The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek

In The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek lays out that there are two competing mindsets for playing any game, the finite game, which has a distinct beginning, middle, and end with set rules and a definitive winner declared at the end, and   and the infinite game, which are played for the purpose of continuing play rather than to win and can have an unknown number of players, as players can join or drop at any time, and there are no set or fixed rules.  Sinek’s hypothesis is that business leaders who embrace an infinite mindset will build stronger and more resilient organizations.  , though these benefits may accrue over larger timescales than benefits associated with a finite mindset.

I first became aware of Sinek earlier this year when he gave a talk at my company focused on this same topic.  After that, I started to follow him on Twitter and then watched an earlier TED Talk he had done as part of a training course.  Using my newly acquired library card, I looked him up and was able to get this audiobook with no wait time, so I figured what the heck.  The main takeaway I got from this is that when business leaders focus on finite goals, trying to “win” the now, they may end up sacrificing the future, doing my overall harm than good.  The classic example, which Sinek details in the book, is Kodak, who invented the digital camera in the 1970s but didn’t exploit it so as to not impact its film market share.  By 2011, as they let others take the lead in digital photography, the company was bankrupt and is now a shell of its former self.  One decision, based on a finite goal of winning, brought down the entire company.