Are YOU a FINITE player or an INFINITE player?

Before I start, Here's the Video of the full presentation for those who are on the run.

Understanding the DIFFERENCE between FINITE & INFINITE Games

• FINITE games have WINNERS and LOSERS. The RULES of the game are KNOWN to BOTH sides, the BOUNDARIES of the playing FIELD are WELL-DEFINED, the SCOREBOARD keeps track of the game’s activity, and at the end of a prescribed period of TIME, a WINNER is declared. Someone WINS, someone LOSES. In Finite games, the PEOPLE involved always work towards DEFEATING someone or OVERRULE someone.
• INFINITE games have NO WINNERS or LOSERS. RULES often DON’T EXIST, and if they do, they are open to INTERPRETATION. The playing field is UNDEFINED. OPPONENTS change FREQUENTLY, as does the game itself. There are NO clear WINNERS or LOSERS. Competitors DROP out of the infinite game when they LOSE the WILL or RESOURCES to CONTINUE playing. The goal is to OUTLAST YOUR COMPETITION. In the infinity game people work towards improving themselves by honing and smoothing anything that is sub par.

FINITE

INFINITE

Let’s look at it from BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

The “game” of LEADERSHIP and BUSINESS is an Infinite game where the rules change FREQUENTLY, COMPETITORS COME and GO, and there is NO END POINT to the game. You are either AHEAD or BEHIND. There is no ultimate WINNER or LOSER. The infinite game CONTINUES INDEFINITELY until someone LOSES the WILL or RESOURCES to keep playing.

How to perpetuate and be successful in the Infinite Game?

BEING MOTIVATED

More than the “why” or purpose, a just cause is what motivates us to get out of bed in the morning. It’s the passion or hunger that burns inside that compels you to do what you do. Your just cause is what powers you to outlast your competitors. It propels you forward in the face of adversity and empowers you to persevere when you feel like giving up.

BEING COURAGEOUS

Playing the infinite game requires leaders to prioritize the just cause above anything else. They are willing to stand up to the pressures of the Board, Wall Street, or popular sentiment, and stay true to their cause. This struggle is often too great for a single person to tackle alone, so it requires all the leaders of the organization to band together and act in alignment.

ACCEPTING VULNERABILITIES

Being a vulnerable team doesn’t mean it’s acceptable for everyone to walk around crying. It means you’ve invested the time and energy to build a culture in your organization where people feel safe to be themselves. They can admit they don’t know something or that they made a mistake. They can take appropriate risks without fear of retribution or retaliation. If you’re people don’t feel safe, that is your fault, not theirs.

ACCEPTING ADVISERS

In the infinite game, adversaries are acknowledged and treated with respect, but our success or failure isn’t measured against them. Ultimately we are competing against ourselves, and our success or failure should be measured against our just cause. Our adversaries may push us to improve our products, services, marketing, etc., but in the infinite game we are constantly striving to become a better version of ourselves in order to fulfill our just cause.

OPEN PLAYBOOK

Too many organizations pursue a variable cause with a fixed strategy, Rather than pursuing a fixed cause with a variable strategy. Having an open playbook means leaders and organizations are willing to have flexible strategies and plans that change as needed to pursue their just cause. An open playbook also means you are transparent with your strategies, so all members of the team can literally be on the same page. Leaders resist being too transparent with information because they fear losing control. They distrust how people will use that information so they hold it close to the vest. That only results in people making sub-optimal decisions because they don’t know all the plays in the playbook.

REMEMBER

THE GOAL IS NOT TO BEAT YOUR COMPETITION; THE GOAL IS TO OUTLAST THEM.

LASTLY

Please Find this book and Read