Building Optimism — Simon Sinek at Talks at Google
Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek explores how leaders build trust and optimism in organizations through infinite-game thinking.
Why we picked this
Sinek beyond the viral TED talk — deeper, more nuanced, and focused on the harder question of how to sustain what you've started.
Most people know Simon Sinek from his “Start With Why” TED talk, but this Talks at Google session goes considerably deeper. Rather than repeating his greatest hits, Sinek builds on them — exploring how organizations sustain purpose over time, why trust erodes when leaders optimize for short-term metrics, and what it means to play an infinite game in a world obsessed with quarterly results.
The Google audience pushes him with specific, technical questions about organizational design, and Sinek’s answers are more grounded and practical than his typical keynote material. This is the version of Sinek that’s most useful to people who actually build and run things.
At nearly 46 minutes, it’s a substantial watch. But if you’ve ever wondered how to keep a team motivated beyond the initial spark, the time investment pays off.