Redlining, and playing the Infinite Game
#2 - 9.27.20
Brother -
These last few weeks have been some of the most grueling of my career. I’m onboarding into this new role and find myself having anywhere between 10-15 meetings per day, and clocking over 70 hours per week. I’m overwhelmed, but growing faster than I could’ve imagined.
Our former CEO had a term for this. He called it “Redlining.” Drawing an analogy to when you drive a car hitting the maximum revolutions per minute before needing to shift gears. We need to redline at times. In fact, you should look forward to these times as they will be some of the most rewarding of your career. That said, it’s not sustainable. So you need to be aware when it is time to shift gears.
Why can’t you redline all the time? Simple, just like how the engine will burn out - so will you. You’ve already experienced this in University when you pushed your body to the edge cramming for final exams. In your case, you sometimes get sick immediately following as your body begs for a chance to recover.
Redlining for too long is pointless. Your performance will naturally decline, and you will create a lack of balance in your physical and mental well-being.
You must realize business, and your career, is an “Infinite Game.” You can be ahead or behind, but you can’t win. You can only lose. You need to understand the difference between infinite and finite games, and adjust your mindset to this realization.
People will make many sports analogies in your career. They will draw parallels to the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, and their 6 NBA championships. About how creating the right team, you will be able to “beat the competition” and “win the market.” This though, is impossible. Sports, unlike business, are “Finite Games.”
Sports have a known set of players. You can’t just show up to an NBA game and walk on the court and start guarding LeBron James… Also, there are rules, referees, and clearly defined endpoints to the game and season. The winner is easily identified, as opposed to two different companies both saying that, “they are the best.”
Let’s make this a bit more personal. Think of Dad. His Dental Lab business is playing an infinite game. No one gives him a trophy at the end of the year to tell him, “you won.” The only surprise he’ll get at the end of the year is a tax bill from Uncle Sam. The annual Dental Lab golf tournament, on the other hand, is a finite game. A game that when we won it for the first time - Dad said it was one of the happiest moments in his life. After his wedding and birth of his children, of course :)
So we have two concepts here: Redlining and Infinite Games. You have already practiced redlining throughout your academic career, and now you’ll experience it in business. You will excel here. Mom and Dad have instilled a work ethic in us that most others you work with will not be able to relate to.
The sooner you realize that your life and career are infinite games, the better off you’ll be. Because there is always more to do. Like a never-ending to-do list, only you can say when it’s time to stop.
On that note, I’m taking the rest of the day off to recharge and restore my balance.
Let me leave you with a quote and a question.
“The day you stop racing is the day you win the race”
- Bob Marley
When did you redline the most, and how did you recharge after?
Enjoy the dance,
Nate