Business Book Club Recommendation - A Quick Take: Start With Why by Simon Sinek
A Quick overview of START WITH WHY by Simon Sinek:
In Start With Why, Simon Sinek presents his Golden Circle theory — the method that differentiates successful leaders and organisations from their competitors. In business, it doesn’t matter what you do, it matters why you do it. Steve Jobs, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King all have one thing in common: they started with ‘why’.
This business book is for anyone who wants to inspire others, or to be inspired.
Main Takeaways:
Successful leaders and organisations start with a strong sense of ‘why’, and this naturally trickles over into the ‘how's’ and ‘what’s.
When your ‘why’, ‘how’s, and ‘what’s are aligned, you will inspire others who share your beliefs to follow you. When they are out of balance, not only will you lose your direction, you will also lose the interest of those you are trying to influence as your sense of ‘why’ becomes unclear.
The part of our brain responsible for behaviour and decision-making controls the emotions but has no capacity for language. Vice versa, the part of our brain that processes language, facts, and figures is incapable of making decisions alone.
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Exercises:
Whilst there aren’t any exercises within the book, I curated some in the spirit of START WITH WHY, and you can find these detailed below.
Before you begin the book, start by writing down a 3-line elevator pitch for your business or company. After you have finished Chapter 3, review your elevator pitch based on Simon Sinek’s example. Rewrite your pitch, what would a better version look like?
Can you think of any examples or instances of brands / companies / influential figures using manipulation techniques? Who are they and which techniques do they use? How successful do you think they were in achieving their short and long term goals?
Can you think of any companies that lead with ‘why’? Who are they, can you identify their ‘why’, ‘how’s, and ‘what’s? Alternatively, can you think of any companies that lead with ‘what’ / ‘how’?