Nurturing infinite mindsets
ACCORDING to leadership guru Simon Sinek, business is an infinite game with no end point.
We may know some of the players, but at any time, unknown new players may join the game or existing players may leave.
There are no agreed-upon rules as to how the game is played although there may be laws and conventions to govern how players conduct themselves.
Businesses can provide any products or services to any groups of customers in any markets.
With no fixed time horizons to play the game, there can be no permanent winners or losers. The only way to succeed is to keep playing.
In the infinite game of business, players need to have an infinite mindset.
An infinite mindset requires a vision of the future that is so compelling that we will commit to work towards achieving the longterm goals. This means possessing high emotional intelligence to be able to build trusting teams comprising people who are not afraid of taking risks to innovate and drive the business towards achieving its vision of the future.
An infinite mindset is also about the resilience to face challenges to continue staying in the game.
Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School practises positive education to nurture the development of an infinite mindset among its students.
Among others, students as well as staff members are required to write an impact statement of how they can make a difference in the future. The university develops its students’ resilience and emotional intelligence through a structured programme during their first year of studies so that they have the potential to become courageous leaders who are able to build trusting teams.
A world-class business school that pioneered the world’s first distance learning MBA programme in 1990, the Edinburgh Business School has been offering wellestablished Masters, pre-Doctoral, DBA and PhD programmes.
It recently merged with the university’s School of Social Sciences, which offers a range of undergraduate business courses in accounting, finance, management and marketing.
Subsequently, Heriot-Watt undergraduate students are now able to gain access to some of the world’s top lecturers, researchers and other industry-experienced minds who are pushing boundaries in their fields of expertise, encouraging curiosity, ambition and boldness to challenge convention.
Fauzan Manam, a second-year business student at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, appreciates how students are given the opportunity to learn from industry leaders.
“Heriot-Watt has invited organisational leaders to talk about topics related to recent lectures. I find this really helpful as it gives me the chance to ask questions to a real person who has applied the theory.
“My degree programme links theories with current market practices and best practices, equipping me with the necessary knowledge and awareness to give me a competitive edge,” he shared.
Equipped with an infinite mindset, Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh Business School students are future made to be infinite players in the infinite game of business.
Fifty per cent scholarships are available for all business programmes offered for Heriot-Watt University Malaysia’s January 2020 intake. RM5,000 will also be waived for all applications for the same intake that are submitted by Dec 30.
■ For more information on the business programmes, other undergraduate or postgraduate programmes as well as scholarships offered, visit its campus in Putrajaya during its Open Day on Dec 14 and 15 or during consultation hours from 9am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays. Alternatively, you may log on to www.hw.edu.my or call 03 8894 3888/email hwum@ hw.ac.uk to find out more.