The Infinite Game: How to Lead in the 21st Century: Simon Sinek (Transcript)

Here is the full transcript of Simon Sinek’s talk titled “The Infinite Game: How to Lead in the 21st Century.”

In this talk, author Simon Sinek discusses how to lead in the 21st century, and emphasizes the importance of trust, teams, and vision. He gives the example of Walt Disney as someone who was able to lead his company in a new direction by being brutally honest and admitting his lack of knowledge. He urges leaders to adopt an “infinite mindset” in order to build better relationships with their employees, friends, and family. In a finite game, where everyone is striving for results, it is important to maintain an open mind and focus on the people around you. Schools that adopt this mindset are typically more successful than those that do not.

Listen to the audio version here:

TRANSCRIPT:

January 1968. The North Vietnamese armies launched a surprise attack against the American forces in the country. It was Tet, which is the Lunar New Year, and there was a tradition in Vietnam that lasted decades that there was never any fighting on Tet. But this year, 1968, the North Vietnamese generals decided that they would break this tradition with the hope that they would overwhelm American forces and bring about a swift end to the war. This was the Tet Offensive.

They threw 85,000 troops at over 125 targets across the country, catching the Americans completely by surprise. Many of the commanders weren’t even at their posts. They were in whatever local town or village celebrating Tet. Here’s the amazing thing. The United States military repelled every single attack, every single one.