How Having the Right Kind of Rival Can Help You Thrive in a Changing World
by Marina Munn and Simon Sinek
Writer Simon Sinek believes that many of the struggles faced by organizations exist because their leaders are playing an infinite game with a finite mindset.
One key aspect of cultivating an infinite mindset is to identify who your Worthy Rivals are — and study them. “Traditional competition forces us to take on an attitude of winning; a Worthy Rival inspires us to take on an attitude of improvement,” writes Sinek, in his new book The Infinite Game. “
Below, he shares his experiences with his own Worthy Rival.
Whenever I heard the name “Adam Grant”, it made me uncomfortable.
Although there are many others who do similar work, for some reason I was obsessed with him.
Then something happened.
We were invited to share a stage at the same event, and the interviewer thought it would be “fun” if we introduced each other. I went first. I looked at Adam, looked at the audience, and said, “You make me unbelievably insecure because all of your strengths are all my weaknesses. You can do so well the things that I really struggle to do.” The audience laughed.
Adam looked at me and responded, “The insecurity is mutual.”
