"Start with WHY: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action"

A Summary of Simon Sinek's Book

“If an individual or organization hopes to assume the responsibility of leadership—a responsibility that is given, not taken—then they must think, act, and speak in a way that inspires people to follow.”

—Simon Sinek

What if I told you that behind the success of the Wright brothers, Apple, and Dr. King is a “simple, powerful, and actionable idea” that any of us can use to similar effect? Well, that is exactly what Simon Sinek argues in this book of his. The author aims to help more people and organizations cultivate the ability to inspire. He envisions a world in which the vast majority of us not only buy stuff and earn a living but also bring to life causes that we believe in. He challenges us to “start with WHY.”

“A World That Doesn’t Start With WHY”

“Assume You Know”

Most leaders and companies assume that their success or lack thereof stems from that which can be seen, such as their products or promises. As a result, they underestimate the value of—and thus pay insufficient attention to—that which cannot be seen, such as their intentions or processes. Instead of running a structurally-sound operation, they rely on short-term tactics to reach short-term goals. Little do they know that they are sacrificing their long-term survivability on the altar of instant success.

“Carrots and Sticks”

Our behavior can be influenced by inspiration or manipulation. Most leaders and companies rely on the latter to win our support or business, as we are easily manipulated by fear, peer pressure, novelty, rewards, reduced prices, and aspirational messages. Despite its negative connotation, manipulation is a valid way to drive “any behavior that is only required once or on rare occasions.” For instance, it makes sense to lower prices to clear shelves at the end of a retail season or to offer a reward to find a missing pet. However, such short-term tactics are generally unsustainable, as they become more costly and stress-inducing over time. Nor do they seed loyalty. Those of us whose support or business is impelled by manipulation will not hesitate to take it elsewhere when the “carrots and sticks” (that is, rewards and punishments) disappear.

“An Alternative Perspective”

“The Golden Circle”

Sinek introduces the concept of “The Golden Circle,” which he depicts as three concentric circles. The first and outermost circle is labeled “WHAT” and refers to the easily identifiable things that a person or organization does. The second circle is labeled “HOW” and refers to the processes by which what they do is made different or better. The third and innermost circle is labeled “WHY” and refers to their purpose, cause, or belief. Most leaders and companies think, act, and communicate their WHAT, then their HOW, and sometimes their WHY. But those that inspire us do the opposite—that is, they start with WHY. They express their purpose, cause, or belief before referring to their HOW and WHAT as rational and tangible proof of it. Doing so gives them flexibility with their WHAT and attracts a loyal following that buys not only WHAT they do (which may be available elsewhere) but also WHY they do it.

“This Is Not Opinion, This Is Biology”

Two parts of the human brain are the limbic system and the neocortex. They are said to be our heart (or emotional brain) and mind (or rational brain) respectively. Our heart drives our behavior; our mind rationalizes it. Leaders and companies that start with WHAT present us with facts and figures that appeal to the rational brain but do not elicit an emotional response. Those that start with WHY present us with beliefs and values that appeal to the emotional brain and make us feel that we need to support or do business with them before we have a reason to do so. The latter draw our attention and command our loyalty by winning our hearts before our minds.

“Clarity, Discipline and Consistency”

To realize the value of The Golden Circle, its levels must be balanced and in the right order. First, we have to clarify our purpose, cause, or belief. Then we have to articulate and live by the values and principles that guide how we bring our cause to life. And then we have to consistently say and do what we believe. Only when we are clear about our WHY, disciplined in our HOW, and consistent with our WHAT can we, the people we serve, and the people who serve us make decisions that are not only thought and felt to be right but also known to be right. And only then can the people who share our belief know and trust what we believe enough to view a relationship with us as a way to signal what they believe.

“Leaders Need A Following”

“The Emergence of Trust”

Leadership is as much about rallying people around a common cause as it is about managing operations. To lead, we need to earn people’s trust by demonstrating our commitment to something bigger than ourselves, which we can do by being clear, disciplined, and consistent and by serving the people who serve us. Our success is made more likely when we recruit people who not only are good at what they do but also believe what we believe. When people feel that they belong on our team, they are loyal, hardworking, and innovative—not because we expect them to be—but because they are as committed to the cause as we are.

