RL104: Infinite Games vs Finite Games

You should know the difference & how it impacts career satisfaction

Simon Sinek’s book, “The Infinite Game” is an incredible read.

I read this book 2+ years ago, and I still reference it all the time, so I figured today would be a great opportunity to explore the topic in greater detail.

Snag a copy here (affiliate link)

This post will have advice that will impact -

1. Your business/career strategy

2. The level of joy you feel in your career

3. How to make strategic decisions with limited information

Let’s get into it -

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Finite Games

As children, we’re raised on a steady stream of finite games.

A finite game is one in which -

• There are defined rules

• There is a defined start/stop

• There is a defined scoreboard to track winning/losing

• Players/teams can only enter the match at the beginning - there are no new entrants along the way

This type of game can be simple or complex - a finite game does not need to be ‘easy’, it is just a style of play. Here are examples of finite games -

• Soccer, football, lacrosse, basically any sports match

• Chess, checkers, and Go

• Classes in school are a sort of finite game - you know how you’ll be scored, they start (beginning of semester) and stop (final exam) at the same time for all players, and players rarely enter the game half-way through

Finite games can be fun, useful, and interesting.

Unfortunately, life and business are not finite games, rather they are infinite games.

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Infinite Games

Infinite games are the opposite of finite games (duh) -

• No defined start/stop

• No clearly defined scoreboard

• Limited definition of the rules of play

• Players enter and exit all the time

Infinite games include -

• Politics

• Business

• Investing

The world around us is more analogous to an infinite game than a finite game.

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Who Cares & What Are the Implications?

There are so many implications for this difference, and understanding the difference is a massive unlock in life and business.

1. How This Impacts Joy/Happiness

We all feel uncertainty and discomfort when making decisions around careers, employment, and business.