Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

-Simon Sinek
“The ability to inspire turns out employees who love their jobs – the motivation through inspiration not incentive
is deeply personal – these people are more productive and creative.”

Part I: A World that doesn’t Start with Why

We make too many decisions based on what we think we know
Most people don’t really know the why that is driving their business (why do people buy their things?
Why do people work there?
Manipulations lead to transactions but not loyalty
Part 2: An Alternative Perspective – His Golden Circle
1. Starts from the inside out with why, purpose, cause or belief: why does the company exist? Why
should anyone care?
2. That should lead to how you carry out your purpose
3. And that should lead to the product: what you do – the tangible product.
“Leaders never start with what needs to be done. Leaders start with why we need to do things.”
Companies try to sell us what they do, but we really buy why they do it.
There is usually a genuine correlation between what they do and why they do it – but too many
companies only focus on what they do: we make. . .
We trust those with whom we are able to perceive common values or beliefs.
“it is not logic or facts but our hopes and dreams, our hearts and our guts that drive us to try new
things.”
Part 3: Knowing Why should lead to Authenticity
1. Why expresses the beliefs and to inspire you must be clear about the why.
2. Then (and this is the hardest part) must be disciplined about the how.
The hows are the values and principles that guide and bring your why to life.
Manifested in the systems and processes
Must have discipline to hold organizations and its employees accountable to these
guiding principles
To be effective must be verbs to give us a clear idea of how to act.
3. Then the what has to be consistent
Everything you say and do (products, services, marketing, pr, culture, employees)
At this level authenticity happens
Means there is a flow from why to how to what
Authenticity produces trust: it is when you say and do the things you actually believe
What is the proof of the Why – the product should not drive decision making – the why
drives decision making
Part 4: Leaders Building a Following
“Trust begins to emerge when we have a sense that another person or organization is driven by things
other than self-gain.”
“You earn trust by communicating and demonstrating that you share the same values and beliefs.”
Employees must believe and value the company’s why
Having a why helps folks change their view of the job.
“Average companies give their people something to work on. In contrast, the most innovative
organizations give their people something to work toward.”
“Trust comes from being part of a culture with a common set of values and beliefs.”
The why of the golden circle is the place to begin building trust.
After the why you need someone to tell you how to put structure to the How. Take the intangible cause
and build the infrastructure that can give it life.
“It is the partnership of a vision of the future and the talent to get it done that makes an organization
great.”
The what level must clearly represent why the company exists. The front line folks interface with the
customers and so must understand the why and how.