What Is Your “Why”?
Inspiration. It’s an intangible concept but according to the renowned author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek, it’s the key to exceptional and lasting success. In his breakout book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon demonstrates how inspiration propelled revolutionaries as diverse as The Wright Bros, Rev Martin Luther King and Apple. More importantly he shows how businesses and individuals alike can adopt the “inspired” thinking championed by such luminaries.
Simon’s argument is elegantly simple. Lasting success is always preceded by a “Why”. The “Why” is an over-arching vision or calling which informs our actions. It is our core purpose, motivation or the reason why we get out of bed in the morning. To illustrate, he argues that Apple’s phenomenal success is based on their commitment to “challenging the status quo and thinking differently”. This starting premise is reflected in their design values. Apple’s products are always beautiful and user friendly. Their army of loyal customers are inspired rather than manipulated into buying Apple products because they personally aspire to the ideal of “thinking differently”.
For any worthwhile enterprise it is vital to define the “Why” and then work outwards to the “How” and the “What” as depicted by Simon’s Golden Circles model. The “Why” represents the emotional investment and as Simon explains “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”
Empowered Leaders Live According To Their “Why”.
Whilst the concept sounds deliciously simple, it’s not always easy for organisations and individuals to truly comprehend their “Why”. All too often we lurch through life reacting to situations without even considering what our true purpose is. The Integrity and Values Leadership In Action (LIA) Program helps you and your executive team define the “Why” that reflects your core values and vision. More importantly the program instructs your team how to live the “Why”. That is to say we teach you how to act in accordance with your inner most values bringing integrity to all aspects of your life. To us, starting with the “Why” is key to empowering leaders and bringing about lasting success.
Take Action Now
To find out more about our Leadership in Action Program head to https://www.integrityandvalues.com/ or call 1300 364 588.
Something To Share
Link to Simon Sinek’s ground breaking TED Talk where he illuminates his “golden circles” theory. Discover for yourself why he has attracted over 10 million views on the TED site alone.
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
Meanwhile Back At HQ
The Integrity and Values team are delighted to have regained a foot hold in Perth. Perth is where the business originally begun before the main office moved to Sydney. We are very excited to be empowering leaders and inspiring game change right across the country.
Back in Sydney we are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Pickworth has joined our team as an Executive Assistant. Elizabeth has a wealth of experience in Human Resources, Aerospace and Media. She is currently studying a Masters of Communication Management at UTS.
