Top Ten Quotes: The Infinite Game
Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game tackles the topic of … well … infinite games (no need to get crazy-creative with titles, am I right)?
Sinek sets up the categories of finite games – those with known players, set rules, and agreed-upon objectives. (Football is one example.)
But he contrasts those with infinite games – played by both known and unknown players, with no exact rules, and with limitless time horizons. (Ministry in 2021, anyone?)
While aimed primarily at business leaders, I found Sinek’s book to be very helpful in thinking through our (forgive me) new normal, where the old rules of ministry don’t seem to apply, where there seem to be multiple working models emerging on the scene, and where getting to a very clear objective (i.e., carrying the gospel throughout the earth) may have a very unclear path.
Here are my top ten favorite quotes:
- A company built for the Infinite Game doesn’t think of itself alone. It considers the impact of its decisions on its people, its community, the economy, the country and the world. It does these things for the good of the game.
- I am often surprised how many visionary leaders don’t think they need to find the words for or write down their Cause. They assume that because their vision is clear to them it’s clear to everyone else in the organization. Which of course it’s not.
- Growth as a cause often results in an unhealthy culture, one in which short-termism and selfishness reign supreme, while trust and cooperation suffer. Growth is a result, not a Cause.
- It’s in a company’s interest to get things done right now rather than wait to deal with the problems high-speed growth can cause later.
- It’s not the people doing the job, it’s the people who lead the people doing the job who can make the greater difference.
- There is a difference between a group of people who work together and a group of people who trust each other.
- When problems arise, performance lags, mistakes are made or unethical decisions are uncovered, Lazy Leadership chooses to put their efforts into building processes to fix the problems rather than building support for their people.
- Cause Blindness is when we become so wrapped up in our Cause or so wrapped up in the “wrongness” of the other player’s Cause, that we fail to recognize their strengths or our weaknesses.
- At some point, every single organization will need to make a Flex.
- To live our lives with an infinite mindset means that we are driven to advance a Cause bigger than ourselves.
Order The Infinite Game
See all posts in the Top Ten Quotes series.
See all the Top Ten Quotes books on Amazon:
Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want you to know that the authors represented did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so (unless specifically mentioned otherwise). I’m just a really satisfied customer who wants to let you know where you can get some great products. So there. Further, if you order a resource from a link on any “Top Ten Quotes” page, I may receive a small affiliate commission from Amazon. If that bugs you, feel free to bypass my link and buy from a vendor of your choice. But still: buy it. I only promote books that have benefitted me and that I believe will benefit you.
