Start with Why

Why do you do what you do? Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with “why.” It was their natural ability to start with “why” that enabled them to inspire those around them and to achieve remarkable things.

In studying the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way — and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea “The Golden Circle,” and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with “why.”

Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it; but very few can clearly articulate why. “Why” is not money or profit– those are always results.

Why does your organization exist? Why does it do the things it does? Why do customers really buy from one company or another? Why are people loyal to some leaders, but not others?

Starting with “why” works in big business and small business, in the nonprofit world and in politics. Those who start with “why” never manipulate, they inspire. And the people who follow them don’t do so because they have to; they follow because they want to.

Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or who wants to find someone to inspire them.

Inspire! What Great Leaders Do

A top business consultant and speaker lights the path to a positive, productive work environment
What do the best leaders do to achieve greatness in the modern workplace that is muddled by fear, pressure for productivity, overwork? Inspire! offers business leaders a clear vision of what a positive, productive, inspiring organization looks like in these challenging and chaotic times, and how to get there.
The key to extraordinary long-term performance lies in a transformational commitment to inspiring people rather than motivating them. Lance Secretan’s Higher Ground Leadership concepts have been widely used to increase profits and quality, slash staff turnover, and achieve record organizational and personal performance. Inspire! describes Lance’s breakthrough thinking, often in the words of the pace-setting leaders who are implementing them and building legacies. Countless examples, stories, and case studies demonstrate the magic of these brilliant ideas.
Six essential values form the foundation of positive, productive, and profitable organizations and a meaningful and fulfilling life-courage to begin the transformation; authenticity that lets people contribute all of themselves and excel; service that fosters a spirit of cooperation; truth-telling that builds trust and loyalty; love for others that leads to inspired results; and effectiveness, the attainment of results. Inspire! shows leaders in any organization how to foster these essential values that lead to personal and organizational greatness.
Lance Secretan (Alton, Ontario, Canada) is one of the world’s foremost thinkers on self-improvement and leadership. He is an author, award-winning columnist, philosopher, corporate coach, and a renowned public speaker and business consultant. He served as chairman of the Advisory Board of the 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games and is also a former ambassador to the United Nations Environment Program.