a hot mic is unforgiving (I learned where Antigua is).

As the rules are currently written I will never again be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. That may be the best lesson of all. Enjoy the game. You may never get to play it again.