The first time I heard about Simon Sinek, it was when I attended a Branding workshop. I saw his TEDx and I was extremely motivated by those 20 minutes of speech. Then someone else quoted it in a lecture, then someone else and then I heard it again, and again, and again, and again in an abridged version, and again in an animated version, from other leaders, from other directors, in other workshops. It felt like he had become a mantra for a new generation “start with why” and everything will become clearer. I decided to give the book a chance, I confess it was no big surprise, but it worked like his first time seeing the already famous TEDx. I needed to stop to think about "my why" and understand what had happened to me in the last two years.
"You don't lie to your own doctor. You don't lie to your own attorney, and you don't lie to your employees."
The book builds on the thought that much of what companies and people achieve is due to the fact that they know the “why” they are doing it, not the practical and real “why” like “working for money”, but the greater, transcendental and sometimes almost divine “why” . The “why” comes from what the author calls the golden circle, that define the bases of decision-making, whether in the personal life of a leader or a company.
What: it's the easiest, it's practically what you do. Products, services or leading. Its the touch point with the “outside world” How: it is the process that involves what you do, it can be a differentiation or a motivator of some decision in a practical scope. Why: It's the ultimate purpose. It is the mindset behind the “how” and the “what”. “Change the world”, “challenge the status quo”, “make accessible to all”, “save the Amazon”
Another useful concept is that there are two ways to influence human behavior: manipulating it and inspiring it. Manipulation: Price, promotion, fear, aspiration, social pressure, novelty, etc… They lead to more “rational buying”, which can commoditize a product, and that hurts business in the long run. Inspiration: For various reasons. Here he sums it up in the golden circle. Aligning people's, and brands, “whys” leads to loyalty, building culture, leadership and motivation.
Knowing your “why” is influencing by inspiration, this can happen from small circles like friends who identify and have discussions, through team leaders, brand leaders, social leaders and brands as a whole. “Why” people don't necessarily know how to do things, so they need a close relationship with “how” people. The most classic example, and repeated endlessly in the book, is Steve Jobs (why) and Steve Wozniak (how). When a brand knows its “why”, it will identify with the public that is at the beginning of the diffusion law. They are the innovators and early adopters, the people who buy the product because they identify with the reason for its existence, it is not about him being the best. In reality these “differentials” are not even taken into account. As an example we have iPhone users. Since the first models the big difference was not something measurable, such as speed or HD, whoever waits in line to buy the new model does not take this into account, and even if the discussion includes these aspects, the customer will be able to find something that is a differential for him. As a company it is important to know who your audience is, this way it will not turn the product/service into a commodity and get into a war of values or irrelevant “differentials”. Building one “why” it's hard, so it's necessary to identify and express what they mean for the brand.
A company says its “why” is “it has to be good for everyone” What this means: That while the company has to generate profits, none of the parties involved should be harmed in the process. If anything else gets in the way of that, harming someone else for exemple, your “why” is inconsistent.**
Auto Industry American: on the production line one person had the sole function of knocking with a rubber mallet to ensure that the door fit perfectly. Japanese: this function did not exist. When asked why this function does not exist, the answer was: “We make sure it fits when we design”
Loyalty
Decision making Great leaders know what they are doing empirically, data is always important, but having a filter before the data is what validates or not a proposal.
Accretion Process of adding new parts to a system (or anything) changing the original thing, evolving and making the old thing entangled in a "new" and complex system. Imagine the creation of the solar system, bit by bit the connection of a lot of dust, make everything we have, but we still dust.
Logo Difference in the application of the Dell/apple logo, one is focused on the user, the other for the world.(already changed)
Law of Diffusion of Innovations: Describe how innovations spread through society.
Brand hate The lack of a sense of “why” generates a lack of expectations, and with that we expect only the minimum. If this is not delivered it generates pain.
Branding The well-defined why turns into all the company's touch points, marketing, brand, products and services.
Split When the “whys” move away from the “whats”
How to measure “why”? “Their officious behavior made perfect sense. "What gets measured gets done," as well-known sales coach Jack Daly says. And in the world of debt collecting, the callers were given bonuses on how much money they collected. This has resulted in any industry that threatens, badgers, hounds and provokes. It did take long until Harbridge found herself adopting the same attitude whenever she talked with debtors. "I began treating people on the phone the way everybody else in the office treated them," she sail” (pg 212) “At Bridgeport Financial, bonuses were not given for the amount of money that was collected; they were given based on how many "thank you" cards her agents sent out. This is harder than it sounds. Sending out a card thanking someone for the time they spent talking on the phone requires a few things. First, Harbridge had to hire people who believed what she believed. She had to hire good fits. If her employees didn't believe that everyone deserves to be listened to, it wouldn't work. Only good-fit hires would be capable of creating an environment on the telephone that would actually warrant sending a thank-you card, even though the purpose of the call was to ask for money. Harbridge measured WHY her company existed, not WHAT they did, and the result was a culture in which compassion was valued above all.”(pg213)