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

Why I chose to read this book?

Inspired by the 3rd most watched TED talk of all time, this book demonstrates how organizations guided by a strong sense of WHY have been succeeding more often than their peers. I first came across this concept some months ago and was instantly hooked on to the idea.

My Rating:

4/5

Personal take-away:

The crux here is to start looking out for a reason in everything that we do. Through an extremely convincing way, the author proves that history’s most noteworthy leaders and companies naturally get this right by communicating their why in the right way. I would recommend Start with Why to everyone because the revolutionary philosophies on leadership presented here can easily be used in any professional and personal situation that calls for inspiration and influence. My favorite quote:

“People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” — Simon Sinek

Summary:

Here are the three important lessons from this great read:

1. If you want to inspire others, always communicate your why first: The author provides a useful framework for this approach: the Golden Circle- at the center of which is WHY (the purpose) followed by HOW (the process) and finally WHAT (the product). Furthermore, these three circles have been compared to the human brain. WHAT, or outer circle is compared to neocortex where we find rational thought and language. HOW and WHY circles are compared to limbic brains which are responsible for feelings like trust, loyalty and decision-making. Influential companies and leaders start from the core question to target the decision-making part of human brain and then they know that their potential customers/consumers of information will follow suit.
2. The best businesses are built by excited employees: Every business expects employees to go above and beyond for the company’s success. The easiest way you do it is by building your business around a cause and then assembling people who share your cause. Instead of relying on big paychecks, threatening deadlines or highly qualified graduates, look for the people who are already motivated by the same reasons as you are and inspire them even more. Hire people for their cause, not their craft, and watch your business bloom.
3. You don’t need sleazy sales tactics when you start with why: Psychological manipulations like limited time offers and discount signs are just as short-lived as the joy these businesses get from making yet another sale. They don’t create trusting or loyal customers, rather evoke skepticism. Apple is a great example, for a long time they had no scheme of fire sale offers, yet they had been the most valuable company in the world. How do they do it? First, they tell us their “why” (they’re here to think different), then they tell us “how” (with easy-to-use, beautifully designed products) and finally we find out “what” they make (computers, phones, tablets, and mp3-players). By the time it gets to their what, we’re long sold on their cause and are ready to support them in every way we can.

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Originally published at https://siddhithakkar.com on October 25, 2019.