“How a Tipping Point Tips”

According to the “Law of Diffusion of Innovations,” the adoption of a thing by a market involves five types of people. Innovators (2.5% of the market) dare to think differently and aggressively pursue something new, be it an idea, a product, or something else. Early adopters (13.5% of the market) are quick to recognize the value of the new thing and will pay a premium or suffer an inconvenience for it. The early majority and late majority (each 34% of the market) are more or less skeptical about the utility or practicality of the new thing such that they adopt it only after other people have tried and recommend it. And laggards (the remaining 16% of the market) reluctantly adopt the new thing once the old thing is rendered obsolete. The key to mass-market success lies in the ability of the early adopters to encourage the majority. It is them—that is, the people who resonate with our WHY enough to adopt our WHAT before anyone else will—that we need to appeal to and empower.

“How To Rally Those Who Believe”

“Start with WHY, but Know HOW”

Behind every successful visionary is a practical-minded architect of sorts. In a movement or organization, the two are responsible for its vision and its mission respectively. A vision statement specifies a movement or organization’s reason for existence and imagined future, that is, its WHY. A mission statement specifies a movement or organization’s guiding principles and means of realizing its vision, that is, its HOW. For there to be sufficient trust and support between the visionary and the architect, the vision and the mission need to be clear and aligned.

“Know WHY. Know HOW. Then WHAT?”

Sinek reimagines the Golden Circle as a three-tiered cone to illustrate its correspondence to the hierarchical structure of an organization: WHY is at the top, HOW is in the middle, and WHAT is at the bottom. He depicts the cone sitting atop the marketplace and tells us that people are responsible for the layer directly beneath their own. The leader’s focus, for example, should not be on the outside market but on the individuals who “develop the systems and hire the people who are ultimately responsible for bringing the WHY to life.” Sinek argues that when an organization is running properly, its leader’s vision flows down the cone from WHY to HOW to WHAT and enters the marketplace in the form of marketing, advertising, products, or services. In other words, everything that an organization says and does should communicate what its leadership believes.

“Communication Is Not About Speaking, It’s About Listening”

Many people proudly wear branded clothing. Some even go so far as to tattoo a corporate logo on their skin! In either case, they typically do so, not to promote a company, but to express their own values, beliefs, or support for a cause that an organization—through its clarity, discipline, and consistency—has managed to become a symbol of. That a company’s logo has come to represent something bigger than the organization itself is a message to that company to continue saying and doing that which aligns with its purpose, cause, or belief. It would be wise to forever filter its options and opportunities through its WHY so that its decisions (at least in aggregate) may remain unambiguously indicative of it. If it fails to do so, it could make decisions that undermine its integrity as well as its ability to inspire and command loyalty.

“The Biggest Challenge Is Success”

“When WHY Goes Fuzzy”

Wal-Mart, the well-known discount store, was founded to serve people. Offering low prices was just one of the ways that it did so. But after the death of its founder, the company began to confuse WHY it existed with HOW it did business. It began to prioritize low prices over serving people and has been scandal-ridden ever since. Like Wal-Mart, many people and organizations become so confident in their WHAT and skilled in their HOW that they forget their WHY and the role that it has played in their success. They start chasing goals regardless of their relevance to the journey that they initially set out on. Some unknowingly begin to run backwards, so to speak, and wonder why they no longer feel successful upon reaching milestones.

“Split Happens”

In its beginning, the WHAT and WHY of a movement or organization are closely aligned, as most of its decisions are made by the people who are most familiar with and most inspired by its purpose, cause, or belief (namely its founder and earliest members). But as it grows, more of its decisions are made by people who are responsible for WHAT it does and who may not know or care much about WHY it does it. Add to that the inevitable departure of its founder—that is, the visionary at the helm—and the loss of its clarity of WHY is to be expected. For a movement or organization to continue to inspire and lead as it grows and outlives its founder’s participation, its purpose, cause, or belief must be integrated into its culture.

“Discover WHY”

“The Origins of a WHY”

An arrow is only powerful when it has momentum, which it gains by being pulled in the direction opposite to its target. According to Sinek, the same is true of every WHY, each of which “comes from the past” and “is born out of the upbringing and life experience of an individual or small group.” Gaining clarity of WHY is therefore a process, not of invention, but of discovery. Sinek believes every single person and organization has a WHY. His is “to inspire people to do the things that inspire them.”

“The New Competition”

Leaders and companies that lack a sense of purpose compete against others. They strive to be better at saying and doing what others already are. Their WHAT is just another collection of products or promises and offers no insight into what they hope to achieve apart from growing their base or bottom line. By contrast, leaders and companies that champion a higher cause compete against themselves. They strive to be ever better at bringing their WHY to life. Their WHAT represents their efforts to build their imagined future—and it is those efforts that inspire those of us who share their vision to offer them not only our support or business but also our loyalty.