Start with Why

Back in 2009, I was a new college graduate ready to take on the world. I had no job and lots of inspiration. Around this time, TED Talks were just becoming popular thanks to YouTube, and I came across a lecture from a man named Simon Sinek. His presentation, "Start with Why" has always stuck with me. When I spotted Sinek's name on a list of TED Radio Hour podcasts, my interest was instantly piqued. As it turns out, the message is the same as the one I heard nearly 10 years ago, but this time it was titled:  How Do Great Leaders Inspire Us To Take Action? The refrain throughout Sinek's lecture?

"People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." 

 That may seem absurd at first. Of course people buy the 'what.' You buy the iPad. You buy the Xbox. You buy the Alexa. But if you stop and think about it, what we're really buying into is the 'why.' These companies convince us that these exciting products will change our lives. Sinek elaborates by drawing what he calls the "Golden Circle." Anyone can answer the questions posed by the outer two rings. It is the question at the center that makes the biggest impact. Data supports Sinek's theory that companies who focus on their 'why' are far more successful than those who do not.


Simon Sinek Starts with Why


Sinek repeatedly uses Apple as an example. We've all seen it. Every fall, when the next iPhone is announced, we all have that friend who has to be the first one to buy it. Why is that? While I'm personally more interested in waiting for a good deal, I do understand the appeal. My Android friends laugh and sneer at Apple fans' awe over the newest features. "Wireless charging? Androids have had that technology for years," my brother scoffed when first hearing about the iPhone 8.

Later in the lecture, Sinek distinguishes between "leaders" and "those who lead." This is such an important distinction, but I'm not sure that I would have thought to label it on my own. Sinek explains, "We follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to." I absorbed Sinek's words with a different lens now than I did the first time I heard them. As a "real adult," firmly planted in the working world, my perspective is more informed. No longer am I surrounded by fellow wide-eyed graduates ready to go out into the world and live the dream. Instead, when I look around, I see exhausted, disheartened grown-ups who are grinding through their 9-to-5s just trying to make a paycheck. Leadership makes a much bigger difference when you're talking about a decades-long career.

 I recently attended a meeting for a particular group of students with whom I work. The leader of this meeting is someone I have known my entire teaching career and worked with over the years in numerous capacities. As she addressed the room full of teachers, she didn't waste time going over the rules or reading through the handbook. Instead, she spoke from her heart. She shared some of the real facts about the students in our community. She showed us, through her anecdotes, not what this program does for our kids, but why we do it. I guarantee no one left that meeting wondering what Amanda Carden stands for or why she is in the field of education. She is the perfect example of a person who leads and leads with why. 

 Simon Sinek's book, Start with Why, is available on Amazon.

Start with Why book cover


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