Start with Why — A Top of the Page Review
May 2023
I love plans. I love planning. I love making things happen.
The thing about a good plan…it’s entirely fueled by purpose. I’m relentless in asking why. Because “why are we doing this?” begets “how are we going to do this?” which begets “what are we going to do?”. Turns out my little mental genealogy is the foundation for Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model.
Sinek, Simon. 2009. Start with WHY: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. New York: Penguin Group.
Quick Summary
Start with Why argues people need a sense of purpose that aligns to what matters to them. Leaders who want to create lasting movements, must start with WHY, aka purpose. Only then can they motivate people to act. Loyalty, trust, and commitment are all natural side effects of aligned purpose.
Every business is organized around three key elements.
- WHY — Purpose
- HOW — Way of working
- WHAT — Product or service offered
He argues that most businesses start with WHAT (either their product/service or the revenue they hope to gain) and work backward to HOW. This process leads to WHY being more manipulative, than authentic.
He presents his Golden Circle model as an antidote. The Golden Circle describes how organizations should be built — by starting at WHY (the reason they exist/grand purpose), then moving to HOW, and finally tackling WHAT. The Golden Circle also describes how companies should communicate what they are. First a company is its purpose, then how it does its work, and then what their work (or product) is.
The central thesis of the book is “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Key Takeaways
Leadership
Much of this book centers on influential leaders who have built large followings by starting with WHY. By clearly articulating and consistently acting on their purpose, he argues these leaders build the trust required to inspire others to support and follow them.
As a business grows, it must always reach a point where decision making moves beyond the founder. In order to sustain itself, new leaders need to be developed and empowered to make critical decisions. The new leaders, in turn, need to identify, develop, and empower those under them to make critical decisions.
Organization that start with WHY are much more effective at this kind of evolution. The leaders in these organizations must orient their thinking to the long term impact. As a result, starting with purpose creates an environment where people can flourish.
Process Design
The author argues that people are willing to pay a premium when a decision feels right. I believe the same holds true for processes. When a process feels natural, right, efficient, or familiar, we will remain loyal to it. We are often willing to put in additional effort (paying a premium with our time) to stick to it.
Good processes start with WHY. They meet not just the goal of the process, but align to the reason that the business exists. Starting every process with WHY, before moving on to HOW and WHAT, instills purpose into every action in the business. When employees are aligned to the purpose, every action feels natural and right.
When WHY permeates every process and structure in the business, anyone in the company can make decisions “as clearly and as accurately as the founder”. The trust created by this level of agency leads to satisfied employees. Satisfied employees who have bought into the mission create satisfied customers. Satisfied customers lead to successful businesses.
Business Development
All companies are in business to make money, so one of the more provocative claims in the book is that profit is not a purpose. Money is only a symptom of success — a side effect of a strong WHY that appeals to the right people. Customers might be the ones literally spending their cash with you, but you need everyone associated with your business, especially employees, to buy in.
When you start with WHY and build from the inside of the Golden Circle out, you create a business structure that attracts true fans to your company. Your message will resonate with these fans, both customers and employees, inspiring trust and loyalty. That trust and loyalty forms the backbone for a long and successful (i.e. profitable) company.
Memorable Quotes
1️⃣
“Trust begins to emerge when we have a sense that another person or organization is driven by things other than their own self-gain. With trust comes a sense of value — real value, not just value equated with money. Value, by definition, is the transference of trust.”
2️⃣
“[The] inherent nature of doing things for the long term often includes investments or short-term costs. This is the reason the discipline to stay focused on the WHY and remain true to your values matters so much.”
3️⃣
“The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen. It is the people inside the company, those on the front lines, who are best qualified to find new ways of doing things.”
Final Thoughts
Start with WHY builds on a large body of leadership thinking highlighting the significance of purpose, values, and vision in driving success. To be truly successful, leaders must be able to articulate a vision that is important not only for themselves but to others as well. That vision must fit the values and purpose of those they need to act on their behalf.
When organizations start with WHY they inspire. They motivate. They last.
For the short version, check out the TED Talk.
Learn more about Top of the Page
Thanks for reading! I am a self professed nerd who loves reading and learning. To me every book is a conversation. By the end of the conversation, I always have new ideas that I want to try. What are you reading?
