Simon Sinek - The Infinite Game

Simon Sinek presenting his new book 'The Infinite Game' at Central Hall in Westminster last night. This is based upon the work of James Carse 'Finite and Infinite Games'. 

How did the USA win every battle in Vietnam yet lose the war? It's because the USA were playing a finite game; they were playing to win, and Vietnam were playing an Infinite game; playing til death. Finite players play to win, Infinite players play to keep the game going. The Finite game is defined by metrics and creates a decline in trust, innovation and cooperation. In the Infinite game, there is only one competitor and it is yourself. You play for continuous improvement.

There are 5 characteristics of the Infinite Game:

1 - JUST CAUSE

This is the purpose, the vision, the driving force. The one that you will continue to achieve, or die trying.

2 - TRUSTING TEAMS

For trusting teams, people need an environment where they feel like they can truly be themselves. Where people have agency and control over their work that returns a sense of enjoyment.

3 - A WORTHY RIVAL

Someone in your industry who is better than you at what you do. Someone who's strengths reveal your weaknesses. The goal is to continually improve and this worthy rival is a tool to aid that.

4 - CAPACITY FOR EXISTENTIAL FLEXIBILITY

The game doesn't finish but the players do disappear; this is an existential threat that requires a dramatic shift in strategy. When guided by your Just Cause, you must be prepared for flexibility along the way that may require a complete change in direction, even when (especially when) the outcome is unclear.

5 - THE COURAGE TO LEAD

The Infinite mindset is 'unbelievably difficult'. In theory, it all sounds easy but it's really not. Forging a path, exposing your fallibility, and leading into uncertain terrain requires real guts. As I say often, this isn't going to feel great most of the time. Simply letting go of metrics and realising that true success measures are, in fact, undefinable, requires a huge shift in thinking. Being willing to be open-minded, to admit that you don't know and not being able to guarantee an outcome - perhaps a leader who admits to having SELF-DOUBT! This is all harder than it sounds and goes against our evolutionary biology, which loves to be in certainty and security.

Simon spoke about the anti-capitalist sentiment and points out that what we have experience is actually 'capitalism for bastards', rather than 'capitalism for people'. The Infinite game proposes models for prioritising people over profits.

We all get to choose what kind of player we want to be. Are we playing to win or are we playing for legacy?

#infinitegame #simonsinek #21stcenturyleadership #infiniteplayers #jamescarse