Let’s be honest: something is broken in the way we lead today.
We talk about vision, people, and purpose – but what we see too often is a culture of control, quarterly worship, and hyper-competition. Leaders are still being measured by how fast they climb, how big their slice is, or how well they outperform the next person in the room.
The result? Burnout is rampant. Fear-based cultures are normalised. Silence is safer than honesty. And too many managers confuse compliance with commitment.
Leadership, as it’s often practised, has become a finite game – a game with winners and losers, fixed rules, and short-term rewards. But the real work of leadership – building something that lasts – is infinite.
And the truth is: many are playing the wrong game entirely.
The illusion of winning
Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game reminds us that business, leadership, and even life are not about winning. There’s no final score. No last round. No one gets to “beat” leadership.
Yet many leadership teams are still rewarded for what’s easily measured: short-term performance, political navigation, and quarterly results. Even when it comes at the cost of trust, talent retention, or long-term innovation. According to McKinsey, companies that commit to long-term thinking generate 47 per cent higher revenue growth and 36pc more job creation than their short-term-focused peers.
The numbers don’t lie.
So why are we still sprinting through a marathon?
Purpose or PR?
Let’s talk about the soul of an organisation – its cause. Not the sugar-coated mission on the website. Not the vision on the meeting room wall. A ‘Just Cause’ is a vision of the future so bold and necessary that people are willing to sacrifice for it. Most of what we see today? It’s not cause. It’s corporate theatre. Tesla didn’t build a cult following by promising market share – they vowed to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. It’s raw. It’s risky. But it moves people.
Ask yourself: If the promotions stopped, would your team still believe in what you’re building?
Where trust has gone missing
Let’s ditch the team-building gimmicks. If your people can’t speak up, disagree, admit mistakes, or be vulnerable – then trust doesn’t exist in your workplace. Google’s Project Aristotle revealed that psychological safety was the number one driver of team performance. Not qualifications. Not KPIs. Not perks. Yet too many managers still lead through silence and compliance, mistaking fear for respect. If your team is spending more energy protecting themselves than performing, you don’t have a performance problem – you have a leadership one.
The rival that teaches you
Here’s a thought few leaders enjoy: your competitor may be the best teacher you’ve got. Sinek talks about Worthy Rivals – leaders, teams, or organisations that don’t just push us to compete, but force us to grow. Microsoft once obsessed over beating Apple. Apple didn’t care. They were too busy innovating for their cause. If you can’t admire what your rival does better than you, chances are your ego’s in the way.
Infinite leaders don’t play to win. They play to evolve.
Kodak’s warning
Let’s not forget Kodak. The company invented the digital camera in 1975 – and buried it to protect its existing business model. Apple, on the other hand, killed its iPod at the peak of its success... to release the iPhone. That’s called existential flexibility – the ability to break your own winning formula before the world does it for you. Most organisations today are one disruption away from irrelevance. But they’re clinging to comfort. Playing it safe. Delaying the shift.
And they’ll pay the price.
Courage over comfort
Leadership requires courage. But how often is courage really rewarded?
Too many environments today reward conformity – fitting in, following orders, not ruffling feathers. But infinite leadership means saying the difficult things. Challenging broken systems. Protecting people over policies. Admitting when something just isn’t working anymore. A PwC survey showed that 85pc of CEOs know they need to change their business models – but only 15pc feel ready to lead that change.
That’s not a planning issue. That’s a courage deficit.
So... What game are you playing?
Is your leadership just ticking boxes — or leaving a mark?
Is your mission compelling enough to survive beyond your presence? Would your team speak the truth if you weren’t in the room? Are you growing faster than your competition – or just reacting to it? If we are truly playing the infinite game – then the real legacy isn’t quarterly wins. It’s the people we grow. The trust we build. The purpose we protect.
Maybe it’s time to stop leading to win. And start leading to matter. Join us next month for another edition of Workplace Watch, where we’ll explore more trends shaping the future of work. Until then, keep growing, keep learning, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Amal Kooheji is a growth advocate
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