"Start with Why" (Book): "What is your purpose, cause or belief?"

 

“Start with Why” (published in 2019 by Penguin) of Simon Sinek pretends to present “a way of thinking, acting and communicating that gives some leaders the ability to inspire those around them” (p.1). Consequently, “those who are able to inspire will create a following of people – supporters, voters, customers, workers – who act (…) not because they have to, but because they want to” (p.6). Start with why will offer you/us “the cause of action” (p.7).

Although, you can watch the TED Talk of the author about “How great leaders inspire action” (https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action), I would assure you that reading his book “Start with why” is not a waste of time and I recommend it to everyone. You will understand better all the idea behind it, learning and thinking about some new points.

For example, not everyone should be a leader and there is no problem in being a follower. Both matter and have their own meaning and role in an organization and in world. Much more relevant is to find our why, our motivation, something that makes us to believe and act (being a leader or a follower). Everyone should find and have it to be his/her best version in this life...!

Structurally, the book is divided into six parts: part one 1: “A world that doesn’t start with why”; part 2: “An alternative perspective”; part 3: “Leaders need a following”, part 4: “How to rally those who believe”; part 5: “The biggest challenge is success” and part 6: “Discover why”, which is like an auto-analysis done by the author to his “why” and a way to motivate each one of us to find our” why”…

The heart of the book and of the whole argument is in part 2, where we can find the famous “golden circle” shown by Sinek during his TED talk. According to the author, success comes when we start with “WHY”, which is in the middle of the circle. We should “follow” from “why” to “what”, passing through “how”.

“WHY” is made of values and beliefs; it answers the following questions: “What is your purpose, cause or belief? Why does your company exist? Why do you get out of bed every morning?”  “How” is usually related with an explanation of “how something is different or better” and “What” serves “as the tangible proof of that belief”, it is an external factor (pp.39 and 42).

The biological explanation for the importance of starting with “why” is directly related with our brain. In a very simplified way, “why” is a question for our limbic brain, involved in our need for survival. Without capacity for language, it is in this part of our brain that are the feelings, such as trust and loyalty, responsible for our human behavior and decision-making based on “gut”. As a result, when we don’t have a “why”, it is “harder to make a decision”. So, we try to guide our decision through the science and data.  But… When we do that, we are looking to “what” and this means that we are using our neocortex, the newest area of the brain, where is located the rational and analytical thought, and the language (pp.55-59).

Although, part 2 is the most important of the book, the author starts to explain and to put in contrast, in part 1, a world without a “why” and a world with a “why”. According to him, there are two ways of influencing the human behavior: manipulation or inspiration. A world without a “why” seems to be a world where manipulation rules, while a world with a “why” seems to be ruled by inspiration.

For Simon Sinek, manipulation works for something that “is only required once or on rare occasions” (p.31). However, “for loyal, lasting relationship, manipulations do not help” and we will need to create peace of mind (and not stress as manipulation does) through loyalty (p.31). The author defends that “loyalty is when people are willing to suffer some inconvenience or pay a premium to do business with you” (p.120).

Still related with loyalty is trust, formed “when we share values and beliefs with others” (p.88), and analyzed in part 3. Sinek underlines that “you have to talk about your WHY and prove it with WHAT you do. Again, a WHY is just a belief, HOWs are the actions we take to realize that belief, and WHATs are the results of those actions. When all three are in balance, trust is built, and value is perceived” (pp. 84-85).

In part 4, the second one most relevant of the book in my opinion, the author presents his “golden circle”, a way in which companies should be organized. In this sense, and remaining three-dimensional, the “golden circle” could be seen as a “top-down view of a cone”. At the top, representing the “why” is the leader (usually the CEO), followed by the senior executives, which are inspired by the leader’s vision. These executives know “how” to bring the vision and belief of the leader (his “why”) to life. “How” are their actions. And, finally, “what” is the result of these actions (p.137). 

“Why types are the visionaries”, with overactive imaginations, they “are focused on the things most people can’t see, like the future”. In a certain way, we can look to them as a kind of dreamers/idealists because, as Sinek also notes, “they tend to be optimists who believe that all the things they imagine can actually be accomplished.” This is the reason why “those who know WHY needs those who know HOW”. “How-types live more here and now”, they are more realists and “have a clearer sense of all things practical“.” Focused on things most people can see”, how-types “tend to be better at building structures and processes and getting things done” (p.140) and… “Most people in the world are How-types” (p.141)

So, if a company or other organization type wants to be great and make the difference in the world, it will need, for sure, to have this “very special and rare partnership” between “a vision of the future”, which comes from a why-type, and “the talent to make it done”, which comes from a how-type (pp.142 and 143).

Finally, another interesting idea presented by Sinek, in part 5, is the one that compares achievement with success. While achievement is a result of “what” (like a goal, something tangible and clearly defined), success is a result of “why” (like a feeling or a state of being) and we need both. The author believes that “achievement comes when you pursue and attain what you want. Success comes when you are clear in pursuit of why you want it” (p.181).