Blog Entry #97
I watched yet another Simon Sinek talk, this time on Finite and Infinite Games. I wish he was allowed an hour to speak because 25 minutes weren't enough to cover all topics, so when you watch the full talk here, you'll notice it's ended abruptly. Nevertheless, there are a lot of fundas to be garnered from his speech, which I've chronicled below.
Simon Sinek starts his speech by describing an incident that happened in the Vietnam War. Though 'Nam launched a surprise attack on the US, they ended up not only losing the war but also 350 times more people in troops! Using this event, he then goes on to explain the concept of finite and infinite games. Firstly, the idea of a game is that you must have at least one competitor. In games that are finite, there are known players, the rules and objectives are fixed and agreed-upon. On the other hand, infinite games comprise known and unknown players, changeable rules, and the primary objective is to stay in the game for as long as possible. If you look at finite vs finite players or infinite vs infinite players, in both cases, the situation is stable. One example of infinite vs infinite would be the Cold War. However, in the case of finite vs infinite, one side is playing to win, while the other side is playing to keep playing. What happens in such a case is that the finite player ends up in a quandary, running through willpower and resources in order to win and close out the game.
Simon Sinek then moves on to exemplifying the same concept in the field of business, comparing Microsoft with Apple. He once went to a Microsoft Summit, where the only talk was of how to beat Apple. When he later went to an Apple summit, he noticed a hundred percent of the executives devote a hundred percent of their time and effort in brainstorming how to help teachers teach and how to help students learn. When he met an Apple employee later that day and told him that he found the Zune better than the iPod, all he received in response was 'I have no doubt.' This helped him realize that Apple is playing the long game. People working there are obsessed with where they're going and are thus an infinite player, unlike Microsoft. As an infinite player, you are only focused on getting ahead and you don't really care about being the 'best' or the 'first.' It would be nice if we played the infinite game when it came to traffic signals. Rather than be the first one ahead, try to enjoy the drive and be a kind-hearted, non-honking soul who respects road rules.
The third section of his speech outlines a set of checklist items one must focus on to be an infinite player in the game, the first being 'having a just cause.' Be clear on why your organization needs you because, without a just cause, you feed people what they want rather than what they need. He urges that the universities focus on teaching skills such as effective confrontation, communication skills, long-term thinking, and building good relationships. The other items on his checklist include 'having courageous leadership', 'trusting in teams'. 'having a worthy rival', and 'keeping your playbook flexible.' On courageous leadership, he insists on a leader believing in their just cause and sacrificing short-term for long-term rather than the other way round. Courageous leaders know the difference between rank and leadership, and accept the responsibility of creating an environment in which people can work at their natural best. This part reminded me of fixed vs growth mindset, wherein Lee Iacocca did exactly the opposite of the traits mentioned above. You can read about mindset here and about Mr. Iacocca here.
Towards the end of his speech, he reiterates about what universities are teaching their students and he is visibly outraged. He is aghast and dismayed when he sees banners and billboards of universities advertising themselves with what starting salaries students get once they graduate. He believes that such advertisements judge superficial things and are not directed toward attracting ideologists who commit their time and energy to impact the world. Unfortunately, the time runs out here and he is forced to end his speech.
Overall, I believe the key things to take away from his speech are the concept of infinite games and how to be an infinite player in life.
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