August 2025 Newsletter

Recently I completed reading a couple of books on leadership from two current trans-formatively oriented authors.  Both are New York Times bestselling authors and are highly regarded. By no design, I ended up reading them back-to-back.  In the end it turned out fortuitous for me as, through particular sections of the books, I was reminded of the power of partnerships.  Now, I have espoused and trained to the importance of partnerships within my work for years.  The impact of being partners with others is nothing new to me.  But, upon reading these two books back-to-back, I was reminded of both how detrimental it can be to not partner, and of the substantial power that comes with partnering (often when it occurs with unlikely “others”.

In the first book, The Infinite Game, by Simon Sinek, the author shares the experience he had in his mind with his “worthy rival,” another author on leadership with whom he shared the spotlight among readers and followers.  Sinek shares his being uncomfortable whenever he heard this other author’s name.  How he would routinely compare how his books were selling compared to those of the other author, smiling with a sense of superiority when he found his were selling better.  His annoyance when his were not selling as well.  Said Sinek, “He was my main competitor, and I wanted to win.”

Here, I want to pause and summarize the second book I read, the author of which Sinek saw as his main competitor, and the person over whom he “wanted to win.” Originals, How Non-Conformists Move the World, by Adam Grant, is a book on the qualities and behaviors that set innovators and non-conformists apart.  Grant beautifully challenges conventional wisdom, shedding light on the habits and mindsets of leaders that drives transformative  and positive change.

At some point, both of these authors were invited to share a stage at the same event.  Now, both had been at events together in the past, but never “on stage” together. At this event, they sat side by side for a joint interview. The facilitator of the interview thought it would be fun to have the two introduce each other.  Here, let me go to Sinek’s own words to tell the next part of this story.

“I went first.  I looked at him, I looked at the audience, I looked back and him and I said, ‘You make me unbelievably insecure because all of your strengths are all of my weaknesses. You can do so well the things that I really struggle to do.” The audience laughed. He looked at me and responded, ‘The insecurity is mutual.’ We went on to identify some of my strengths as areas in which he wished he could improve.’”

Since that event, Grant and Sinek have become good friends. No longer competitors, they acknowledge their respective strengths and areas in which they want to  improve. They partner for the betterment of those they seek to influence, jointly. Each encourages their readers to read the other’s books and follow them.  And here we get to the point of Sinek’s, The Infinite Game. By being competitors, Sinek and Grant were engaged in a finite game- where one wins and the other loses. Based on a metric of being ahead or behind, they were racing to a finish line, albeit one that was not defined and (as Sinek notes) ultimately unwinnable.  By engaging in the infinite game (of which partnering and synergizing resources is a part) leadership energy is put forward for the purpose of leading continuous play (continuous improvement together) rather than to win. Leaders who embrace an infinite mindset, aligned with infinite play, will build stronger, more innovative, inspiring, resilient organizations.

As we engage our ongoing transformative leadership efforts, recognizing the prospective partners within our universe, and building partnerships with them provides the platform for significant positive change. If you are interested, take the time to enjoy The Infinite Game, and Originals, How Non-Conformists Move the World, by Simon Sinek and Adam Grant, respectively.

Submitted By:

Russ Thelin, M.S., CRC, CRL