WHY is Your Purpose
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action. By Simon Sinek.
One of the ways I read is to listen to books through Audible. I also take notes while I am listening, keeping track of important insights that I find resourceful either for my work or my personal growth and development. This book is one of the books I listened and took notes in the process. The author, Simon Sinek, describes that those who lead inspire us, and leaders start with why. Why is your purpose. Great leaders can give people a deep sense of purpose or belonging and inspire others to take action. It all begins by asking why.
Key Insights
- Our assumptions and perceived truths impact behavior
- Be careful in making decisions – we make decisions based on our perceptions of the world – perceptions may not be completely accurate
- Only two ways to change human behavior
- Inspiration
- Aspirational messages move us toward something desirable
- Manipulation
- Fear is the most powerful manipulation
- Inspiration
The Golden Circle
Sinek leverages a recurring pattern throughout the book by describing a Golden Circle that sets leaders apart from others. Leaders start everything with why. The Golden Circle inspires action on three levels:
1. Why – what is your purpose, your cause, your belief?
2. How – how do you do what you do?
3. What – what do you do?
Here is a link to Sinek’s image of the Golden Circle, and below are my notes from reading the book along with my drawing of the Golden Circle.
Leaders act from the innermost circle (why), and then move to the outer most circle (what). Sinek emphasizes that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. All our decisions must start with why.
Knowing your why is a key essential to lasting success. The why comes first. The why is your origin of purpose. Sinek emphasizes that we need to connect to our why to feel like we belong, to connect to our communities, and circles of relationships. A clear sense of why has a higher purpose, cause, or belief. The why matters. The why inspires behavior. Clarity of why is key, and discipline is essential to remain focused on your why.
Authenticity and Trust
Additionally, there needs to be a consistency of your what. Everything you say and do has to prove what you believe. Authenticity happens at the what level. Authenticity cannot find achievement without clarity of the why. Being authentic means doing what you say and believe, and living from your why. Plus, saying what do is consistent with your why. Priority of the Golden Circle is critical to success. The why comes first. Second, the how is to bring your why to life. The what is third. When your why-how-what are in balance, authenticity is the result.
Sinek moves even further to name trust as another key component of the balance in the Golden Circle along with authenticity. The why is a belief. The how are the actions of the belief. Finally, the what are the results of the actions on the belief. When all three, why-how-what, are in balance, this also equals trust. Real trust comes from the things you cannot see. This invisible trust gives leaders the ability to get things done, and it starts with why.
For Sinek, you must be able to articulate your why into words. Your why is your statement of purpose, both in business and in life. Your why provides the right filter for clear decision-making.
Clarity of Why
Sometimes a why can go fuzzy or become unclear. According to Sinek, you find a way to measure your why. Sinek quotes Lord Kelvin, “What gets measured gets done.” Measuring your why can help you gain and maintain the clarity of your purpose.
Lastly, Sinek stresses that finding your why is a matter of discovery deep within you, and not a process of invention. Why is your purpose. Start with why in everything you do.
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