Bestselling author worldwide and visionary thinker, Simon Sinek joined us on Future Forecast podcast to share why he is on a quest to put the WHY back into people’s lives; both in the workplace and on a personal level. Simon searched for and found his own “why” back in 2006, and has since been inspiring people “To do the things that inspire them.”
“Inspiration” goes back to childhood. Ask a child the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” You get all sorts of answers relating to what they like to play with, or what activities they like to do. What children like stands central, the same goes for adults. Because you will be good at the things you like to do, and that is how you can add value. You can turn your interests into your purpose for everything that you do, and make this your life philosophy.
A know-it-all
Business leaders are very good at knowing “what” they are doing and some know “how” to drive sales says Simon. The numbers could be good for a while, but the “why”, the true purpose of why they are doing what they are doing is often overseen. Yet it is this that makes a business sustainable in the long term and a go-to for customers. Simon found some interesting patterns between leadership style and business success. So he developed the Golden Circle model, which powerfully illustrates the simplest core of doing good business. It asks the questions, Why, how and what? Which align with how the brain works. Simon highlights that leadership should “start with why” - the purpose.
Why start with the ‘why’?
The question “why?” is of an emotional nature, and people are wired to respond well to emotional communication. Emotional communication has been linked to being effective in lots of ways, not least for better long-term memory, but it also makes people’s experiences count - experiences are formed by emotion, so people act and react through emotional communication (Van Alphen 2017).
Over the years Simon has seen a dominant trend. Great companies use a deep and meaningful approach to doing business. They work with care and follow their own purposeful path. These leaders make others around them shine so employees work to their full potential. Investing in purpose works in the long-term that will lead to quality output and great relationships; both internally and externally.
A study by PwC found that almost 80 percent of leaders believe that purpose is the key to success. The results pointed out that purpose does not only boost innovation and brand value; it digs much deeper, where leaders should take the company’s philosophy to a more holistic level – through purpose. This will enable business leaders to optimize value for all stakeholders.
What about the Millennials?
Simon’s thought leadership has made him a problem solver on many business issues, including why Millennials can be hard to manage. He emphasizes that Millennials may lack meaningful relationships in their work and personal life, so if you are a Millennial have a look at the relationships around you and give the relationships that count true meaning. Then start to find your “why” and work towards your purpose. Simon believes that “everyone can change the world for the better.” How inspiring is that!
- Interested to hear more from the bestselling author, Simon Sinek? Tune in to the Future Forecast episode below where he applies purpose to business, what meaningful management looks like and how Millennials work: