Simon Sineks 4 ways to think long term in a short term market.
In my last article I wrote about some of the struggles that today’s leader faces every day. One of them is the rat race and overwhelming pressure to be the best and deliver now now now, fulfilling the short-term goals and incentive program. This is a way that does not aligne and create the wished longterm outcome where innovation, trust and meaningful relationships are built, and bigger values are created.
But how can we balance short term goals with long term goals?
Simon Sinek achieved international fame with the TED Talk “How great leaders inspire action” and his first book “Start With Why.” Now he is expanding his discussion of leadership and delving into the question of what has gone so wrong for businesses and their leaders. In this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, Simon Sinek goes deep into the subject of his newest work, “The Infinite Game.”
Leaders are you playing in the right game? "Finite or Infinite games"
Everything is about having the right mindset according to Simon Sinek.
In finite games, we all agree on the rules, how the game is played, and then the game ends. An infinite game is defined as having known and unknown players. Problems arise when finite players play to win and infinite players, play to keep the game going.
The key to an infinite game is having the will and resources to keep the game going. What most leaders don’t realize is that business is an infinite game. There’s no such thing as “winning” in business. The language of the businesses that say they want to be number one or they want to “win,” those businesses don’t know what game they’re in.
The clear majority of businesses are making decisions in a finite game but they’re playing an infinite game. An Infinite player understands that sometimes you have a better product and sometimes your competitor does. In an infinite game, there is only ahead or behind.
Here comes Simon Sinkes four ways how to think long term in a short term market
You must have a cause
A cause "a why" is what your company stands for and it’s bigger than the product or service you offer.
Courageous leadership
Leaders who don’t prioritize the advancement of the cause are not leaders. A powerful example is the recent stand that CVS took by removing cigarettes from its stores. Leaders chose to do away with billions of dollars in revenue, in order to stand for their cause.
If companies continue to promote the people who hit the numbers, but don’t build trustworthiness, they are destroying their own companies. Gifted, natural leaders help their teammates reach their full potential.
Build trusting and vulnerable teams
When your employee doesn’t feel trusted or safe, the customer and the company suffer. You hire great people, let them make their own decisions. Allow them to do their jobs. The question should be, how do we help our people work at their natural best?
HR is in a place where they should say to leadership, “do not touch the people.” HR should not be the executers of executives, they are in defense of the people, not the advancement of the executives.
Worthy advisory
Identify the worthy advisories. People who are actually better at what you do than you. Learn from them. Understand where your weaknesses are and learn from them.
Partnership is way better. Find that person who has strengths where you have weaknesses.
Flexible playbook
Great organizations have a fixed cause and a flexible strategy. Why does your company exist? Is you why clear? Do you exceute on it? If you have no cause and you only have a strategy, you will not know where you’re going.
Will comes first and then resources.
Great organizations are prepare to take on short-term liabilities for the long-term gain.
Final point, what does it mean to live an infinite life? We come and go but life continues with us or without us.
Some might live their lives by the rules of the finite game. That means you wake up every single day and accumulate money and power. It’s exhausting and stressful. At the end of life, you don’t win life, you just die.
Or, we can choose to live a life on the infinite game. It’s not about the impact you can make on your life, it’s about the impact you can make on other’s lives.
Listen to Simon Sinek about Infinte game : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3ZW5qE4JvI
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