Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
by Simon Sinek
Our Main Take-Away:
Sinek does an excellent job of providing examples of leaders and organizations that are very clear and aligned in their purpose, direction and mode of operations. He thoroughly explores the reasons that a clear focus on their “Why” leads them to sustained success. Becoming very clear about the mission and vision of the organization, instilling leadership practices that support the determined direction, and challenging assumptions and past practices that do not align with the “Why” are explored with detail through several engaging case studies and examples.
Reasons to Read:
Exploring the power of vison and purpose using many examples of how successful leaders were able build their organizations, businesses, and large social movements is where this book provides great help to the leader. Easily recognizable examples are used by the author to enhance and support his main thesis for long term sustainable success.
In the early pages of the book, Sinek challenges the concept of “assuming” that the widely held beliefs on leadership and current methods of doing business are the best we can do. This leads the rationale for the focus on “Why” and the need for “clarity, discipline and consistency” in the purpose and behaviors of leaders and with the culture of the organization. Making the “Why” a reality by understanding clearly the “What and the “How” of the mission is clear as the book progresses. “Rallying” those whom you lead and dealing with the results of success are topics that will help all leaders to place this work in the perspective of their own experience.
A culture that builds the capacity of leaders, both present and future, is a prime objective of Fired Up Culture. It takes “clarity, discipline and consistency to achieve your long-term goals”. We highly recommend this book for your own personal growth and that of your organization.
Amazon Summary:
In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work, and in turn inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who’ve watched his TED Talk based on START WITH WHY — the third most popular TED video of all time.
Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won’t truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.
START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way — and it’s the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
