That is, ensuring the organization has the will and resources to keep playing infinitely. So, success equates to building an organization that is strong enough and healthy enough to stay in the game forever. Resources come from outside sources including customers and investors. revenue, EBITDA, and cash) that contribute to the health of an organization. They’re the sum of all the financial elements (e.g. Resources are tangible and easily measured. Will is generated by an organization’s culture. Will comes from the feeling people have when they come to work. morale, motivation, inspiration, and commitment) that contribute to the health of an organization. It’s the sum of all the human elements (e.g. In business, players drop out of the game when they run out of the will or resources to keep playing. Sure, companies say they are “winning”, but that is based on their own “made up” definition of, and time frames for, winning. There are no fixed rules to which everyone has agreed (other than the law, which can vary from country to country, and which can be broken if a player is willing to face the consequences). Each player determines his or her own strategy. Players can join and leave the game as they desire. In the game of business, we may or may not know all the other players. The game is never over and a winner is never declared. It affects who you will do business with (investors, employees, customers, etc.). Whatever mindset you choose to play, be honest with yourself and those around you. If we join an infinite game, it deserves an infinite mindset. If we join a finite game, it deserves a finite mindset. We are more likely to survive and thrive if we play for the game we are in. If we play a game, we do get to choose our mindset. We do get to choose whether or not we want to join the game. We don’t get to choose whether a game is finite or infinite. Over time, this finite-mindedness erodes trust, cooperation, and innovation. But we often approach these games with a finite mindset and try to win. Most of the games we play are infinite, and they require an infinite mindset. There is no such thing as winning your education, career, or life. (Note: Read Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse, for more on this subject.) Education is an example of an infinite game. (Note: there may be conventions or laws that govern players, but the players can break them if they want). The objective, instead, is to keep playing, stay in the game as long as possible, and perpetuate the game. Infinite games are played by unknown players, have no exact or agreed-upon rules, and have an infinite time horizon. Basketball is an example of a finite game. See my article on this subject here.įinite games are played by known players, have fixed rules, and contain an agreed-upon agreed-upon objective that, when reached, ends the game. There are two kinds of games: finite games and infinite games. They set up their organizations to succeed beyond their tenure and lifetimes, which ends up being better for everyone over time, including shareholders. Great leaders think beyond “short term” vs “long term”. We default to a mindset of “finite thinking” and tend to see the world in terms of short-term wins and losses.įinite thinking is what is wrong with most organizations today.įinite thinking leads to mass layouts, arbitrary projections, cutthroat work environments, unethical behavior, and shareholder supremacy. Examples include space exploration, scientific advancement, and societal development. Infinite thinking happens when large groups of people unite under a common cause and choose to collaborate without an end in sight. Humans have benefited from infinite thinking throughout history. To live a life for fulfillment is to live as if there is no finish line. He thinks we need a new model that is focused on fulfilling our human needs to feel safe, contribute to something bigger than ourselves, and provide for ourselves and our families. Sinek wrote this book to rally those who are ready to challenge the status quo of shareholder supremacy. He is the author of five books, including Start With Why (2009) and The Infinite Game (2019). Simon Sinek is an American author and motivational speaker.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |