Which Game Are You Playing?

Ever thought about the tradeoff of winning?

Think about it – making that big, all-in bet to clinch a victory today. But what if this gamble compromises your future?

We encounter these strategic crossroads in sports constantly. For example, an NBA team splurging on superstar players for a 'win now' season, potentially sacrificing its future prospects. Or a youth sports coach who benches players to secure a weekend win, hindering their development for the season.

Navigating the tension between short term triumph and long term outcomes can be one of the hardest challenges faced by sport leaders. It's a dance between achieving now and ensuring your organisation survives and thrives into the future.

So, how do sport leaders strike this delicate balance?

I'm about to unpack a framework that helps navigate the 'game of the moment' while keeping an eye on the bigger, infinite picture. This framework isn't just a strategy; it's a mindset shift essential for sustainable success in sports and beyond.

Let’s dive into finite and infinite games.

🔄 Infinite vs. Finite: A Framework for Clarity

In his book, “The Infinite Game” Simon Sinek expands on James P Carse’s work about finite and infinite games. He explains that:

1. Finite Games are those with clear objectives and definitive endpoints. Think of a basketball match, a tennis set, or even an entire football season. Finite games are about winning within the confines of established rules.

2. Infinite Games, on the other hand, lack a clear finish line. Their essence lies in their perpetuity. The aim? To keep the game alive. You play for the right to be able to keep playing. It's not about the trophy at the end, but about still standing (and perhaps, if you’re skillful enough, the legacy that's built and sustained).

Sinek makes the argument that leaders who adopt an infinite mindset, focused on long-term play, create organisations that are not only more resilient and innovative but also more inspiring. While it may take time for the benefits of this mindset to become apparent, it tends to enable deeper and more enduring values when compared to the short-term rewards that come from taking a finite mindset.

So what’s the lesson here for sport leaders?

⚖️ Balancing the Scales: The Art of Dual Mindsets

Ever found yourself engrossed in the immediate thrill of the game, losing sight of the overarching goal? I've been there.

As I mentioned earlier, this encapsulates a significant challenge in sports leadership.

While the allure of immediate victories is hard to resist, it can sometimes eclipse the broader, enduring vision. The quick rush of a finite game might cloud the patient strategy needed for the infinite game.

In essence, sports present a dual challenge—a game within a game.

The first, the finite game, revolves around immediate outcomes: the weekend matches and seasonal achievements.

The second, the infinite game, concerns long-term goals: nurturing a passion for the sport, safeguarding you club's vitality, and maintaining its relevance.

The dilemma for sports leaders?

Recognising which game they're playing at any given moment.

In the sports world, where results and competition are deeply ingrained, it's easy to get caught up in the finite game and lose sight of the infinite.

Exceptional sports leaders discern these two games. They understand when to adopt a finite mindset for immediate gains and when to shift to an infinite mindset for long-term aspirations.

They're attuned to the tensions between these games, particularly when the objectives of the finite game and the infinite games conflict.

In moments such as these, resolving these conflicts may not be possible, but navigating them is - after all its hard to chart a course when you can’t see what’s on the map. By understanding the map of these dual games, sports leaders can steer their teams and organisations not just to immediate victories, but towards a legacy that endures.

🌟 Leading with an Infinite Mindset

For leaders wanting to take an infinite mindset, according to Sinek their are five essential practices. I’ve distilled these five practices for those leading in sport below:

One: Advance a Just Cause

A just cause is a compelling vision of a better future.

While I worked with the Sport Development Team at Sport New Zealand, our just cause was "Balance is Better." We aimed for a New Zealand youth sport system where every young individual, regardless of their skill or background, could enjoy quality sport experiences. Our hope was that this approach would foster a lifelong passion for sport among young Kiwis and enable them to realize their potential at the right moments.

Some other noteworthy causes in sport include:

• Promoting sportsmanship and fair play

• Enhancing athletes' health and well-being

• Broadening access to sports

• Driving diversity and inclusion

Two: Build Trusting Teams

A trusting team is a team made up of people who feel safe around each other—safe to express their feelings, ask for help, talk about problems, and admit to mistakes. Tactics good leaders will use to build trusting teams include:

1. Encourage honesty and open communication

2. Establish clear goals and roles

3. Establish accountability

4. Value and respect team members

5. Encourage team members to see their colleagues as people

6. Lead by example

7. Celebrate successes

Three: Study Worthy Rivals

Don’t let tribalism stifle learning.

There’s a special place in sport for fierce rivalries. And these rivalries often play into and help foster individuals’ and organisations’ own narratives.

But don’t let rivalries hinder growth. Competition can be used to highlight areas for improvement.

Sinek advises pinpointing a rival who excels in areas you might be lagging in. While you don't need to like or even agree with them, their strengths can offer valuable lessons.

Four: Prepare for Existential Flexibility

If there’s one challenge I see community sport leaders trip up on, its the inability to challenge the incumbent way of doing things. Don’t follow tradition to the grave! (That’s not to say dismiss all tradition).

If the goal is longevity, then leaders with an infinite mindset must be ready to pivot, even if it means momentarily letting go of the past. Sometimes these shifts will need to be profound, and they may mean you accrue short term losses. Ultimately, its about doing these changes to stay in the game.

An example that comes to mind here is NZ Rugby’s approach to changing rules for junior and youth rugby. They knew there would be resistance to these rule changes, but framed the shift by explaining to junior administrators that we need to transition from ‘making the player fit the game’ to ‘making the game fit the player’.

Five: Demonstrate the Courage to Lead

Leaders who want to play the infinite game will need the courage to ‘stay the course’. Sports often witness new strategies, policies or initiatives being challenged. Leaders may face pushback from boards, critics, or public opinion.

This kind of struggle is often too great for a single person to tackle alone, so here, banding all leaders within an organisation together and ensuring they are aligned is important.

📣 A Call to Sports Leaders

It's easy to get lost in the maze of scores, rankings, and immediate results. But as stewards of the game, it's crucial to embrace both finite and infinite mindsets.

Celebrate the wins, by all means. But also sow the seeds for a legacy. Invest in the culture, value every participant, and always keep one eye on the horizon. Because while the games we play have an endpoint, the impact of our leadership does not.

Keep both timeframes in your crosshairs. Lead with vision. Play the long game, even as you strategize for the short one.

In the end, the question isn't just about whether you're playing the game. It's about understanding which game you're truly in. And playing it right.

Want to delve deeper?

🎥 Watch:

• The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek - watch it here.

📖 Read:

• How NZ Rugby rolled out changes to U12 rugby rules.

• How to lead change as a sports leader? An introduction to Kotter’s 8-step change model.