Book Review: ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek

Every time I read a management or a self-help book, I often end up wondering why these books are attempting to provide a recipe for challenges that have no recipes. That there is no guaranteed formula for a complicated or an unplanned situation. Like there is no recipe for building a successful company or a method for motivating the team when the business is on the verge of shutdown.

Simon Sinek, in his book ‘Start with why,’ does not preach. Instead, he questions the fundamentals of ‘why people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.’ Why? The childlike inquisitiveness which we were born with, somewhere disappears as we grow up, just like most companies have no idea why customers choose their products. This especially resonates with me, while hearing pitches from founders, who begin their entrepreneurial journey focused on “what” they will offer. Sinek says that “people don’t buy things,” but when the focus shifts on the “why” behind those things, that is the real deal. This ‘why’ is what gets people to buy.

The author has coined a term called ‘The Golden Circle’ comprising of three layers of ‘WHY’ at the core, followed by ‘HOW’ and finally the ‘WHAT’; basically, seeing things inside out. This concept is very similar to the human brain’s biological arrangement of limbic and neocortex. If we have the clarity of WHY we do something, know HOW we can do, and maintain the consistency of WHAT we do, that is enough to be successful in any work we do.

One of my favourite learnings from this book is the difference between inspiration and manipulation. Most often, businesses become all about discounts and promotions, what Sinek calls ‘manipulation.’ This strategy, he points out, never lasts, as it never results in real customer loyalty, but rather providing customer convenience, the one they (customers) will replace with something more convenient. Sinek shares several compelling examples to explain how prominent leaders like Steve Jobs, Sam Walton, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright brothers were able to inspire, rather than manipulate people.

And while this is one of the most potent, practical messages I have read in a while, the book tends to become unnecessarily repetitive beyond 100 pages. I will still recommend buying the book to drive the points home with a bit more depth.

Following are my key takeaways from this book:

1. Always remember why you do something and create a team which shares that belief

2. Inspire not manipulate — be it customers or co-workers or employees

3. Plan it out — the way Japanese did with their car business

4. As a leader your why should integrate with the company’s why