Why is it that some organizations and individuals are more powerful, innovational and successful than others? How do some command more loyalty from both their employees and their customers? Among the successful, why are only a few able to duplicate their achievements again and again? Great men like Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr. and The Wright Brothers may not have much in common, but all of them started with why. Their innate talent for starting with why helped them to impress the people around them and to reach lofty goals. By examining the leaders who have exerted the strongest influence on mankind, Simon Sinek found that the all behave, communicate and think in exactly the same manner—much to the contrary of what the rest of us do. Sinek refers to this revolutionary idea as "The Golden Circle," and it provides a foundation on which movements can be led, people inspired, and organizations constructed.
It all begins with why. Any organization can explain what it does. Some can even explain how. Only very few can clearly explain why. Why cannot be explained by profit or money—those are results that occur later. Why does the organization exist? Why does it do what it does? Why do clients choose to do business with one company rather than another? Why do some leaders inspire loyalty, while others fail to do so? Starting with why works for businesses large and small, for nonprofits and for politicians. Those who begin with why need not maneuver--they inspire. People need not be coerced into following them; they choose to. Drawing on a wide range of true stories, Sinek paints a vivid picture of what makes an inspiring leader.
Simon Sinek is an optimist. He teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. From members of Congress to foreign ambassadors, from small businesses to corporations like Microsoft and 3M, from Hollywood to the Pentagon, he has presented his ideas about the power of why. He is quoted frequently by national publications and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and BrandWeek. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action is his first book.
"Book was on the CSAF Reading List, so of course I had to give it a whirl. Definitely meant for any problem solving scenario and/or starting and maintaining a business. Over half the book is looking at Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and what they did with Apple, but there are many other vignettes throughout the book."
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Eric (5 out of 5 stars)