The Best Leaders Know That Business is Not a Simple Game to Win or Lose

Often we hear that we must wage battles to win the war against our competition. In business, we sometimes have a fascination with using terms that create artificial conflict. We create ‘war rooms’ or ‘battle plans’ for rolling out new initiatives. Are we really fighting to win a ‘roll out’? We want to beat the competition, but do we have a full understanding of what that looks like?In his recent works, Simon Sinek has been discussing the idea of infinite and finite games of business. He makes some excellent points in that often businesses do not even realize the rules of the games they are playing. Most businesses believe they are planting a game that has defined boundaries with clear winners and losers. That must be how it works - right? Hasn’t it always been that way? What Sinek so accurately points out is that the best businesses, those we see as most successful are playing an enticingly different game. One that doesn’t follow the rules of old. That see the game as every changing and one that does not have a defined winner at any given time.Pause for a moment and think about this concept. What does winning mean in a retail arena? Does it mean you put a competitor out of business? Is ten game over at that point? What would that look like? Looking through history I cannot find an example of where a dominate business ever reached a point where they “won the game.” Sears was once a dominant retailer, today, they hang on by a thread for their existence. KMart, Toys R Us, Montgomery Ward, and Sports Authority are other familiar names that were once top players in the retail field. They all played the game thinking they could ‘win’, yet never understood the game they were playing.It is easy to point a finger at Amazon and place blame. However, it may just be that Amazon Hass figured out that the game is different, there are not defined rules, there is not a standard finish line to reach. Rather they continue to push themselves and others to reach new heights and explore new areas to serve customers in. Amazon started as a simple online ordering business. And had they stayed an online retailer, the likelihood that they would exist as we know them today would be almost zero. Instead, they continue to create new rules, break into new areas, and expand in ways no one would have guessed a few years ago. The leading online retailer, the one responsible for the downfall of many retail giants is also a major media company, created and supplies the number one home automation tool available right now, and yes, still makes sure almost anything you can desire will be at your door within 48 hours.For any bigness in today’s environment, especially retailers, the time has come to realize that the game is not about numbers, or about winning or losing. It is about serving and being more to a customer than just a name, a brand, or a collection of products. Businesses must look for new ways to connect and engage with people, they must challenge the idea of a simple winning or losing thought process. We must heed Sinek’s advice and realize it is an infinite game which means endless possibilities. That is an exciting thing if we embrace it.How will you make the switch to playing the infinite game? Leave your thoughts in comments.