Ever since I first read Samo Burja's distinction of Live Players Vs Dead Players in his blog, I've been seeing Live and Dead Players everywhere - in orgs, in startups, in my work and travels.

Who is a Live Player?

In Samo's words, a live player is a person or a tightly coordinated group of people that are able to do things they have not done before.

A live player usually does things outside their domain, is tightly coordinated with the group, possesses a living tradition of knowledge, and knows to play in stealth mode to avoid opposition.

Who is a Dead Player?

In Samo's words, Dead player is a person or a group of people that is working off a script, incapable of doing new things.

And what causes them to die?

When tight coordination is replaced by bureaucracy. When an intellectual tradition dies. They may compete in old tested domains, but they can never do anything new.

I used to be a dead player until I met my mentor. These days, whenever I feel stuck in a predictable script, I head to the mountains and villages. Having now returned from such a rejuvenating retreat, I am excited to blow up my script and try and do different things.

Remember this. Never write off anyone as a dead player. You never know if they are acting dead.

Are you a live/dead player?