Start With Your Why By Simon Sinek: Take Aways From The TEDx Talk & The Book

How do you explain when things do not go as planned or when others figure out how to achieve things no one else has or in a way that has not been done before. Ask yourself Why it is that these individuals and organizations seem to have something different. In evaluating Start With Why by Simon Sinek, he explains the concept of evaluating your ‘why’ and indicates why it is that many who want to reach success, often miss it.

Take a company such as Apple. The innovation of Apple in the means of delivering the benefits of the product to its consumer base, has set them apart in a substantial way. Another great example referenced is The Wright Brothers who were able to accomplish something that had not been done prior. Though many people may have been capable of accomplishing what they did, their means of doing so is what granted their success. Yet another prime example of an excellent leader who managed to gain an incredible following is Dr. Martin Luther King. Sinek highlights the accomplishments of these key organizations and influential leaders as a result of their approach to success.

Anyone is capable of achieving but it is important to discover your ‘why’ in order to achieve success. You have to be able to sell your ideal, service, or product, in a way that convinces people to ‘buy in’. In this book, Sinek sets out to essentially help others do work that inspires them all while using real-world examples of great and valued leaders. He is able to effectively do this by emphasizing their means of communication and highlighting how the mindset of great leaders differs from the normal way of thinking. He explains the rationale that once you ‘tap’ into this way of communicating and adopt this profound mindset, success will be obtainable. He also shows how effective leaders not only have an effective business, but are able to inspire others and even themselves.

Sinek poses that all great and inspiring leaders think, act, and communicate the exact same way. He shows that although this is a universal model to success, it is very different from the thoughts and actions of essentially everyone else who has yet to tap into this level of success. This means of thinking is based on a unfamiliar concept he identifies as the Golden Circle. Sinek has created this concept and coined the term. He shares that the concept to the Golden Circle is simple. This is an examination of our why, how, what--in that order.

Sinek challenges that the human brain is broken into three components, all of which correlate with the Gold Circle model. You cannot get to your what or how without understanding the essence of your why. The ‘why’ is the foundation of any organization or cause. When there seems to be no other reason to continue your efforts toward a set goal, the why is what pushes you to achieve all you set out to. The Golden Circle explains why some organizations can achieve things others cannot. It is not a matter of a lack of talent, rather a detrimental mindset that forbids achieving innovation.

From an organizational standpoint, you must start with your why and essentially, everything else will fall into alignment. By the time you present your what and even your how, you will already have support because people could identify with your why. When people can identify with your brand and understand your why, they will be invested in you without knowing other factors. Very few organizations know why they do what they do and that is the biggest issue in the way we do business. Your why is not to make a profit because that is a result of what you decide to do. Ultimately, it comes down to identifying the purpose. Evaluate why your organization exists, convey this to your stakeholders, and in turn build from it. Every company in the world knows what they do, which is why it’s the first thing they tell people about. Rationale is a weak way of trying to get us to make decisions, probably the weakest of them all.Our emotions trump reason which is the reason we make decisions based on a strong why.

It is not until we know why we do things, that we will feel not only a sense of belonging but a sense of purpose in what we are achieving. It is a much more powerful way of getting consumers to make informed decisions. Rather than knowing the logistics, knowing the why of any organization instills a greater sense of trust and commitment. As mentioned previously, this is still relatively prevalent with organizations such as Apple because customers ‘bought in’ to their why. Think in terms of communications from the inside, out. Everything you do must challenge the status quo. People do not buy into what you do, rather why you do it. You do not have to reinvent the wheel but you must reinvent the way present it so that people will in turn believe what you believe.

Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, is inspirational and he has gone on to do several TEDx talks on his books and findings. His first TEDx talk on this book is from 2009 and is now ranked as the third most watched TEd talk of all time, with more than 25 million views. This concept is incredibly simple, yet very universal. Many of history’s most inspiring leaders seem to have internalized his idea of the Golden Circle and communicate it the right way. Overall, this was an exceptionally valuable read and a wonderful model to success. I believe that just as Simon suggests, this model is so simple, applicable and truly anyone can use it. The question is, will you?