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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Infinite Game summary
How Great Businesses Achieve Long-Lasting Success
23 mins
Brief summary
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek challenges our traditional way of thinking about competition, business, and life. It offers a new perspective that focuses on playing the long game, emphasizing purpose and values, and embracing change as a natural part of the journey towards achieving our goals.
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The Infinite Game
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Key idea 1 of 7
The business world is not a finite game, so business leaders need to adopt an infinite mindset.
When you play sports, there are a lot of rules to abide by. Some of the most important rules are that everyone playing the game agrees on when it starts and stops, how to score a point, and that the deciding factor on who wins is who has the most points at the end. This is what’s known as a finite game.
Contrary to what many people think, business is not a finite game. There are no start and stop times that all players agree upon. And while there are certain legal rules that all businesses are told to follow, what the players do within those rules is up to them.
The business world is, in fact, an Infinite Game. There’s no fixed time frame and no agreed-upon way of keeping score. Since there is no possibility of winning, the goal of an Infinite Game is to stay in the game for as long as possible.
It may sound blasphemous, but profit and revenue are not the only signs of business strength. In fact, it can be truly detrimental to look at revenue and profits as being the sole decider of success. After all, today’s high profits will mean nothing if you’re not strong enough to weather tomorrow’s challenges. This is why business leaders need to think in terms of an Infinite Game. They should build something that’s not designed to “win” but rather to last for generations to come.
When your business plan is focused on short-term goals, like getting the best possible earnings for the next quarterly report, you’re bound to get a kind of tunnel vision that ignores what’s really important, like being innovative and creating the best product or service that people want. These things are far more important than getting the most market share or getting the most money to your shareholders.
Consider Microsoft’s original guiding principle: As Bill Gates put it, he wanted his company to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” This definitely falls under the infinite mindset. However, in the early 2000s, under the finite-minded leadership of former CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft became focused on beating Apple and winning more market share – to the detriment of its reputation.
Microsoft chased after Apple with devices such as the Zune, for example, which was designed to compete in the marketplace created by the iPod. As a result, the company became less known for its innovative and empowering products, while Apple became known for creating entirely new markets.
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What is The Infinite Game about?
The Infinite Game (2019) is a guidebook to help today’s business leaders get back on the right track to building companies that will last for generations to come. It points out the many pitfalls that leaders fall into in the pursuit of short-term gains and shows how they can put the focus back on practices that lead to strength and stability, as well as more revenue.
The Infinite Game Review
The Infinite Game (2019) by Simon Sinek is a thought-provoking exploration of leadership and success, focusing on the long-term game of thriving in an ever-changing world. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers a fresh perspective on leadership, challenging the conventional notion of winning and emphasizing the importance of playing the infinite game.
- With compelling examples from various industries, it illustrates the benefits of adopting an infinite mindset for individuals and organizations.
- Sinek's engaging storytelling and insightful analysis keep readers captivated, making complex concepts easy to understand and inspiring action.
Best quote from The Infinite Game
The three pillars – to advance a purpose, protect people and generate a profit – seem to be essential in the Infinite Game.
—Simon Sinek
Who should read The Infinite Game?
- Entrepreneurs and CEOs
- Managers, supervisors and anyone looking for leadership tips
- People curious about what makes a long-running business last
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The Infinite Game FAQs
What is the main message of The Infinite Game?
The main message of The Infinite Game is to shift our focus from winning finite games to playing the infinite game of life.
How long does it take to read The Infinite Game?
The reading time for The Infinite Game varies, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Infinite Game a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Infinite Game is worth reading for its insights into leadership and a different perspective on success and competition.
Who is the author of The Infinite Game?
The author of The Infinite Game is Simon Sinek.
What to read after The Infinite Game?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Infinite Game, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
- Find Your WHY by Simon Sinek
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
- The Culture Engine by S. Chris Edmonds
- Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
- Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John C. Maxwell
- The Science of Rapid Skill Acquisition by Peter Hollins
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott