Feel inspired and inspire others.
Why do you do what you do? What is your
passion?
Do you wake up every morning inspired to go to
work? Do you come home every day fulfilled by the work that you do?
If not, you are not alone.
In 2006, Simon Sinek owned
and operated his own marketing firm. Although his business was financially
successful, he had lost his passion for what he was doing. He knew What he did
and he knew How he did it different or better than others. However, he had no
clarity as to Why he was doing it. With no purpose behind his work, he began to
burnout and he became depressed.
The tips and advice he
received from others, like, “Do what you love!” were not working. He became
obsessed with finding the missing link - his Why. This is the driving
inspiration that is there when everything is right and missing when at our
worst.
Through personal reflection
and sharing what was becoming clear with others, Simon found his Why – to
inspire people to do the things that inspire them so that, together, we can
change our world. He began to use his Why as a filter, choosing only to do
things and get involved with projects that would bring his Why to life. His
passion restored to levels he had never experienced before.
If you know your purpose, it
makes you more qualified and more confident to choose the careers and find the
companies that create environments in which you are more likely to be inspired
and feel fulfilled. That is the goal. The best organizations foster trust and
cooperation because their leaders build a circle of safety. This safe culture
leads to stable, adaptive, confident teams, where everyone feels they belong.
Why is it that some
leaders and organizations are able to inspire greater loyalty and engagement
among their
customers and employees
alike? How are they are able to achieve and sustain inordinate amounts of
success for years on end?
Whether they realize it
or not, all great and inspiring leaders and organizations think, act and
communicate in the same way... and it is the complete opposite from everyone
else.
Every single
organization on the planet, even our own
careers, function on
three levels:
1. What we do
2. How we do it,
and
3. Why we do it.
When those three pieces are aligned, it gives us a
filter through which to make decisions. It provides a foundation for
innovation and for building trust. When all three pieces are in balance, others
will say, with absolute clarity and certainty, “We know who you
are,” “We know what you stand for.” This simple idea is The Golden
Circle. It is a concept discovered by optimist and author Simon Sinek.
Every person on the planet
knows What they do.
This is your job title, function or roles. For an organization, these are the products they sell or the services they offer.
This is your job title, function or roles. For an organization, these are the products they sell or the services they offer.
Some people know How they do
it.
These are the things you do that make you special or set you apart from your peers. Some organizations and individuals know How they do what they do. They may call it their “differentiating value proposition,” “proprietary process” or “unique selling proposition (USP).” The Hows are an organization’s or individual’s strengths, values or guiding principles. These are the things they feel set them apart from their competition; the things they think make them special or different from everyone else.
These are the things you do that make you special or set you apart from your peers. Some organizations and individuals know How they do what they do. They may call it their “differentiating value proposition,” “proprietary process” or “unique selling proposition (USP).” The Hows are an organization’s or individual’s strengths, values or guiding principles. These are the things they feel set them apart from their competition; the things they think make them special or different from everyone else.
Very few people know WHY they
do what they do.
The Why is not about making money - that’s a result. The Why is a purpose, cause or belief.
Your Why is the very reason you exist. Very few people and very few organizations can clearly articulate Why they do what they do. The Why provides a clear answer to the questions, “Why do you get out of bed every morning?” “Why does your organization exist?” and “Why should that matter to anyone else?”
The Why is not about making money - that’s a result. The Why is a purpose, cause or belief.
Your Why is the very reason you exist. Very few people and very few organizations can clearly articulate Why they do what they do. The Why provides a clear answer to the questions, “Why do you get out of bed every morning?” “Why does your organization exist?” and “Why should that matter to anyone else?”
Making money is NOT a
Why. Revenues, profits, salaries and other monetary measurements are simply
results of what we do.
The Why is about our
contribution to impact and serve others. The Why inspires us.
People naturally
communicate from the outside-in; they typically go from what is easiest to
understand to what is hardest to understand and explain. They tell people What
they do, tell them How they are different or better, and then they expect a
behavior like a purchase, a vote or support.
Here is how most
organizations market and communicate:
What: “Here is our law
firm.”
How: “We have the
industry’s most intelligent lawyers, who graduated from the world’s top
schools. Have you seen our client list? Only from the Fortune 500! And, check
out our offices – they are absolutely pristine.”
Behavior: “Come do
business with our law firm!”
The problem is that
What and How do not inspire action. Facts and figures make rational sense, but
people do not make decisions purely based on facts and figures. Starting with
What is what commodities do. Starting with Why is what leaders do.
Leaders inspire.
Leaders and
organizations with the capacity to inspire all think, act and communicate from
the inside-out. They start with their Why. When they communicate their purpose
or cause first, they communicate in a way that drives decision-making and
behavior.
It literally taps the
part of the brain that influences behavior.
Here’s an example with
the same law firm, starting with their Why:
Why: “We believe in
servicing the needs of others so that they can focus on the difference they
need to make.”
How: “We do so by
bringing on some of the most intelligent legal professionals who graduated from
the world’s top schools. We work with top performing organizations, most of
which are on the Fortune 500 list, so that we can help them make a larger
difference in the world. And, we like to go above and beyond, so we have built
pristine offices.”
What: “We are a
world-class law firm. Come see for yourself.”
If the people at this
firm actually believe in their Why and think, act and communicate starting with
their Why, they will attract people who believe what they believe and who want
to be a part of their cause.
None of this is
opinion. It is all grounded in the tenets of biology.
