08 Feb 2022
by Phillip Luke LaMotte

Book Review: The Infinite Game: Serving Students from an Infinite Mindset - JCAPS Vol. 4 Issue 1

“The Infinite Game,” by Simon Sinek, is a business book that is applicable to student activities. This book review intends to review the content of the book while directly connecting how the information applies to our work as student activities practitioners. As we rebuild our campus communities out of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, an opportunity exists to lead with an Infinite Mindset, and best serve students both today and into the future.

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek is a business book that is applicable to student activities. You may be thinking that treating higher education as a business is a mistake. I could not agree more. This book is applicable because it challenges prominent business practices that focus only on the short-term bottom-line impact. It also asks us to put people above profits, which will ultimately pay dividends over the long haul. The vast majority of campus activities professionals have spent the better part of the past 18 months providing virtual services to students. In the face of the challenges presented by this COVID-19 global pandemic, campus activities professionals are positioned to deliberately rebuild community and campus culture at our respective institutions. While the importance of community and the sense of belonging derived from campus activities should not be understated, the budget outlook is not overly favorable for many campuses. As such, campus activities departments must find ways to show their value to holistic student development. This review analyzes key elements of The Infinite Game and presents ways that the content applies to our praxis.