Why Playing the Infinite Game Will Make You More Successful

Why did you decide to start a business? Were you tired of the micromanagement that only cared about numbers? Were you tired of working for a company that didn't value you?

See most employees get tired of these systems. They get frustrated with the way management and their organizations treat them. They start to loose trust in the companies that they work for.

They start realizing that they are not valued by these companies.

Quite Quitting- A never ending cycle in a finite game

Today there is a movement going around known as 'quite quitting.' It came about after the whole world suffered from the covid pandemic.

It's the act of employees becoming more and more disengaged from the companies they work for. They realized that they are nothing more than a means to an end for the company. So, they start doing the bare minimum and nothing more.

Giving extra to a company no longer drives them. The pandemic was eye opening.

The problem with this is that these companies no longer have loyal employees.
It's possible that it's good for the economy. These are the people who may go out and start businesses of their own.

The problem with this is that they fall into the same playing field as the companies they quit from.

When they become successful, they start undervaluing their employees. They start to get some success and then the cycle starts up all over again.

The Finite Mindset

Most businesses, CEO's and leaders run their business with a finite mindset. They see business as something with an end.

Like most games that you play today, they have the mentality that they can either win or loose. In the end, nobody wants to loose.

So they pull out everything that they got to try and reach their financial targets. They work their asses off to be number one.

They push employees to engage in activities they wouldn't want to do themselves. All in the name of hitting goals.

But how long can that last?

This is what Simon Sinek, the Author of "The Infinite Game," noticed. After working with countless organizations, he realized that something needed to change.

The Infinite Game

Sinek proposed the idea of "The Infinite Game." Which is where the ideas of this post came from.

He realized that business is not something that you can win or loose.

So instead, you should address business as a never ending game.

He believes that if you play the never ending game, you can see some distinct benefits. By focusing on staying in the game rather than winning you start to develop trust, loyalty and more wins.

In the long run, it's all around beneficial for both business and employees.

Playing with an infinite mindset, encourages positive behaviors. These behaviors contribute to the growth and survival of the business.
So how is it played?

How to play the Infinite Game

The way you do this is by caring about the people who contribute to your company. You focus on building trust within the company.

• You display and encourage positive behaviors of growth and trust.

• You focus on developing your employees and ensure that they are always improving. This should be more important than hitting a magic number.

• You provide trainings to those in position of leadership. Trainings should focus on how to manage the people, so they can learn how to guide and empower others.

• You work together with your employees to develop strategies for your business.

• You can have finite goals within the infinite game. Yet, these goals should not be the most important thing.

See, if you run a business like this, it builds up trust and cooperations. Employees feel empowered. They go above and beyond, because they feel valued.

In the end, it is their hard work that will make sure your business goes to the next level. It's their hard work that will make sure you stay in the game.

Navigating the Ups and Downs

The thing that we need to understand is that in business, like everything else in life, there are cycles. We should make our employees feel trusted, and valued when business is good. Then, they will work hard for the business when things are hard.

Do Things Different

Stop being a business that looks at things from a financial gain perspective, with an end goal in mind. Instead, adapt the infinite game mentality.

The idea that Business is a game that never ends. Remember that the goal is to stay in the business for as long as possible.

Teach yourselves and the leaders you put in place how to empower your employees.

Give them meaningful work. And listen to their ideas. Give them a place to share their ideas and voice their opinions.

Remember that it is these same employees that will work with you.
They will not think twice about going above and beyond for you. But you have to do it for them first.

You have to show them that you value them. You need to lead with them in mind.

Check out "The Infinite Game" by Simon Sinek. You can find out more about this idea and learn the principles of implementing it there.

There are countless lessons that will help you to see that there is a better way to do business.

Take care of your people first!

The challenge

1. If you have a business, take some time this week to reflect on how you are running your business. Check if adapting the infinite mindset would make a difference for you.
2. If you don't have a business, share this post with an entrepreneur, if you found it meaningful. Or share with your supervisors at work.