Dominoes are small, rectangular blocks of wood or other rigid material with a number of pips on each end. They are usually stacked on their edges in long lines, and if one is tipped over it causes the other dominoes to tip and so on. This creates a mesmerizing effect, as each domino can impact the entire line with one simple action. When creating such a display, it is important that each piece of the design work together without any gaps or collisions.
Lily Hevesh began playing with dominoes when she was 9 years old. Her grandparents had the classic 28-piece set, and she loved to line them up in straight or curved rows and flick them to watch them fall. She’s now a domino artist who creates spectacular displays for movies, TV shows, and events—including a recent album launch by Katy Perry. Her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has more than 2 million subscribers. Her biggest designs take several nail-biting minutes to fall.
While the name “domino” is most associated with these small oblong pieces, the word has been used to denote many things throughout history. The most common use is for the game of domino, in which players try to place a domino (or more than one) edge to edge with another domino so that their adjacent numbers match (i.e., a domino of 1-6 would match with a domino of 1-5). In the modern sense, the term also applies to any type of sequence in which an initial event triggers subsequent events.
In the 19th century, dominoes became popular as a pastime for soldiers stationed overseas. As more Americans began to travel to Europe, dominoes became more available and the game quickly grew in popularity. The first commercially produced domino sets were made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl), ivory, or ebony with black or white pips. More recently, dominoes have been made from a variety of natural and synthetic materials, including ceramic clay, polymer, or stone.
When it comes to leadership, Domino’s CEO Don Meij has a lot in common with the domino image. He believes in listening to employees, and he has put this value into action. For example, he was known to visit Domino’s stores and talk with workers in order to understand what improvements could be made.
This kind of approach is a great way to build trust and loyalty, which is necessary for good leadership. In addition, Meij has embraced a more flexible management style, utilizing behavioral theory instead of traditional bureaucratic leadership. This allows employees to make more decisions and feel empowered, which is important for employee satisfaction. This approach has also helped the company to be more innovative. For example, Meij was able to increase the speed of delivery service by allowing drivers to use their own cars. This allowed them to reach more customers in a shorter amount of time. This innovation has resulted in higher customer satisfaction and improved profits for the company.