Pile On Motivation

Join 21.1K other subscribers

Tag: finite minded leaders

  • Understanding a finite mindset , the GE way

    Jack Welch always cared for short term gains and was known to put shareholder gains before people in GE

    His rating criteria for people was based on two criteria:

    1) Performance & 2) Potential which is future performance

    Such a short term profit centred mindset is a perfect example of a finite mindset where profits are put ahead of people.

    Needlessly to day this eroded the work culture and employee trust and had it not been for a $300 billion bailout by the US government , GE would have been history by now

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book “The Infinite Game”

  • When finite minded leaders violate their ALPHA position

    Amazing Simon Sinek quote of leadership:

    “If our leaders are to enjoy the trappings of their position in the hierarchy, then we expect them to offer us protection. The problem is, for many of the overpaid leaders, we know that they took the money and perks and didn’t offer protection to their people. In some cases, they even sacrificed their people to protect or boost their own interests. This is what so viscerally offends us. We only accuse them of greed and excess when we feel they have violated the very definition of what it means to be a leader.” – Simon Sinek

  • “Who’s right” vs “What’s right”?

    A finite minded short term oriented leader cares for “Who’s right”.

    An infinite minded long term oriented leader cares for “What’s right” with the just cause in mind.

    This highlights the difference in approach between an infinite and finite minded leader.

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book titled “Together is Better”.

  • Reasons behind reduction in “average life ” of a modern day company”?

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book titled “The Infinite Game”

    According to a 2017 study by Credit Suisse the average life of a company has reduced from ~60 years in the 1950’s to ~20 years in the modern day.

    Though disruptive technology proliferation is often provided as an excuse for this we need to delve deep and understand that disruption is nothing new.

    Think of micro-oven , television , transistor , credit card etc. these were all invented around the 1950’s.

    The reason reason is increasing finite mindedness in modern day leaders.These are leaders who are willingness to sacrifice people to meet their numbers for their beloved shareholders.Since the people are pitted against each other these leaders end up creating an environment filled with micro-management where people lack a feeling of trustworthiness.

    Hence the need of the hour is to train modern day leaders to possess an infinite mindset with a long term goal in mind.

  • Winning a finite game no more than a “dopamine” shot

    A finite game is one where players are fixed , rules are fixed and time is limited.

    “Winning” matters in a finite game and as a result finite games are played by players led by finite minded leaders.Winning is for the short term and is hardly able to stand the test of time.The effect is temporary wherein a win results in a “dopamine” flow.

    On the other hand guided by a long term vision an infinite minded leader enables a player to play an infinite game wherein the respective players guided by the vision attain fulfillment instead of just a temporary “dopamine” shot.

    Simon Sinek touches upon these aspects in “The Infinite Game”

  • Watch out for leaders and their messages

    When a leader issues a communication to a broader audience on behalf of the company their intent or mindset of leading the organization becomes very clear.

    If the communication prioritizes growth , shareholder value , customer satisfaction , employees in that order it clearly puts “numbers” over “people” which is an indication of a finite minded leader focused on short term goals.

    If the order of communication is reversed , the organization is playing an infinite game led by a leader with an infinite mindset.

    Simon Sinek mentions about such nuances in his book titled “The Infinite Game”.