Simon Sinek – författare

So many organizations and individuals are obsessed with winning. But how do you win a game that never really ends? There is no such thing, for example, as “winning” business. Simon Sinek’s Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last have helped millions of readers see the hidden rules that govern our behavior. Now The Infinite Game challenges us to rethink our perspective with a deceptively simple question: How do you stay ahead in a game with no end? Games like basketball and chess are finite, with firm rules and clear endpoints. But business, for example, is infinite — there’s ultimately no such thing as “winning” because there’s always a new set of challenges. Those who thrive in the long run are those who play by infinite rules. They do things that enable them to out-maneuver, out-innovate, and outlast their competitors. Trying to play an infinite game with a finite mindset can be catastrophic. During the Vietnam War, for instance, America won nearly every battle and killed many more enemy troops. But the Americans lost the war because the North Vietnamese were willing to endure any hardship, for as long as it took to force the Americans to give up. Through a wide range of examples, Sinek explores how infinite players in any field can exhaust their competitors, stay ahead for the long run, and create strong organizations, built to weather nearly any storm. Great leaders instinctively play the infinite game; now the rest of us can understand how they do it. The finite thinker focuses on… * A company’s quarterly earnings * Winning a presidential election * Winning an Olympic medal * Squeezing the last dollar from a negotiation * Raising an obedient child * Closing a sale * What and How The infinite thinker focuses on… * A company’s reputation * Leading the nation * Becoming as good as you can possibly be at your sport * Making your partner want to do business with you again * Raising an inquisitive child * Building a customer relationship * Why

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. 

In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. "Officers eat last," he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care.

Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.

Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.

Do you know how to play the game you’re in? In finite games, like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed, and the endpoint is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified. In infinite games, like business or politics or life itself, the players come and go, the rules are changeable, and there is no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers in an infinite game; there is only ahead and behind. The more I started to understand the difference between finite and infinite games, the more I began to see infinite games all around us. I started to see that many of the struggles that organizations face exist simply because their leaders were playing with a finite mindset in an infinite game. These organizations tend to lag behind in innovation, discretionary effort, morale and ultimately performance. The leaders who embrace an infinite mindset, in stark contrast, build stronger, more innovative, more inspiring organizations. Their people trust each other and their leaders. They have the resilience to thrive in an ever-changing world, while their competitors fall by the wayside. Ultimately, they are the ones who lead the rest of us into the future. Any worthwhile undertaking starts with Why – the purpose, cause or belief that inspires us to do what we do and inspires others to join us. Good leaders know how to build Circles of Safety that promote trust and cooperation throughout their organizations. But that’s not enough to help us chart a course through the unpredictable, often chaotic landscape of today’s marketplace. I now believe that the ability to adopt an infinite mindset is a prerequisite for any leader who aspires to leave their organization in better shape than they found it.

I alla spel med ett klart definierat slut, som fotboll eller schack, är aktörerna kända, reglerna fasta och slutmålet tydligt. Vem som är vinnare och vem som är förlorare är enkelt att avgöra.  

I spel utan slut, som affärer, politik eller livet självt, kommer och går spelarna, reglerna är föränderliga och slutmålet är ständigt rörligt. Det finns inga vinnare eller förlorare i spelet utan slut: bara de som ligger före och de som halkar efter.  

Ju mer Simon Sinek började förstå skillnaden mellan dessa system, desto mer började han se ändlösa spel överallt omkring oss. Han insåg snart att många av de svårigheter som företag och organisationer genomgår helt enkelt beror på att deras ledare agerade i tron att de spelade ett spel med klart definierat slut när de i själva verket deltog i ett spel utan slut. Sådana organisationer riskerar att hamna på efterkälken vad gäller innovation, gruppmoral och till sist resultat.  

Ledare som har ett ändlöst tankesätt bygger istället starka och flexibla organisationer präglade av innovationskraft. De anställda litar på varandra och sina chefer. Dessa organisationer har förmåga att frodas i en värld i ständig förändring, medan deras konkurrenter hamnar efter. Det är dessa ledare som för oss alla in i framtiden.  

Simon Sineks poäng är att förmågan att bemästra spelet utan slut är helt avgörande för varje ledare som alltid strävar efter att göra sin organisation så stark som möjligt.    

Simon Sinek är författare och föreläsare, född 1973 i Storbritannien. Han har bjudits in till organisationer som Microsoft, American Express, FN och Pentagon för att presentera sina idéer. Hans TED-talk som utgått från boken har visats närmare 40 miljoner gånger.

Why do you do what you do? Why are some people and organisations more innovative, more influential and moer profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over? People like Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. It was their natural ability to start with why that enabled them to inspire those around them and to achieve remarkable things. In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act and communicate in the exact same way - - and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea 'The Golden Circle' and it provides a framework upon which organisations can be built, movements can be lead and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY. Any organisation can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it, but very few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not money or profit - those are always results. WHY does your organisation exist? WHY does it do the things it does? WHY do customers really buy from one company or another? WHY are people loyal to some leaders, but not others? Starting with WHY works in big business and small business, in the nonprofit world and in politics. Those who start with WHY never manipulate, they inspire. And the people who follow them don't do so because they have to; they follow because they want to. Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or who wants to find someone to inspire them.