The Finite and Infinite Games of Leadership | Simon Sinek | Talks at Google

The Finite and Infinite Games of Leadership:
Leadership, Business and Finding Purpose in the Workplace.

Simon Sinek is the bestselling author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last, which have helped organizations around the world inspire their people to reach new heights.

[jodijames]

When a leader creates an environment where everyone has each others' backs, all are committed to each other, trust each other, and feel safest. Great leaders create this and they do not use their people to balance the books.

[kylebrokaw]

After watching this I realized that the same concepts exist in marriage. My wife tends to focuses on the vision of the future and the values we hold as a family. I tend to focus on the operational aspect of keeping the household afloat making sure we are viable.
If I believe her vision and values are starting to impact the ability to keep it the household afloat I tend to migrate more and more into the operational aspect of running the house, and that in turn pushes her to focus on the vision and values of the household.
Since we don't have a board of directors we don't have someone pushing one way or the other so it stays balanced between us-- each helping to keep the other in check most of the time. But in a company often the balance between these two positions is upset due to external influences or pressures.

[temitoepay]

"We don't trust people to follow the rules. We trust people to know when to break them."

[steveshaw]

Brilliant listen....this guy has made talking sense into an art

[edifeldman]

Young companies and young people have nothing to loose. So, they dream big. Big companies like older people built something and accumulated responsibility. They are afraid to loose what they have. The truth is that as we grow old/big our vision shrinks. It is safer.

[mlkoch]

What I enjoy most about Sinek is that he is intellectually strong and very observant, but doesn't seem to need to have intellectuals appreciate him as others would. Find it sad that some of us, (in the peanut gallery, like myself, who benefit from his learnings, observations and how he connects them into concepts that benefit so many) have to find reasons to nitpick his ideas, pan him for not giving appropriate enough credit (or credit to the measure, we in the audience think he should have) or criticize how he draws us back to a previous concept (as though it's a mistake to draw us back to something so many found to have value), etc. Very sad indeed - as if being an "armchair critic" makes us valid (or more valid than anyone else who views one of these messages.) Those who pan this and other "think differently" concepts just show their own issues with "whatever." Kudos to Simon...and thanks for being so observant, such a willing learner and articulate enough to share what you've learned/observed with the rest of us.

[lizgichora]

The Best players win when they keep Focus on the Values, the principles that founded a Union. Discretion is born out of the nobility of Common Sense, how we impact each other, hence what it would mean if we lost our shared values, I like how you said " innovation is born out of struggle " and " Never Sabotage a leader ". Thank you very much.

[ben_lyngdoh]

The most insightful of 'The mind of Simon Sinek'.

I love this more than any other speak I've ever watched.

[treybutler]

I wish the first questioner had been asked what he really means when he says "the small, scrappy company can't afford to miss their numbers..." Small companies might not be able to pay their bills, they might not make rent and get kicked out of their space, but the only reason someone loses a job for "missing numbers" is because of the finite game's arbitrary goals Sinek talks about. The questioner cannot resolve the difference between finite and infinite because his mindset is completely stuck in "finite" -- it's difficult to imagine there is any other way to operate. "Missing numbers" results in "shareholder dissatisfaction" results in "board meetings" and the loss of a job. But the company may have done extremely well! They just "missed their numbers." THIS is what Sinek is arguing against -- the companies who are focused more on their values, that have values well-integrated with their surrounding culture and society, will outlast those who are making up "numbers" that can be "missed."

[taibisaad]

شكراً جزيلاً أخي سيمون
على كل فكرة...
على كل جرعة أمل...
على كل شيئ...
و إلى كل متطلع إلى الحكمة
( خذ ما صفا و دع ما تكدر )

[ZachsMusicTube]

Great content, makes sense. I'll call it a game when more people are having fun.

[felipeblin]

James Carse. finite and infinite games (a vision of life as play and possibility). A book I recommend from a philosophical and poetic point of view. Beautiful book

[alakshmikishore]

Simon, You are second to none. Fantastic Presentation.

[slowboat]

I was with Simon all the way, but the answer to the last question floored me.
if there is no such thing as a winner why do have to have a Adversary?
eg. the goal is world peace, health and happiness.
you need an adversary to fight for it in an infinite game?

[SWASTIK]

Thank a lot sir, this was very helpful....
After I watched the video, I thought about the term "executive" for a while, Googled it and I discover something I was totally ignoring.... I'm not the CEO at our Startup.... I don't execute, the whole Team does.... And first thing I did was to replace The "E" with a "V".... It's weird... But true.... CVO is the right

[stevenzuniga]

We're talking about the meaning of life stuff. And I believe Simon is heading towards the right direction with a 'Infinite vs finite' perceptions of reality. I can only speculate where a infinite/finite universe, or game, will take us.

And to point out, very few companies are built upon ideas of infinity. Ideas that are somewhere between immensity and eternity. Google for instance is built upon infinity. For example, Googol (10^100) or a Googolplex is number that so big it can't even be written onto a paper or contained in a data center. Keep searching for those infinities...

[iwyosfc]

If you follow someone, you're always one step behind.

[romylsaladar]

Fascinating, it seems Finite and Infinite games of leadership are similar to living a life in effect or cause. In regards to the last question he asked, I found it refreshing that he voiced his discomfort of his work in progress thesis, that in playing with an Infinite Player the existent of an adverseary may be required [this got me thinking...]. I could say, it seems in an environment where there are majority of Infinite players, these players see each other as 'Complimenrary Adversiaries' for the existence of an Industry as a platform to express themselves. Where they see each others existence as a challenge to be better [than who they were yesterday] though they do not have to like each other, an underlying respect exists and expands the industry dance floor, like of the time of Bill Gates (PC on everydesktop) and Steve Jobs (make great products). There were numerous times these two would phone called each other and congratulated each others succeses as moving the industry forward. In the Finite environment Oppositional Adversiaries exist and are focused on the taking down of each others existence. These games both work and exist, I guess, it is just a choice of what game I wish too play, from here. What do you say?

[Edmonchuck]

Holy crap...it is like I am hearing myself speak. I've been preaching this for years, and getting slammed by peers for not playing the "beat x" game.

[onehappyleaf]

I needed to hear this today. Thank you