Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsIs business an "infinite game?" Maybe not but Sinek makes an interesting case for it.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2021
In this book, noted author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek argues that, much like in life, in business it is crucial organizations take an "infinite" approach to strategy and related business decisions instead of chasing metric improvement through greater income, higher stock prices, or similar measurements of "success." While these and other metrics are important, Simon's message is really about businesses and organizations crafting more of a missionary vision which will help drive their business decisions to a greater degree than often short-term, transitory metrics. With a sufficiently well-designed vision and business model to support it, Simon further argues that putting people first completes doing business with an infinite mindset. Although several great examples were used in this book, the classic Apple versus IBM or, later, IBM versus the PC competition was used to show how an infinite vision can play out in real life.
Unfortunately, while I liked the high value Simon placed on a business vision and putting people first, his description of an infinite mindset in this book often applies more to individuals than companies. While there are some companies who do last for decades if not centuries, this is not the norm. Would the marketplace of work and consumer demand be better off if the longevity that once marked great companies returned? I think it is a fascinating question the author really does not explore. Without extending his book to really look at this key question that underlies his basic argument, Simon could have reworked a lot of the advice in this book to apply to individuals in whatever their role - from a lowly cashier all the way up to a chief executive officer. Unfortunately, this book does seem to cater more to the c-suite leadership I'm sure Mr. Sinek has made his career advising. While I like this book and do recommend it to anyone in management or working in a corporate staff environment, its underlying argument does need to be clarified and the book's audience expanded for it to truly have a significant effect on how companies do business.
