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« George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior | Leading Blog Main Page | Leading Views: Parker Palmer on Leading From Within » 01.04.10
The One Question You Should Ask NowWhy?WHY gets to the cause of things. The answer is your purpose or belief. It explains why you get up in the morning, why should I follow you, why should I buy from you. Your why is what inspires people. It gives clarity. Everything you do—your HOWs and WHATs—flows from your WHY. Why is vital to leaders. It inspires action through inspiration instead of manipulation. Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, says, “To lead requires those who willingly follow. It requires those who believe in something bigger than a single issue.” He distinguishes between leaders in name and those who actually lead. The difference is the why. It is possible to motivate people by external factors like a tempting promotion or fear. General Motors, for the last 70 years, has been the leader in their industry, but for the most part, did not lead. Sinek explains: Great leaders, in contrast, are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained…. Those who are able to inspire will create a following of people—supporters, voters, customers, workers—who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to.“People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” The problem says Simon Sinek, “is most businesses today are making decisions based on a set of incomplete or, worse, completely flawed assumptions about what’s driving their business.” They don’t know or have forgotten the why. Whys are hard to communicate. It’s easier to talk about what you do or how you do it. So we focus on the whats and the hows and over time, the why can get lost. In Start With Why he introduces the Golden Circle to explain loyalty and how to create enough momentum to turn an idea into a social movement. It begins from the inside out. It starts with why.  WHATs are easy to identify. They are your products and services. HOWs are the ways you do what you do. They differentiate you. WHYs tell people why they should care. Most organizations usually communicate from the outside in—the clearest to the fuzziest. “We say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but we rarely say WHY we do WHAT we do. But not the inspired companies. Not the inspired leaders. Every single one of them, regardless of their size or their industry, thinks, acts and communicates from the inside out.”
"All great leaders have charisma because all great leaders have clarity of WHY; an undying belief in a purpose or cause bigger than themselves." Begin your year by asking WHY. Then communicate it through everything you do. Let WHY be the inspiration to your Hows and Whats. “Achievement comes,” says Sinek, “when you pursue and attain WHAT you want. Success comes when you are clear in pursuit of WHY you want it.”
Posted by Michael McKinney at 03:02 PM
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Comments
This is excellent. It ranks right up there with "Why Not". You should always be asking that also :)
Posted by: Patrick Allmond | January 4, 2010 03:34 PM
This is a great point! Why are leaders doing what they are doing? We will succeed like you said in this way of thinking. Thanks for the blog.
Posted by: Raymond Gurries | January 4, 2010 04:19 PM
What a concept. I never thought about that before. Why gives purpose for what we are doing. Why can help a person think through if he or she is in a job for the "right reasons" or just to draw a pay check. Thanks.
Posted by: Tony Crisp | January 4, 2010 05:07 PM
And, don't forget that your audience is always asking "What's in it for me?"
The exceptional leader will ask: "What's in it for the people who trust in me?"
Posted by: John Ribbler | January 5, 2010 10:04 AM
I agree with Patrick. "Why not?" is the must ask question before launching any new endeavor.
Posted by: davidburkus | January 5, 2010 10:20 AM
Thanks for all of the comments. The important answers to the questions “Why not?” and “What’s in it for me?” are made easier by understanding the why—your core values and beliefs. The WHY focuses on you offering the best you can be. The WHY makes decisions easier. Your choices need to be congruent with your WHY.
WHY is not “to make lots of money.” That’s a result—a WHAT. The WHY creates an environment where great things can happen. Not everyone will buy into your why, but those that do will become inspired by it and join in because they want to.
Posted by: Michael McKinney | January 5, 2010 02:01 PM
I fully agree with needing to know 'why' and having this at the core of everything you do.
For my business, our 'why' is encapsulated as 'inspiring outstanding leaders'.
I most definitely 'want' to do good and 'want' to make a difference to leadership in education.
I would argue that in creating the rings of your target I would start with
WHY - what you/your business is passionate about
then
WHAT - What single thing will make the biggest difference. Your business goal.
then
HOW - The action plan to achieve the goal.
A word of caution.
Be wary of asking 'why' to others. As a coach I know that asking 'why' often provokes a defensive response.
Alternatives include:
What are we/you really passionate about?
What can we/you be the best in the world at?
Posted by: Hannah Jones | January 6, 2010 03:10 PM
"Why" is an excellent tool.
I also think that "So What" in terms of analysis is a very powerful, and concise method of driving right to the heart of the issue.
Finally, as per the mission command philosophy, make sure your team know the 'what' and the 'why' and resist the temptation to contain them with the 'how'!
Small word; great potential!
Posted by: Pete Jameson | January 15, 2010 09:06 AM
Why most certainly is a critical thing to know. You can find out "why" using a tool called the 5 whys. Start of with something you do, and ask why, then ask why on that, and repeat 5 times.
Posted by: Laurie Young | January 22, 2010 02:51 AM