Start with Why

Why? As a coach I like good questions. I define a good question as one that makes you think. Simon Sinek tells us that “people don’t buy what you do – they buy why you do it!” He states that all good leaders start with ‘why’, or as I like to think of it in Dan Pink’s terms, from Drive – it’s all about your purpose! Pink’s tenets about the surprising thing that motivates us are: autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Sinek gives you plenty of examples to demonstrate his point. He discusses the golden circle of successful leadership with the analogy of a megaphone. At the smallest part or at the top if you set the megaphone down is ‘why’ you are in business, ‘how’ you do it follows and ‘what’ you do completes the shape. So if you think about starting by communicating ‘why’ you are in business – your message will just keep getting louder and louder through ‘how’ and ‘what’ you do to make it happen.

He cites many examples from Apple as a company who really has their ‘why’ in order and continues to be successful in many different markets, e.g. computers, music, phones. He claims they have always been about challenging authority and wanting to do things not only differently but infinitely better.

So Sinek asks you to think about your ‘why’. He states it is not something you create but something that you discovery. When you work with a coach that is how you start your work together through a discovery process. Think about why you get up in the morning to do what you do. If you jump up and can’t wait to get started it might be that you have already discovered what your purpose is and you feel passionate and energized by it. However, many people do not feel this way and want to, but have no idea how to go about the discovery on their own. Here is one suggestion: check out Adam Leipzig’s TED talk on YouTube. He wants you to answer the following questions:

• What do you do?
• Who do you do it for?
• What do the people who seek you out want or need?
• How do they change or transform after having met with you?

Enjoy the journey of your self-discovery and remember when leading always start with ‘why’!

Want to excel in your life and your career? Visit my  page and schedule a complimentary Discovery Call. I can help you define your purpose or expand your success now!