The Infinite Game

by Simon Sinek

For years, British Airways, for example, claimed in their advertising that they were “the world’s favourite airline.”1 Richard Branson’s airline, Virgin Atlantic, filed a dispute with Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority that such a claim could not be true based on recent passenger surveys. The ASA allowed the claim to stand, however, on the basis that British Airways carried more international passengers than any other airline. “Favourite,” as they used the word, meant that their operation was expansive, not necessarily preferred.

Lego invented a toy that has stood the test of time not because it was lucky, but because nearly everyone who works there wants to do things to ensure that the company will survive them. Their drive is not to beat the quarter, their drive is to “continue to create innovative play experiences and reach more children every year.”

Though some people believed Apple could predict consumer preferences and see into the future, they couldn’t. In reality it was their infinite perspective that opened a path for them to innovate in ways that companies with more finite-minded leadership simply could not.

Resilient companies may come out the other end of upheaval entirely different than they were when they went in (and are often grateful for the transformation).

We do not think in quarters,” he says. “We think in generations.” This kind of infinite thinking put Victorinox in a position where they were both philosophically and financially ready to face what for another company might have been a fatal crisis.

When we play with a finite mindset in an infinite game, the odds increase that we will find ourselves in a quagmire, racing through the will and resources we need to keep playing.

According to a study by McKinsey, the average life span of an S&P 500 company has dropped over forty years since the 1950s, from an average of sixty-one years to less than eighteen years today.15 And according to Professor Richard Foster of Yale University, the rate of change “is at a faster pace than ever.”

Any leader who wants to adopt an infinite mindset must follow five essential practices: Advance a Just Cause Build Trusting Teams Study your Worthy Rivals Prepare for Existential Flexibility Demonstrate the Courage to Lead

Just as it is easier to focus on a fixed, finite goal than an infinite vision of the future, it is easier to lead a company with a finite mindset, especially during times of struggle or downturn.