Since I watched Sinek's iconic TED X talk, I've been a huge fan. I read Start with Why, Leaders Eat Last, and now The Infinite Game.
In short, the book is about leadership and how there are two types of games: infinite and finite.
Sinek breaks it down as "finite games" are played by known players (that is, you're aware that there is game being played). There are set rules as well as an agreed-upon outcome or objective that, when attained, ends the game for everyone. Thus, there is a clear winner and loser.
Infinte games, though, are played by known AND unknown players. There aren't precise rules. There are agreed upon rules and maybe even conventions, but they can be broken or changed. There is no clear winner or agreed upon end.
Both finite and infinite games are good for us. The trouble comes when you don't know what type of game you're playing or if you play one game by another set of rules.
Sinek fills his book with interesting examples. I'll try to highlight a few and my favorite take aways.
Apple is a great example of a business that plays with the infinite game and applies the same type of rules to it. Sinek tells this story - he was at a Microsoft conference for educators. He noticed that the presenters all spent their time telling the educators in attendance how the Microsoft products were superior to apples' products. When he was done, an executive gave him an advanced copy of their mp3 player, The Zune.
When Sinek tried the player, he found it - actually - superior to apple's first generation iPod.
Ironically, Sinek was booked a few weeks later to speak at an apple tech conference. He found there that the presenters weren't interested at all about what Microsoft was doing. All they cared about was creating the best products that can make teachers effective.
Then when he left he was sharing a cab with an apple executive. Just to poke the bear, Sinek told him how much better he liked the Zune he was given compared to his iPod. This is where the focus of apple comes in. The apple executive just said, "I have no doubt that it's better."
Apple wasn't focus on the competition, like Microsoft was. Apple - true to Steve Jobs' vision - was focused on empowering teachers and making excellent products by their standards.
Guess what? No one knows what a Zune is anymore!
Microsoft was playing an infinite game (the technology business) with finite rules (as if they were playing a tennis match with apple).
The same is true across corporations - look at the auto industry, for example.
What I found most interesting was Sinek's section on the benefits of having an infinite mindset vs. a finite mindset.
One of the main benefits of playing an infinite game with an infinite mindset is that you get to play with a just cause. Sinek breaks a "just cause" into these five ingredients: if you have a just cause, you have to stand for something. If you have just cause, you have to be inclusive. If you have a just cause, you have to be service oriented. If you have a just cause, you have to be resilient. And if you have a just cause, you have to be idealistic.
Think about winning teams or great organizations. They all get their workers or players buy in to a cause that is greater than them. That is why one of our core values is - "It's not about us."
In town here, we have two major businesses: Digi Key and Textron. One offers comprehensive health care for all employees. One had to have different division choose to devote hours to helping out other divisions that were overwhelmed due to COVID. That is a just cause.
The other has a finite mindset - to cut costs so shareholders don't lose out - despite what cutting costs (such as buying out senior workers or simply firing them) does to the morale and culture of their company.
Unfortunately, you see this time and again in the business world.
Sinek gives one example of a business with an infinite mindset playing with infinite rules. The business also has a strong just cause that the employees buy into.
In 2008, the company - like many others across the country - faced dire economic times. They could do what most companies do, they would cut costs by laying off employees. But that is a finite solution to an infinite problem.
This company, instead, chose to get creative in ways to save money. They froze all salaries and benefits (for everyone - including the folks at the top of the organization). Moreover, because their culture was so strong and the just cause was so evident for everyone, employees came up with their own creative ways to save money. Some - when traveling for business - downgraded their hotel to save the company money. Others even stayed with friends for free to save the company money. Could you imagine someone at Textron doing something to save that company money when they just let dozens of their most veteran staff, who have worked for decades with the company through thick and thin - go? Yeah, right.
I could go on for pages on the things I took away from Sinek's book. It was dense and full of excellent examples. This will be a text that I revisit later, probably over Christmas vacation to let it all sink in and to see how I apply it to my own classroom and LHS itself.
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