Simon Sinek , the author of the best selling book “Start With Why” has the following vision which is sure to inspire one and all seeking inspiration in their everyday lives.
“To build a world in which the vast majority of us wake up every single morning inspired to go to work , feel safe when we’re there and return home fulfilled at the end of the day.”
I personally find this very inspiring.
“Hire for culture and you can always teach the skills later” – Simon Sinek
All such organizations have a vision that would aim towards advancing a just cause larger than the organization itself.
Once employees are aligned with the culture they would give their blood sweat and tear.
A “just cause”as defined by Simon Sinek in “The Infinite Game” is a specific vision of the future state that does not yet exist; a future state so appealing that people are willing to make sacrifices in order to help advance toward that vision.
Such a vision aims at benefits for others in mind without being selfish minded.
Such a vision makes hiring easier wherein passionate people in line with this vision can be onboarded to advance the vision.
Such a just cause makes the people give their blood sweat and tear on being inspired by the broad purpose.Hence a “just cause” is a pre-requiste for survival in an infinite game.
A message crafted with an “against” in mind is reactive , is about vilifying , demonizing or rejecting.This thus more often than not would convey a demotivating negative message.
As against this a message crafted with a “for” in mind is about feeling inspired , ignites the hunan spirit and makes us feel optimistic and hopeful thus inspires us.
Hence an impactful vision statement in otder to inspire a group should have a “for” rather than an “against”.
Simon Sinek mentions this in “The Infinite Game”.
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”
Doug Mcmillon has revived Walmart with his infinite mindset after the dismal period from 2009 and 2013 under Mike Duke.
Main reason of revival under Doug Mcmillion is attributed to his infinite mindset and vision of putting people over numbers.
Please read below one such great post(source Fortune.com) that talks about why he is indeed an infinite minded leader.
https://fortune.com/2015/06/04/walmart-ceo-doug-mcmillon/
Simon Sinek makes a mention of Doug Mcmillon in “The Infinite Game”
There are three factors to consider as a leader of a team participating in a game.
1) The leader cannot choose whether the game is finite or infinite
2) The leader has to decide whether to take part in the game or not
3) Once the leader decides to join the fame , he/she has to decide whether to play with a finite mindset or an infinite mindset.
Depending on the mindset the corresponding game would be played.
Simon Sinek mentions this in “The Infinite Game”
An infinite mindset always thinks of the long run rather than focusing on “low hanging fruits” in the short term.
Since this relates to a vision , of something currently non-existential , it comes with its own set of risks.
History is witness to the fact that visionary leaders who have adopted an “infinite mindset” have created and envisioned things beyond the realm of the ordinary finite minded leaders.Examples include Apple , COSTCO , Barry Wehmiller , CVS etc.
An example which is mention worthy in this context would be CVS Health.
When CVS embarked on its journey of nurturing good health for one and all , the giant step that it decided to take was abandoning sale of cigarettes across all its stores.The decision to change its name from CVS Caremark to CVS Health was in line with this vision as well.Though met with a lot of resistance in the long run the “just cause” did serve the company very well and helped it stand out from its competitors namely Walgreens and Rite Aid where the “finite mindset” obsessed leaders could not make up their mind to follow suit.
Simon Sinek’s “The infinite Game” makes a mention of the same.