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The bookcase

One of the books Shaun rated five out of five.

The Infinite Game

Simon Sinek

  • 5/5
  • Finished 2020
  • Innovation
  • Leadership
  • Strategy
  • 🤓A finite minded player plays to end the game
  • An infinite minded player plays to build businesses that survive their leaders, and embrace surprise + change
  • 5 characteristics of infinite games:
  • 1. JUST CAUSE
    • specific version of the future that doesn't yet exist

      a) 'For' something optimistic: E.g. instead of 'eliminate poverty', it is 'allow every man/woman to provide for their family'

      b) Inclusive: humans are social animals. E.g. Sweetgreen wanted healthier communities by connecting people to real food

      c) Service oriented: benefits of contributions flow downstream

      d) Resilient: not product focused. "Publishers=books, instead of sharing ideas"

      e) Idealistic: big, bold, unachievable. Put user first, not the company

  • Friedman, 1970's, described capitalism: maximising value for shareholders
  • Adam Smith, 1700's: "company's interests are always secondary to the consumer". The propensity for self interest drove the best service for consumer → but shareholder supremacy in late 1900's destroyed this
  • 2. TRUSTING TEAMS
    • Trust + vulnerability
    • Navy SEALS look at performance vs. trust, and prioritise trust
    • 💥"Circle of trust, listening sessions"
  • 3. WORTHY RIVALS
    • Help us get better at what we do, and why
  • 4.EXISTENTIAL FLEXIBILTY
    • Sticking to a just cause, and flexing what/how you do something
  • 5.COURAGE TO LEAD
    • Make bold decisions
    • Willingness to change own perception of how the world works