In infinite games there are no winners or losers; there is only ahead and behind. The goal is not to beat the competition, but perpetuate the game. You want to stay playing for as long as possible.

So, if there are no winners or losers, should you focus on anyone? If so, who is your competition?

In Simon Sinek’s most recent book The Infinite Game, he terms suggests that you should focus on the individual(s) who help you improve. This person (or organization) then becomes a worthy rival, not competitor.

Worthy Rival

In infinite games, we are our own best competition. The goal is to be better next year than we are this year; to have better products, to create a better culture, to grow better leaders, the list goes on. Worthy Rivals are the other players in the game worthy of comparison. Studying them reveals to us our opportunities to improve so we can remain players in the game and better advance our Just Cause.

Choose someone you respect that is better at certain things than you are. This should be someone who helps you work on your weaknesses and encourages you to improve yourself.

Remember, the infinite mindset is a growth mindset focused on constant improvement.

Daily Directive

Use worthy rivals to reveal your weaknesses as well as to keep you on the straight and narrow moving forward.

Shift your mindset to studying your worthy rivals, rather than trying to beat your competition. 

This weekend, identify one worthy rival and write down which weakness they highlight about yourself. Then make a goal to improve that weakness by studying what they do to be better at it.

Tyler

Other articles in this series:
Mindset: Adopting an Infinite One
Mindset:Advancing a Just Cause
Mindset: Trusting Teams
Mindset: Existential Flexibility
Mindset: Courage to Lead