Betties Book Brief | The Infinite Game
This month, the Back Office Betties team read The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. In this book, Sinek explains that there are two types of games: finite and infinite. Anything that involves 2 or more people is a game, it’s just a matter of what type of game you’re playing. Finite games are those that have clear rules and end, like football or chess. However, infinite games are those with no defined endpoint. Business is an infinite game and those who are leaders in business need to master the mindset of playing.
Our takeaways
- Infinite leaders will embrace the challenges of change and upheaval
- When you look at the history of world economics, things will always go up and down. They will be only one way or the other and he who is prepared is he who thrives!
- Adopting an infinite mindset is like trying to get in shape. Consistency in your behavior is the key!
- 5 things must occur:
- Advance a just cause. People generally are not going to love their job. But if they can get behind a mission, it can give their work meaning and make it worth doing.
- Build trusting teams. We have to feel safe to express vulnerability. Trust and vulnerability grow together. Be open to admitting mistakes and asking for help. In the case of one oil rig, they saw an 80% decrease in safety incidents after implementing vulnerability training.
- Study worthy rivals
- Prepare for existential flexibility
- Demonstrate the courage to lead
Final notes
We are partial to good reads that inspire action and help to advance us personally or in business. This book did neither. It does have some entertaining stories and wasn’t terrible to read, but it is essentially a book on mindset.
If you find yourself having regular limiting thoughts and coming up with the reasons that you cannot do something, then this may be a good book for you!
Have you read The Infinite Game? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
