Simon Sinek wrote one of the best business and life books called The Infinite Game in 2018 at a time where society had increasing problems from then President Donald Trump to an increase in isolation, mental health problems, poor workplaces, low engagement, lack of purpose, loneliness, and poor leadership at every level from government and business.
I think its worth it to revisit what Simon Sinek has to say especially in 2021 where we are seeing many of the same problems, fierce polarization, fierce partisanship, fierce tensions and where we are facing many existential problems apart from dealing with the economy to dealing with climate change, and cooperating on handling the coronavirus pandemic response properly, as well as how to navigate our new digital world without losing our connection and empathy to and for one another.
Leaders must practice servant leadership in which they lead without authority and give more power to their employees and in which they serve and rejuvenate all their stakeholders rather than exploit them for the shareholders. And we are learning ironically, that what’s good for the stakeholders is also often good for the shareholders more often that not. We all just must constantly remember that with humility and empathy otherwise we will not be able to close many of the gaps we see today in terms of equity, social justice, poor mental health and wealth inequalities.
Simon Sinek's Advice to Leaders: Check In. And Truly Listen.
Simon Sinek summed up brilliantly in his book as he has done in several of his talks and podcasts which he has given the reason for the types of breakdowns we are seeing in our society and the reasons why certain people can lead better than others. His most important principle in The Infinite Game is simple - having a Just Cause.
That’s right, simply asking “Why” and questioning more often than not why we make certain decisions and asking ourselves why we choose to do certain things is the most empowering principles. Thinking independently from first principles and questioning, asking why am I doing this, why am I joining this, why is this done this way, why is this other person making that decision. This type of thinking may seem annoying and time-consuming and can be in a world that is very hyper-paced, but it very liberating to do this in a world that is mostly filled with Finite Players playing Finite Games. People do need a sense of purpose, empowerment and belonging not just in their lives but in their work as well because work fills a large part of people’s lives and so the community is also critical because a good community with good leaders creates belonging.
So I think Simon Sinek is one of the best leaders who understands that people become inspirational leaders by inspiring others. Anyone can be a manager, but not everyone can become a leader. A manager manages people but a leader leads people. A leader has to listen more than they talk and be more thoughtful and considerate as well as open-minded to other perspectives because that is what drives human progress and innovation, breaks down walls and bureaucracy, decreases polarization and drives group flow.
Managers try to micromanage employees where Leaders create great environments where employees can thrive and be themselves at work. Great leaders bring great people to work together on a common cause or mission and inspire others through a powerful vision that others can get on board with. And whether we are talking about great Sports Teams, great Fortune 500 Companies, or great countries, there are 2 elements to having groups of people work together smoothly. The 2 elements are inspirational leaders who are first and foremost mission and vision-oriented and the second is the people who believe or buy-in to the shared mission and vision. The beauty of this is that it tends to create environments of work-life balance and work-life harmony where leaders and employees love their work and live in an empowered and high-trust environment rather than in a fear-based environment. The other advantage of having forward-looking leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries in a firm or startup is that they can look at things differently, and out-innovate or out-compete their competitors and reinvent their business models and culture.
It is increasingly important especially in the 21st century where many people are becoming highly polarized and where loneliness, disconnection and burnout are becoming major problems whether in the workplace or in life. We have never been as connected as we are now through technology, but at the same time we have never been so divided and polarized from each other because of our increased screentime. Simon talks about how social media is ripping apart and destroying empathy by making us more atomized and isolated because of its addictive properties. So its important to have people knowing when to use their head vs when to use their heart. Empathetic leadership where leaders and teams are tapped into a common group flow is increasingly important to sustain great culture. And balancing technology with our humanity will become increasingly important as the world becomes increasingly digitalized.
“Human beings want to feel a part of something. We crave the feeling of belonging. We enjoy the feeling of being part of a group, like when we attend church, attend a parade or rally or wear the jersey of our favorite team when we attend a sports event. A Just Cause serves as an invitation to join others in advancing a cause bigger than ourselves. When the words of the Just Cause help us imagine a positive, specific, alternative vision of the future, it stirs something inside us that makes us want to raise our hand to join up and join in.” - Simon Sinek, Author of The Infinite Game
In a world of increasing short-termism, where more people want instant gratification, and where politicians and business leaders only look to the next election cycle or the next few business quarters, we stop focusing on the short-term sacrifices we really need to be making in order to have longer-term prosperity.
Finite Players playing Finite Games make the worst leaders in the type of environment we are living in today. Because there is no roadmap for the future based on what worked on the past. And in an environment of increasing polarization and uncertainty, the most important asset is the mindset that Infinite Players playing Infinite Games have. Finite Players are often out for blood and don’t like losing, but Infinite Players know that losing is just part of the Infinite Game because infinite players don’t just play to to win - infinite players play to push their just cause and are motivated intrinsically rather than extrinsically. Infinite players play life, business, relationships, sports to keep playing, to keep improving themselves and more importantly to inspire others and the next generations. Finite players may play for just a paycheck or just a business quarter or for a bonus or for a contract or deal however, infinite players rarely are primarily motivated by just the money, infinite players are driven by purpose and passion.
Finite Players see the world with more blinders on and don’t open themselves up to others’ perspectives especially when they disagree while Infinite Players do open themselves up to others’ perspectives even if they disagree. Think about what more people playing life, business or whatever with an infinite mindset could do now more than ever to depolarize society and create more peace, happiness and abundance all-around. There is no one-size fits all model for everything and the factory model of education and work conformity was great for the 20th century or industrial era but will collapse in the 21st century digital era where we are moving away from standardization toward personalization.
Finite Players stop learning at a certain point and so stop playing properly, while Infinite Players are constantly learning and are always playing the game at the finest of their ability.
An Infinite Player doesn’t think in terms of business quarters, but thinks in terms of decades and much larger time horizons. These Players benefit both financially and emotionally because they make much better long-term decisions that compound greatly over time. They also learn from their mistakes and failures and get up much faster than their counterparts who are more sensitive to short-term shocks. Infinite Players also mostly compete with themselves and trying to improve themselves everyday while thinking in terms of long-term vision, mission and values alignment as well as employee-focused constantly. Finite players are too obsessed with short-term vision, short-term tactics and competitor-focused.
The engagement of the leaders, employees, customers and stakeholders is much higher when the players are infinite and the engagement of the leaders, employees and customers is much lower when the players are finite. Steve Jobs was a great example of the Apple CEO who was an infinite player, because of his vision and product obsessiveness. The goal is not to win every battle and put out every fire. The goal is to outlast competitors and the goal is to build businesses for the next 100 years or a century. To try to build a long-lasting company vs. trying to satisfy the shareholders on Wall Street for a quarter.
An Infinite Player also does not just want to beat the competition or elevate themselves at the expense of all others. Infinite Players want to elevate the game itself and all those around them whether potential teammates or competitors. Infinite Players also stay focused on the future but grounded in history. There is no roadmap for the future based on what worked in the past, however, there are always themes and principles and constants and we can look to history to draw certain parallels when we think about past leaders or when we think about entire civilizations. That’s why infinite leaders need courage, more so now than at any other time in human history.
The Infinite Game is about Competitive Cooperation and it is a game we must all play now more than ever and as we look to the future. It does not always have easy or straightforward questions or answers, but makes us think and dig a little deeper. Playing the Infinite Game and Becoming Infinite Players can only benefit all the participants who make, shape and play the game.