Why do I strive for success? Why work so hard professionally?
My why is simple, and has always been the same thing for me as long as I can remember, its because I strive for excellence in every endeavor I partake in. Its just how I am, I want to rise to the top professionally, through resiliency and my work ethic I hope to achieve this.
Confession first: the assignment clearly states that I was to find a prominent leader. Yet as I watched video after video on leadership, I kept coming back to one speaker; Simon Sinek. Is my ego so large that I should pretend that just because I’ve never heard of Mr. Sinek that perhaps he doesn’t qualify as prominent? A quick google search proved me wrong. He is highly regarded for his theories and approaches to leadership. So I tuned in. I notice some of my classmates have chosen him as well.
This particular TED Talk centered on how leaders inspire action. It is largely directed around Sinek’s famous Golden Circle.” This is a concept that explains how successful organizations must ask themselves three questions: Why, How, What. Imagine a bulls eye with the narrowest center belonging to the “why,” expanding to “how” and then broadening to “what.” The approach to this golden circle helps to explain why some leaders are able to inspire and others are not. Every organization knows what they do. Some can even explain how they do it. But far too few can describe WHY they do it.
Organizational leaders tend to start at the outside of that golden circle. They think it’s most vital to know what you do. And while that is indisputably important, it is not what motivates other to “do” it with you. Inspired leaders, regardless of size, all think, act and communicate from the inside out. He uses Apple as an example. There are many competitors making similar products to Apple. Yet they have the market share on all of their produced products. Why? Because Apple doesn’t just tell you about their product line, they give a greater vision for WHY they do it. In this instance, Sinek speaks for Apple and says, ‘In everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in being innovative.” And consumers believe it. So much so that a huge number are willing to stand in line days in advance of the release of a new product.
The concept of the golden circle is grounded in biology. . Different parts of the brain respond to the what, how and why. Sinek states that you shouldn’t simply hire people because the can do a job. You hire people because they believe what you believe. If you hire people just because they can do a job, they will work for your money. But, If you hire people who believe what you believe, they will work for you with blood, sweat and tears. Furthermore, if you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe. Then it’s not about the leader, it ‘s about people doing what they believe.
There is an intrinsic value and motivation to those individuals that will follow a leader with similar beliefs. A great quote from Sinek’s speech was that thousands flocked to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak on the Mall at Washington DC. His inspiring words are famously known as “I have a dream” not “I have a plan.” It’s not about what we do. It’s why we do it. That’s how you get people to follow you because they want to, not because they have to. Leaders have power. Inspiring leaders start with the why.