A cross-section of the
human brain shows that its layout perfectly correlates with the three major components
of The Golden Circle. The outside of the brain is the Neocortex, which corresponds with the
What level of The Golden Circle. The Neocortex is the newest brain or Homo
Sapien brain. It is responsible for all rational and analytical thought and
language. The middle two sections, the How and Why, of The Golden Circle make
up the Limbic Brain. The Limbic Brain is responsible for all feelings, like
trust and loyalty. It is also responsible for all human behavior and
decision-making, yet it has no capacity for language. In other words,
communicate from the outside-in and people can understand vast amounts of
complicated information, like features, benefits, facts and figures. It simply
does not drive human behavior.
Communicate from the
inside-out and speak directly to the part of the brain that control emotions,
behavior and decision-making. But, if asked the reason they choose one product
or service over the other, the decision-maker often cites the features,
benefits, facts or figures.
What’s the reasoning behind that?
What’s the reasoning behind that?
The Neocortex, the
thinking part of the brain, is always trying to understand and make sense of
the world. This is the reason we think we are rational beings when we are
really not. If we were, we would never buy a product or service simply because
of how it makes us feel. We would never be loyal; we would always choose the
best deal. We would never care about trust or relationships; we would only
evaluate the numbers. We know that we don’t do that. We do choose one product,
service or company over another because of the way it makes us feel.
The Limbic System
controls our emotions, feelings and decision-making, but remember it has no
capacity for language. We make decisions using our Limbic System and then
rationalize that decision with the part of the brain that can communicate with
words, the Neocortex.
There is a difference
between repeat business and loyalty. Repeat business means that someone is
willing to continue to do business with you. Perhaps because of your price, a
feature or some sort of convenience. As soon as that convenience is no longer
available, the customer complains or leaves to meet their needs elsewhere.
Loyalty is quite different. Loyal consumers may choose to suffer some sort of
inconvenience to continue doing business with you. They will pay more, travel
further, proudly defend and champion your brand, even if your product or
service is more expensive, further away or somehow less convenient. This is the
reason we can say that people don’t buy What you do, they buy Why you do it and
What you do simply serves as the tangible proof of what you believe.
For The Golden Circle
to work properly, you must have:
1. Clarity of Why,
2. Discipline of How,
and
3. Consistency of
What.
No one section of The
Golden Circle is more important than the other. The most important thing is a
balance across all three.
WHY:
If you don’t know Why
you do What you do, how can you expect anyone else to know? For others to know
your Why, you must first have clarity of your own Why.
HOW:
The actions that you
and your people take to bring your cause to life must be aligned with your
values, guiding principles, strengths and beliefs.
WHAT:
And everything you say
and everything you do must be consistent with what you believe. After all, we
live in the tangible world. The only way people will know what you believe is
if you say and do the things you actually believe.
The Golden Circle is not
just a communication tool; it also provides some insight into how great
organizations are structured. If we imagine The Golden Circle as a
three-dimensional model, it’s a top down view of a cone.
The cone represents a
company or an organization, an inherently organized system. At the top of the
system, representing the Why, is a leader. She or he articulates the Why and
points to a vision of a better future. The next level down, the How level,
includes the people who are inspired by the leader’s cause. They give their
blood, sweat and tears to build and bring the vision to life. The What, at the
bottom of the cone, are the things the organization says and does that breathe
life into the Why. They make it tangible. An organization communicates its Why
through everything it says and does; the marketing, the products and services
the company provides ... everything.
For
a message to spread, it must be loud AND clear. Like a megaphone.
Loud
is easy, just drive sales or buy marketing.
Clear
is harder.
When
an organization is clear about its purpose or its WHY, everyone, from employees
to customers, can understand it. This clarity invites everyone who
interacts
with the organization to become champions of the cause, should they choose.
Ideally, this clarity starts at the top of the organization and moves through
the company. It can inspire people to create products, services, solutions and
marketing that brings the Why to life. When everything you say and do echoes
what you believe, you end up with a message that’s loud AND clear.
The discovery of your why is
not an academic exercise; it is something deeply personal. Your Why provides you with clarity, meaning and direction.
It is a filter through which you can make decisions, every day, to bring your
cause to life. A Why Statement is one sentence that captures your unique contribution
and impact. The contribution is the real actionable part of your Why. The
impact is the condition you wish to leave the people and world around you.
Together, these two components provide fulfillment for you and those you serve.
When you find your cause or
purpose, it will restore your passion to levels you’ve never experienced
before, and as we do when we discover something beautiful, we share it with the
people we love. It will change the course of your life, and it will change the
course of your career where you will become completely devoted to spreading the
idea of finding one’s passion or amplifying it if you already have it.
Having a job we love is a
right not a privilege; it is not for the chosen few. ‘I love my job’ should be
the standard, not the exception.
The best thing about
discovering your purpose is that it is a biological constant: it has nothing to
do with what we do. It is based on the biology of how we make decisions, what drives
us and what motivates us, which means it doesn’t matter whether you are retired
or whether you are a student. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. it
will help you understand what makes you tick, what drives you and what inspires
you. This will give you something to grasp on to and find inspiration and
fulfillment in everything you do, hopefully for the rest of your life.
All you need to do is have
the will and the desire to want to understand what drives and inspires you.
Imagine a world where nearly
everyone feels safe and valued at work, and returns home at the end of each day
fulfilled - feeling as though they are contributing toward something greater
than themselves. The Golden Circle can help bring us closer to this brighter
world.
A movement only exists when
people are inspired to move, to do something, to take up the cause as their
own. On behalf of Simon Sinek and our team at Start With Why, I am progressing
the movement to inspire and live in service to others.
The ideas The Golden Circle
illustrates are certainly not new. Simon did not invent purpose. What he has
been able to do is capture this idea, that has been around for millennia, in a
way that is simple, easy to understand and actionable. It is my hope that
people use and share these ideas with others so that, together, we can change
our world.
Inspire on!