The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

Seldom have I come across books that have truly made me consider how I think about business holistically. Yet, Simon Sinek does it again with 'The Infinite Game'. He paints a vivid picture of leaders who lead with an infinite - expansive and long term - mindset. He does so by stepping through finite and infinite games, showing and explaining both.

Finite vs Infinite Games

What is a finite game, you might ask? This is a game with clearly defined winners or losers, such as the games of football or chess. There are fixed rules, an agreed upon objective, and a clearly defined endpoint. Whether it is in business or politics, politics or life, life or school... outside board, video, or sports games - leaders need to embrace an infinite mindset.

In contrast, infinite games have an unknown number of players. "There are no exact or agreed-upon rules. Though there may be conventions or laws that govern how the players conduct themselves, within those broad boundaries, the players can operate however they want. And if they choose to break with convention, they can" p4.

"Inifinite games have infinite time horizons. And because there is no finish line, no practical end to the game, there is no such thing as 'winning' an infinite game. In an infinite game, the primary objective is to keep playing, to perpetuate the game." p4

Refreshing Leadership Perspective

In a world where we glorify business leaders who 'create and grow' stock market valuations, it is refreshing to read about leaders to embrace their humanity, and think long term rather than quarter by quarter in a finite mindset. These leaders who began to adopt an infinite mindset build stronger more innovative companies and environments. They create cultures which are not driven by fear. These are innovative more inspiring organizations. On this note, Sinek aptly points out that "leaders are not responsible for the results, leaders are responsible for the people who are responsible for the results" p129. A lesson that all managers must embrace.

However, Sinek does not merely paint a nirvana-esque scenario of business impracticality. Rather, he points to leaders like Chief Cauley of Castle Rock Police, and organizations like the U.S. Marine Corp., Walmart, and Apple. Better yet, Sinek also helps the reader learn from failures, and our previous heroes that require greater scrutiny. As such he highlights painful memories of the Vietnam war and the importance of the mindset differences. He also highlights examples of Kodak, Blockbuster, and brings GE's Jack Welch into greater magnification. These stark contrasts build stronger learnings of what is and is not an infinite game.

Trust in Business

One of the most important elements I took away from The Infinite Game, is the importance of building trust within an organization. He questions that "if the SEALs, who are some fo the highest-performing teams in the world, prioritize trust before performance, then why do we still think performance matters first in business?" p110.

Sinek wisely questions Welch's business philosophy of ranking executives against two axes of performance vs potential. Given that potential is future performance - this ranked executives on performance vs future performance. "The problem is, the toxic team members (low trust) are often more interested in their own performance and career trajectories than they are with helping the whole team rise" p111.

Worth the Read

Similar to Leaders Eat Last, I was thrilled to read this philosophy of business leadership being one which helps your people not only perform, but build trust, team collaboration, and long term success. The Infinite Games reminds those of us who are leaders - to re-evaluate what is important. It also reminds us about the importance of cultivating a culture of trust and performance - while reminding us of the danger of toxic employees regardless of their individual contribution or performance. If it harms the culture and company long term - then a finite to infinite game mindset change is needed. Naturally, this includes the leaders, too.