How The Infinite Game Mindset Helps You Build A Long-Lasting Fulfilling Career Journey
Your Career Is an Infinite Game
I recently listened to the Simon Sinek 5 Fundamental Leadership as I practiced great public speaking. His analogy of finite and infinite games in corporate leadership captivated me, and I realized one thing.
Most of us play career games in the wrong way.
Many of us are playing finite games. We feel like losers when we don't achieve what we want in a designated amount of time. But in fact, although you can say it is finite, our life is an infinite game.
The interviewing process is one of the most obvious examples. When we get a rejection, it's easy to blame ourselves or think they have "lost" compared to the candidate who got the job. In this case, we still think about winners and losers and believe that the best candidate wins.
In fact, a rejection isn't so much a win or loss - it's just a step toward a positive outcome. It's just a "suggestion" for an area of improvement.
What is a Finite vs Infinite Game?
James Carsey, a theologian from NYU, wrote a book called Finite and Infinite Games, which discusses the games we played.
A game is formed when there are two competitors.
Finite games are defined by known players, fixed rules, and agreed-upon objectives, like preparing for a basketball game. We all agreed on the rules; the highest score of the two teams wins the game.
In contrast, infinite games are defined as known and unknown players. The rules are changeable, and the objective is to perpetuate the game.
The problem many of us are playing in our careers is treating an infinite game with a finite mindset.
Why?
It all started from the traditional formal education system. Your goal in a class is to get good grades - to be at the top. You often think getting an A in a class means you have "won" the game. However, if you get an "F" in a class, you lose that game, resulting in permanent consequences in your grade report. When you graduate, you "win" the game. Conversely, dropping out means "losing" the game. Therefore, we have been conditioned from the early stage of our journey to subconsciously think of a game as finite.
Our career and life are infinite games, and the point of "winning" in the infinite game is to stay in the game.
Here are some of the ideas and thought processes you should engrained into your subconscious mind when you think about navigating your career journey.
Pace yourself. Don't get Burned out.
Burning out is a sign of elimination. You need a longer recovery time to get back to speed whenever you burn out. Some people even quit the industry because they are fully burnt out.
Remember that the longer you stay in the game, the better you will become.
I recently got into running, and I have been trying to push myself more miles during my morning run without taking any breaks. The results? I got a running knee injury, the IT Band Syndrome, that prevented me from running, impacting my training journey. The lesson learned from this story is that the slowness and stability of climbing greatness are more prudent than fast and erratic.
Thinking in Long Term
Don't get too caught up in the promotion. Focus on what skillset requires you to work like someone level above you. Then, pretend like you are already on that level and religiously practice and practice those skills. For instance, if you realize that you must increase your communication skills to become a senior engineer. Pretend like you are a senior engineer and volunteer in leading meetings. The more meetings you lead, the easier and more natural you will become.
Do something that makes you nervous. For instance, dealing with SI (Site incident) is nerve-wracking. Try to step up during an SI and answer questions from the stakeholders. Take notes on how other leaders own their mistakes and provide great insights regarding the impact of the incident. Then, try to help others on call by helping them troubleshoot SI. When you step up and start doing nervous things, the feeling of a butterfly will not disappear but will slowly reside.
Endure The Process
Everything in life that facilitates growth requires a long process.
The longer the process, the more it will refine and propel us to grow.
The way to endure a process is by doing more and following your intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the difference between having fun at work and working to have fun.
You have to ask yourself why you want to do this, and would you be willing to do this for the next 10 years?
It's important to allow your genuine interest to lead the way. Many ask before pursuing new skills or side projects, "Will this immediately help me land a specific job or get into a particular graduate program? If not, I won't bother." This approach prioritizes activities that offer short-term benefits rather than ones that align with our genuine interests. However, it's important to prioritize our interests, as they provide the motivation to stick with the process.
Don't be afraid to let your interest wander by pursuing the nonlinear career path. The benefits of a nonlinear career path go beyond just standing out in a crowded industry. Pursuing different passions and interests can lead to greater job satisfaction and fulfillment. It can help you maintain a sense of purpose and meaning in an industry that can be demanding and high-stakes.
Andrew Ng is a renowned personality in the tech industry. He started his journey as a computer science professor, later co-founded Coursera, and founded deeplearning.ai. He has held significant roles at Google, Baidu, and AI Fund. Andrew Ng is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of AI.
Dr. Deepak Chopra is an author and a pioneer of alternative medicine. He believes the unknown may hold more potential now than ever, especially regarding our careers. When he started his medical career, he thought he knew exactly where he was headed and had a sense of security. However, he soon realized that life is full of uncertainty. According to him, embracing uncertainty can lead to wisdom, which can open doors to the unknown. Only by exploring the unknown can we constantly renew our lives.
Choose the hard right over the easy wrong. You will encounter more obstacles and fail, but you become resilient because you have the skin in the game. Which may take a long time, maybe a decade. If you want to achieve success quickly, you can choose one path. If you want to succeed within a year, there is another path.
And the results of enduring the process. Growth.
Recap
Our careers and lives are part of an infinite game. To succeed, we must change our mindset. We must pace ourselves, think long-term, pursue genuine interests, and embrace uncertainty. Choosing the hard right over the easy wrong builds resilience and character. Growth is the ultimate measure of victory in the infinite game of life and career. Let's play this game with patience, perseverance, and a thirst for continuous learning and growth.