I hate to break it to you, but there is no finish line in business as is in life. Well, at-least that is the mindset you have to lead your organization with if you care for outlasting results. That was my key takeaway form Simon Sinek's session on Leading with an Infinite Mindset.
See if you are playing an infinite game, there is no winning or losing, there is being ahead of the game or behind. You can't be #1 because the game has not ended yet :) and the key is not to be better than the competition, rather to outdo yourself and outlast the competition.
So how does one lead with an infinite mindset? Simon shared the following 5
1. Advance a Just Cause
What is your cause? Is it a cause worth sacrificing for.
2. Build Trusting Teams
The key question a leader should ask is 'how do we create an environment where our people can work at their best?'
Untrusting teams hide mistakes, never admit they do not know what they are doing, and will never say they need help. In Untrusting teams, people are more afraid of breaking the rules than doing the right thing.
Leaders should create an environment where people feel safe, and leaders should trust that employees will do the best.
3. Study a Worthy Rival
Do you have worthy rivals? Worthy rivals are those who make you uncomfortable, and whose strengths' reveal your weaknesses. If so, let that make you work on yourself to up your game.
4. Prepare your Organization for Existential Flexibility
Existential flexibility is the capacity to be flexible enough to change directions and make profound strategic shifts.
5. Have the Courage to Lead
Leading with an infinite mindset in a world full of people with finite mindset will require courage. As a leader you need to be courageous, but also you need to create an environment where your employees can have the courage. Remember what gives someone the courage to jump is the parachute, so create parachutes that will give people the confidence to be courageous enough to make decisions with an infinite mindset. If your people are courageous enough to jump, will you tell them "I got your back"?
These are notes from the World Business Forum 2019 session on on Leading with an Infinite Mindset.
These are my takeaways and they way I understood his ideas. If you want to learn more about his work, here is his website: https://simonsinek.com/
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