My Summary — Start with Why- Simon Sinek
Great leaders are able to inspire people to act with a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentives or benefit to be gained. Inspired employees make a stronger companies and stronger economies. Assumptions affect our behavior and we take decisions based on what we know. The dance between Gut and rational decision making pretty much covers how we conduct business and live our live.
There are two ways to influence the human behavior — Manipulate it or Inspire it . When fear is employed, facts are incidentally deeply seated in our biological drive to survive, that emptions cannot be quickly wiped away with facts and figure. The book “Start with Why” is about applying logic to inspire and decision making using a concept called Golden Circle and validating this through celery test for check for balance.
The Golden Circle: provides insights into how great organization are systematized through KNOW — WHY, KNOW — HOW, THEN WHAT. Golden circle shows how leaders are able to inspire actions instead of manipulating people to act. It starts from Inside out with WHY moving inward WHAT bounded by HOW. When we are inspired, the decisions we make have more to do with who we are and less to do with companies in products were buying.
Clarify of WHY : The power of Why is not option. Starting from Why defines clarity, Discipline and consistency to inspire. Why do they it is something deeper. Why is just a belief and if we don’t know WHY, we cant know HOW. The ability to puts why in words provides the emotional context for decision making. When motivated by Why success happens. In any organization — Top Leader (CEO) represent the WHY. A clear sense of why sets expectations. The why exists in the part of the brain that control feelings and decision making but not language. Why defines the founding purpose, cause or belief. Why comes from looking back, finding WHY is discovery, not invention. All organization starts with WHY, but only the great ones keep their why clear year after year. WHY- types are optimists and see things other cant. They are visionary and see how they think the world should be.
Discipline of HOW: How are the values or principles that guide the cause of life. How we do things are manifests in systems and process within the organization and culture. Understanding the HOW gives greater ability. How are actions. Senior executives in the organization represents How. These are the small group of people who will build the infrastructure that can make WHY tangible. How — types are more in the here an now. They’re more rational and get things done.
Consistency of WHAT: What are the results of action (How). What don’t drive decision making, what should be used as proof why. The rational what offers proof for the feeling of why. What is the level where majority of the employees are placed in the organization. What exist is the part of the brain that control rational thinking and language. What comes first and all their systems and processes are in pursuit of those tangible results. What gets measured, Get Done.
Law of Diffusion: Mass market success can only be achieved after penetrate between 15 to 18% of the market.
Celery test: Appling to find out exactly WHAT and HOW is consistent with WHY metaphor is know as celery test. Decision making needs to pass the celery test especially in Hiring, Partnership, strategies and tactics.
Bottom-line:
Although the author starts with inspiring and fact based concepts making it inspiring it to read. As you move, it is more about the culture of Apple — at times its more Gyan. watching the videos or listen to podcast of the author and then reading this book will help in quick conceptualization.