Micro Book Review: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

"Great leaders are the ones who think beyond 'short term' versus 'long term'. They are the ones who know that it is not about the next quarter or the next election; it is about the next generation. Great leaders set up their organisations to succeed beyond their own lifetimes, and when they do, the benefits - for us, for business and even for the shareholder - are extraordinary."

SIMON SINEK

I grabbed Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game off the shelf of my local bookstore because I was drawn by the metaphor of finite and infinite games. Finite ‘games’ are played by known players. They have fixed rules and there is an agreed upon objective that when reached, ends the game. This means there’s always a winner and one or more losers. Infinite games on the other hand, are played by known and unknown players. There are no exact or agreed upon rules and there is no finish line – the primary objective is to keep playing, to perpetuate the game. Issues occur when we misidentify the game we’re playing, or a mismatch exists between the game and the mindset we adopt when playing (for example, no one can win the 'games' of business or politics outright, but there’s plenty of examples of short-sighted attempts to do so).

Simon admits early that the metaphor of finite and infinite games is not his own – it was originally articulated by James Carse in his book Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility in 1986. Regardless, it’s a powerful metaphor, one that’s helped The Infinite Game reach #4 on The New York Times Business Bestseller list a month after release. Interestingly, it was also The Times in a review of Carse’s original work (Machines Are Out, Gardens are In, 1987) that questioned whether an entire book is necessary to explain the idea of finite and infinite games and I kind of see where they are coming from. The thing with a good metaphor is that it cuts through instantly, putting words to things you implicitly understand but struggle to explicitly describe. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the book – Simon has a way of making things accessible and consumable yet still inspiring, which is a skill in and of itself.

In fact, it's precisely because I think the metaphor is potent and readily grasped that I think it has a lot to offer leaders, the majority of whom are time poor and grapple daily with the VUCA conditions they find themselves in. The lure of finite games is that they are a way of coping with uncertainty – they impose boundaries and rules. The problem is that in doing so, they also reduce time horizons, pitch people in direct conflict with each other and erode trust. In contrast, helping leaders to reframe business as an infinite game highlights the potential to make greater progress, by embracing paradox and striking a productive balance between competition and contribution. The key ideas for striking this balance that Simon dedicates a chapter each to are embodying a 'Just Cause' (higher purpose), fostering psychological safety and 'Trusting Teams', identifying a 'Worthy Rival' to stretch performance, building the organisation's capacity for 'Existential Flexibility' and having the 'Courage to Lead'.

For those charged with developing leaders within their organisations, I think the metaphor of finite and infinite games is useful in relation to a couple of other leadership concepts enjoying currency within the leadership development sphere. I have long been a fan of the valuable work of Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linksy, but know there are inhouse leadership development professionals unsure of whether the language of adaptive leadership will resonate with their business. If so, finite games may help to explain many of the characteristics of ‘technical problems’, with infinite games being more akin to ‘adaptive challenges’. Or, if you’ve had success introducing Carol Dweck’s work on mindset, you may find complementary synergies between fixed / finite mindsets and growth / infinite mindsets. This parallel is best brought to life in the chapter on 'Worthy Rivals', where Simon describes shifting his mindset to no longer perceive Adam Grant as a 'beat at all costs' competitor but someone to inspire a greater level of performance (he says they are now close friends).

In wrapping up, while it's a finite mindset thing to suggest, I reckon there's a Ted Talk inspired by The Infinite Game to rival How Great Leaders Inspire Action as the third most watched of all time. Of course, the infinite game reframe is that we all stand to benefit from this idea worth spreading.

Have you read the book? What did you think?

How are you planning on using the ideas within it?