The responsibility of leadership is not to come Meaning Factcheck Usage

Context

Sinek places this idea within the concept of the “infinite game”—a game with no finish line, like business or leadership itself. In such a game, you can’t just have a single winning strategy. You need a team that can constantly adapt and innovate. And that requires a leader who builds an environment for perpetual ideation, not one who just dictates a temporary plan.

Usage Examples

So how do you actually use this? It’s all about changing your daily habits.

• For a new manager: Instead of solving a problem for your team in a meeting, try framing it as, “This is a tough one. I don’t have the answer, but I know we can figure it out together. Let’s whiteboard every possibility, no bad ideas.” You’re creating the environment for a solution.
• For a senior leader: Your role is to protect your team’s “thinking time.” Actively discourage back-to-back meetings and champion policies that allow for deep work. The great ideas can’t happen if everyone is constantly in reaction mode.
• For a team lead: Publicly praise a idea that came from a junior member, especially if it was better than your own. This signals that the best idea wins, not the idea from the highest-paid person. That’s how you build the culture Sinek is describing.

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FAQ

Question: Doesn’t this mean the leader becomes passive or irrelevant?

Answer: Not at all. It’s actually a much more active and difficult role. It’s not about being passive; it’s about being a facilitator and a gardener. You’re actively weeding out fear, planting seeds of trust, and providing the resources for growth. It’s strategic work.

Question: What if my team still looks to me for all the answers?

Answer: That’s a habit you have to break together. Start by responding to questions with, “I’m interested in your perspective first.” Or, “What’s one thing we could try?” You have to train them, and yourself, that the goal is collective problem-solving.

Question: How do you measure the success of this “environment”?

Answer: Look at the metrics that matter: Are more people speaking up in meetings? Is there a decrease in fear of failure? Are innovative projects being proposed from the bottom up? Employee engagement scores are a great lagging indicator, but you can feel the shift in the room when it starts working.