12 Apr Simon Sinek and the Importance of Why

Start with Why

The moment I heard of Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” I loved the concept of the golden circle.  It immediately made sense that business success and organizational growth is only sustainable if there is a shared mission.  When I examine my greatest team experiences, there has always been a intangible emotional core that motivates the team.  That emotional core helps the organization get buy-in, but is also a touch point to go back to when things are tough or tiring.  That helps not only productivity, but also retention of skilled staff and management.

Organizations that follow Simon Sinek’s model are fairly rare in my experience.  Leadership training courses have said that this is true because traditionally people and organizations are more focused on what they do and not why they do it.  Knowing the purpose of an organization always makes a huge impact on whether I engage with and contribute to an organization or not.  How does an organization or person define that though?

Defining the Why

An obvious first step is of course is to put “why” in the centre in the circle instead of “what”.  Another step is to do a deep dive into why a product or service is being offered.  It’s an odd thing exercise that is reminiscent of what toddlers do to their parents. However if it goes in-depth enough you can really identify the driving motivation behind a product or service.

For those people that prefer think out loud, talking to a life coach who you connect with can spark new ideas just by asking the questions you never thought to ask yourself.