Lecture Notes: The Tet Offensive and Infinite vs Finite Games

The Tet Offensive (January 1968)

Definition: A surprise attack by the North Vietnamese Army during the Lunar New Year celebration (Tet).
Purpose: Break tradition of no fighting on Tet, aiming to surprise Americans.
Scale of Attack: 125 targets, over 85,000 troops involved.

U.S. Response: Successfully repelled all attacks; fewer than 1,000 U.S. troops lost.
North Vietnamese Losses: Approximately 35,000 out of 85,000 troops.
Overall Vietnam War Casualties: U.S. lost 58,000, North Vietnam lost over 3 million.
Key Question: How can one win battles and still lose the war?

Finite Games: Known players, fixed rules, and a clear objective (e.g., football).
- Example: Clear winner determined at the end.
Infinite Games: Changeable rules, unknown players, and the objective is to keep playing (e.g., global politics, business).
- Key Insight: If a finite player (U.S.) encounters an infinite player (North Vietnam), the finite player faces challenges due to differing objectives.

Finite Mindset in Infinite Games: Leads to frustration, resource depletion, and ultimately failure (e.g., U.S. in Vietnam).
Examples from Business: Leaders often focus on competition rather than collaboration and long-term goals.

Microsoft Summit: Focused on beating Apple.
Apple Summit: Focused on helping educators and improving learning experiences.
Outcome: Microsoft was more focused on competition, leading to resource wastage.

Just Cause: A cause so compelling, individuals are willing to sacrifice for it.
- Example: Steve Jobs' vision to empower individuals against large corporations.
Trusting Teams: Create an environment where team members feel safe to express themselves and take risks.
- Example: Comparison of employee experience at Four Seasons vs. other hotels.
Worthy Rival: A competitor that challenges and reveals weaknesses, prompting improvement rather than mere competition.
- Example: Discussed personal feelings towards a fellow speaker and the value of rivalry.
Existential Flexibility: The ability to make significant strategic shifts when better opportunities arise.
- Example: Steve Jobs' decision to invest in graphic user interfaces after visiting Xerox PARC.
Courage to Lead: Leading in a way that encourages long-term thinking, despite pressures for short-term results.
- Insight: Long-term oriented organizations (e.g., Apple, Southwest Airlines, Patagonia) can also be highly profitable.

Finite vs Infinite Life: Life is finite, but how we choose to live can be infinite.
Choice: Leaders can build better organizations and relationships that outlast them.
Final Thought: The goal is to lead with an infinite mindset, building a legacy that improves upon itself and encourages others.