Simon Sinek argues for an infinite mindset: treat competitors as worthy rivals who expose your weaknesses, not enemies to crush. Microsoft obsessed over beating Apple while Apple focused on helping teachers and students, then introduced the iPhone. Learn from rivals instead of fixating on defeating them.
Chapters
I don't believe in competition in the infinite game, right. Because there's no winners or losers, Right. I believe in worthy rivals which who are the companies that are doing one or many things better than you and their strengths reveal to you your weaknesses, learn from them. Because it's a gift. It's a gift because sometimes when we're out ahead all the time, our weaknesses will become blind to them because we're doing so well. And so sometimes when there are players who are better than us and they reveal to us where we have to improve, we take ourselves on. And I'll tell you one quick story that really highlights it. I spoke at an education summit for Microsoft back when Steve Ballmer was the CEO. By sheer coincidence, a few months later, I spoke at an education summit for Apple. Right now, Microsoft is a very finite minded organization. Win, win, win. Beat Apple, Beat Apple. And Apple was just doing its thing, right? At the education summit for Microsoft, like 80% of the executives, their presentations were about how to beat Apple. At The Apple Summit, 100% of the executives, their presentations were about how to help teachers teach and how to help students learn. One was obsessed with where they were going, the other one was obsessed with beating their competition. Guess who had morale and innovation and cooperation challenges. Anyway, at the end of my Microsoft talk, they gave me a gift. They gave me the new Zune when it was a thing, if anybody can remember that. It was Microsoft's response to the ipod, basically. And Steve Ballmer was very clear that he wanted to beat the ipod, right? It was a really good piece of technology, I have to tell you. Anyway, I'm sharing a taxi with a senior Apple executive after the Apple gig and I couldn't help myself. It's a personality flaw. I had to stir the pot and I turned to him and I said, you know, Microsoft gave me their new Zune. It is so much better than my ipod. And the guy turned to me and he said, I have no doubt. And the conversation was over. Because when you have an infinite mindset, you understand that sometimes you're ahead and sometimes you're behind. There's no winning or losing. There's only a head and behind. And the goal is not to beat your competitor. The goal is to outdo yourself. And two years later, Apple introduced the iPhone, which rendered both the Zune and the ipod obsolete because they were busy focusing on something else other than trying to beat their competitor. Focus on yourself. Focus on how you can be a better version of yourself. Learn from the competitors who are better than you. Absolutely. Learn from them. They are worthy rivals. They will teach you how to be better. You run faster when you have a pacer, you know, as opposed to running by yourself. They are there to push you. But you're not going to beat them, so it doesn't matter. It's a silly construction.
