Simon Sinek is an optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” he teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Simon was recently a guest on the Glenn Beck radio program to discuss his new book, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. The show put together their favourite quotations from the book (as also reflected in Kindle highlights), and you can watch their interview with him below:
1. There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.
2. WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money— that’s a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?
3. Trust begins to emerge when we have a sense that another person or organization is driven by things other than their own self-gain.
4. Instead of asking, “WHAT should we do to compete?” the questions must be asked, “WHY did we start doing WHAT we’re doing in the first place, and WHAT can we do to bring our cause to life considering all the technologies and market opportunities available today?”
5. Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.
6. Average companies give their people something to work on. In contrast, the most innovative organizations give their people something to work toward.
7. Great leaders are those who trust their gut. They are those who understand the art before the science. They win hearts before minds. They are the ones who start with WHY.
8. Henry Ford summed it up best. “If I had asked people what they wanted,” he said, “they would have said a faster horse.”
9. It’s worth repeating: people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.
10. But when a company clearly communicates their WHY, what they believe, and we believe what they believe, then we will sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to include those products or brands in our lives.