When we prioritize short term gains we often Meaning Factcheck Usage

Context

Sinek uses this in the framework of “infinite games”—games with no finish line, like business or life itself. In an infinite game, you don’t “win”; you strive to keep playing. And the only way to do that is to build trusting relationships with customers, employees, and communities, which is the exact opposite of chasing finite, short-term victories.

Usage Examples

You can use this as a powerful gut-check in so many situations. Seriously.

• For a Leadership Team: When someone proposes laying off a chunk of the workforce to “make the numbers” this quarter, ask: “Are we prioritizing a short-term gain and sacrificing the long-term trust of the employees who remain?”
• For a Marketing Team: When considering a campaign that might be slightly misleading to get clicks, frame it as: “This clickbait might get us short-term traffic, but what does it do to the long-term trust of our audience?”
• For a Product Team: If there’s a push to ship a feature that’s not quite ready, remind them: “Shipping a buggy feature is a short-term gain. Eroding user trust because of a poor experience is a permanent loss.”

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FAQ

Question: But what if my job depends on hitting short-term targets?

Answer: That’s the real-world tension, isn’t it? The key is to reframe the conversation. Show how short-term actions that build trust (like great customer service) actually contribute to long-term value and sustainable metrics, making those short-term targets easier to hit in the future.

Question: Is it ever okay to prioritize a short-term gain?

Answer: It can be, if it’s a genuine emergency and survival is at stake. But it should be treated like emergency surgery—a rare, painful, but necessary step to survive, with a clear plan to rebuild trust afterwards. It can’t become your standard operating procedure.

Question: How do you measure long-term trust?

Answer: You can’t measure it directly like revenue, but you track its proxies: Customer retention rates, Net Promoter Score (NPS), employee turnover, and brand sentiment. When those are strong, you know your trust bank account is full.