You’ve probably seen those satisfying videos of a long chain of dominoes toppling until it reveals a beautiful painting or portrait on the floor. The domino effect is a principle in physics that says small actions create huge results. It’s a powerful concept that can be applied to personal life, business or career. Here are some tips to help you make your own domino effect in three simple steps.
Dominoes (also known as bones, cards, men, or pieces) are rectangular, square, or oval tiles with a line down the center to divide it visually into two square halves. The halves are marked with numbers by spots, called pips, or blank to represent zero. Each side has a value based on the number of pips, and the total value of a domino is determined by adding up the values on both sides. Typically, dominoes are made of polymer material such as plastic or wood, but they can also be made of natural materials including bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, and dark hardwoods like ebony.
The size and shape of dominoes allow them to be used in a variety of games played with one or more players. The most common domino games involve emptying one’s hand or blocking an opponent’s play. Some games require counting the pips on the losing player’s tiles to determine points in games such as bergen and muggins. Other domino games are designed to teach kids number recognition and math skills.
In the game of domino, each player must place a tile on the table positioning it so that one end of the chain shows a number and the other ends show blanks or no numbers. When all of the dominoes in a domino chain have either the same number showing or both ends show blanks, that is said to be “stitched up.”
A player must continue to play a tile each turn until all of his remaining dominoes are either blanks or have only one pips. When a player cannot place any more tiles, he “knocks,” or raps the table, and play passes to the opposing player.
To be successful at work or in a relationship, employees must learn to listen to their coworkers and customers. This allows each person to understand how the company operates and how he can make an impact. This practice is illustrated in the Undercover Boss episode in which CEO Don Meij sent a manager into a busy Domino’s restaurant to see how the employees responded to customer complaints. In turn, the company implemented new policies that allowed employees to express their concerns directly to management and to customers. In this way, the Domino’s leadership team was able to solve problems and make improvements that helped employees and customers feel valued.