Glossary

Adjacent possible

The space right next to what we think is possible. The network of ideas and practices at the edge of our reach, limited by our current capabilities, but where innovation can be born. In order to increase our potential for growth and innovation, we increase the networks of ideas, practices, and people to which we are exposed. We increase our adjacent possible. "We grow our adjacent possible through commonplacing."

Cargo cult programming

A style of programming characterized by the ritual inclusion of program structures that serve no real purpose. Origin

Cause blindness

When we become so wrapped up in our Just Cause or so wrapped up in the “wrongness” of the other player’s Cause, that we fail to recognize their strengths or our weaknesses. We falsely believe that they are unworthy of comparison simply because we disagree with them, don’t like them or find them morally repugnant. We are unable to see where they are in fact effective or better than we are at what we do and that we can actually learn from them. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

Commonplacing

The art and science of creating a space to collect others’ ideas, knowledge, observation, and art for future reference, reflection, and adaptation.

Deep magic programming

Programming techniques that are not widely known, and may be deliberately kept secret. The number of such techniques has arguably decreased in recent years through design which allows, and often encourages, public scrutiny.

Ethical fading

The condition in a culture that allows people to act in unethical ways in order to advance their own interests, often at the expense of others, while falsely believing that they have not compromised their own moral principles. Ethical fading often starts with small, seemingly innocuous transgressions that, when left unchecked, continue to grow and compound. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

Existential flexibility

The capacity to initiate an extreme disruption to a business model or strategic course in order to more effectively advance a Just Cause. It is an infinite-minded player’s appreciation for the unpredictable that allows them to make these kinds of changes. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.

Generative listening

To form a space of deep attention that allows an emerging future possibility to “land” or manifest. It is what great coaches do: They listen deeply in a way that allows you to connect to your emerging future self. Sometimes we also use the example of a jazz ensemble that is “in the flow” to illustrate this capacity. When individual players can listen to the whole and simultaneously attune their own instrument to an emerging pattern, they are able to co-create something new together. Source: Theory U: Leading from the Emerging Future

Inclusive stakeholding

A system based on inclusive fitness that utilizes social contracts that benefit communities, the environment, the customers, and the gig workers that help build the wealth, ahead of investors and shareholders.

Infinite game

A game played by known and unknown players with no exact or agreed-upon rules and infinite time horizons, no finish line, no practical end to the game. There is no such thing as “winning” an infinite game. In an infinite game, the primary objective is to keep playing, to perpetuate the game.

Finite game - A game played by known players with fixed rules, and an agreed-upon objective that, when reached, ends the game. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.

Just cause

A specific vision of a future state that does not yet exist; a future state so appealing that people are willing to make sacrifices in order to help advance toward that vision. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.

Post-formal actors

The people who “operate on” the roles, rules, norms and procedures by challenging and experimenting with them (perhaps even ignoring and obliterating them) and by creating new roles, rules, norms and procedures.

Presencing

Merging the terms presence and sensing. It means to sense and operate from the presence of an emerging future field. As we connect with this field of heightened awareness, our attention morphs from slowing down, opening up, redirecting, and letting go to letting come, crystallizing, and embodying the new.

Psychological flexibility

Contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being, and based on what the situation affords, changing or persisting in behavior in the service of chosen values.

Reality distortion field

The effect used to describe Steve Jobs' ability to get his employees to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bravado, hyperbole, marketing, appeasement and persistence. It was said to distort his co-workers' sense of proportion and scales of difficulties and to make them believe that whatever impossible task he had at hand was possible.

Shiny object syndrome

Reacting to a shiny object, wanting to chase every good idea one comes across with “This is it! We have to do this to advance the vision! often leaving people flummoxed and exhausted rather than inspired. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.

Solidarity sooperative

A multi-stakeholder cooperative bringing together all stakeholder membership categories around a shared vision and mission in a democratic structure of ownership and governance. These can include workers, consumers, tenants, patrons, producers and members of the larger community.

Worthy rival

A player that does something (or many things) as well as or better than another, who are simply acknowledged to have strengths and abilities from which one could learn a thing or two. Source: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.