Simon Sinek’s New York Times Bestseller ‘Start With Why’ is a leadership classic.
When I first read the book back in 2010, I was hooked.
I wasn’t even a leader, but his message was so simple and compelling that it shaped the vision I had for the next 20 years of my life.
Sinek’s message was really simple: the most inspiring leaders and organizations have a strong ‘WHY’ as the core of their business.
The ‘WHY’ is the all-encompassing purpose, belief or philosophy that subsequently leads to the ‘HOW’ (the unique selling proposition) and the ‘WHAT’ (the product or service itself).
Average businesses try to sell us based on the ‘WHAT’ and ‘HOW’ (i.e. features and benefits) and try to appeal to our rational brain.
But inspirational businesses start by talking about their ‘WHY’ before they talk about their ‘HOW’ or ‘WHAT’.
In ’Start With Why’, Sinek cites Apple as a prime example of an organization that starts with ‘WHY’.
If Apple were to try to sell computers just like every other computer company out there, their pitch might sound like this:
We make great computers.
They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.
Wanna buy one?
It’s simple, but unremarkable.
Most brands sell the same way. Because of that, they have to compete aggressively based on price because the consumers don’t perceive any significant differences.
But Apple is special because it doesn’t sell that way.
At the height of its success, Apple’s pitch was more like this:
Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. And we happen to make great computers. Wanna buy one?
Even if you’re introduced to Apple for the first time, this second pitch sounds much more attractive and appealing than if you were introduced with the first pitch.
The difference is simple: in the second example, you are introduced to the ‘WHY’ of the company before you even know what they sell.
The first example went like this: ‘WHAT’, ‘HOW’.
WHAT: We make great computers.
HOW: They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. Wanna buy one?
The second example flipped the script by going in this sequence: ‘WHY’, ‘HOW’, ‘WHAT’.
WHY: Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently.
HOW: The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.
WHAT: And we happen to make great computers.
With the ‘WHY’ – you know why they exist.
You know the reason why they do business.
You know what they stand for.
And that’s powerful.
By having a strong ‘WHY’ and using it in your pitch, you communicate authenticity to your audience.
No manipulative tactics. No marketing gimmicks. No B*S.
Steve Jobs definitely knew what he was doing. And that’s why til’ today, Apple continues to have a cult following, long after the death of its founder.
The people who love Apple spend thousands of dollars and stand in queue for weeks not because of discounts or freebies, but because they want to be part of what Apple stands for.
It’s not Apple’s products that made it great, it’s their philosophy – their ‘WHY’.
The ‘WHY’ speaks to our core as humans because we subconsciously make decisions based on emotion, not logic.
Because of this, Sinek concludes that: people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
He hammers this message consistently throughout his book and his exceptionally popular TED talk.
Until today, the concept of having a strong ‘WHY’ continues to resonate with me, even at different points in my career.
Recently I took up the mantle of the President at my beloved Toastmasters Club.
I saw it as an opportunity to reaffirm my ‘WHY’. So I sat down and wrote this:
I believe in consistently showing up as the best version of myself – so I can help my members be the best version of themselves.
As a leader, I set a crystal-clear vision, communicate masterfully and readily coach my team to continuously operate at peak performance.
I am the President of Tampines Changkat Toastmasters.
Just writing this made me feel a surge in energy, one that comes from within.
By restating my ‘WHY’, I knew at that moment that I didn’t step up to be a leader for the title, the power or the status.
It was about my desire to continuously strive to be the best version of myself.
And it felt aligned with who I am as a person.
It felt right.
3 Tips To Write A Compelling ‘Why’ Statement
So how do you write down a ‘WHY’ statement that is inspiring? One that drives you forward and motivates others as well?
Here are 3 simple guidelines:
#1: Your ’WHY’ must be personal and relevant to you that you take the result very seriously (and personally).
First and foremost, your ‘WHY’ has to come from you.
No one else but you.
Your ‘WHY’ has to be an extension of your beliefs, your values and your perspective on life.
Before it can be inspiring, it must first be congruent with your identity.
If it was written by someone else, then you must determine exactly WHY that ‘WHY’ matters to you.
When it is personal – your pride and ego are at stake.
You’re now invested in the result.
You do whatever it takes because you don’t want to fail. When failure is not an option, you are much, much more likely to succeed.
And that kind of ‘WHY’ becomes undeniably powerful whenever you’re going through challenges or are on the verge of quitting.
#2: Your ’WHY’ must be clear and specific enough to produce a strong emotion or an image.
Your ‘WHY’ statement is powerful – but only when it conjures a certain type of emotion or visual in your mind.
The visual must be attractive and compelling to you. A vision that represents the ideal world you want to live in.
Your subconscious mind operates based on symbols, images and metaphors. By having a clear picture of what you want to achieve, you multiply your chances of achieving it.
So your ‘WHY’ has to be clear and specific. It cannot be vague or ambiguous.
You must be able to clearly see it first, before others can see it.
#3: Your ’WHY’ must be simple and concise enough that a 6-year old child or your grandmother can understand in one glance.
That’s right.
Have you ever read lines out of a passage which you had to do a double-take?
Most likely it’s not that you’re a bad reader. It’s because the writer was ineffective.
Your ‘WHY’ is good only when it’s not confusing or convoluted.
Simplicity is key.
If your ‘WHY’ is easy to understand, then you can communicate it more effectively when you need to garner support.
The best way is to communicate it in one sentence.
Make that sentence concise. Make every word count.
Use simple-to-understand words that people can relate to, even those who may not be familiar with what you do.
The most powerful leaders make the most impact because they communicate in simple terms, not by trying to razzle-dazzle their audiences with bombastic words.
—
So do you know your ‘WHY’?
If you subscribe to this concept as much as I do, send me a message!
I’d love to hear your ‘WHY’.
Cheers!
Summary
The most inspiring leaders and organizations have a strong ‘WHY’ as the core of their business.
People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.
3 Tips To Write A Compelling ‘Why’ Statement
#1: Your ’WHY’ must be personal and relevant to you that you take the result very seriously (and personally).
#2: Your ’WHY’ must be clear and specific enough to produce a strong emotion or an image.
#3: Your ’WHY’ must be simple and concise enough that a 6-year old child or your grandmother can understand in one glance.
Simon Sinek’s New York Times Bestseller ‘Start With Why’ is a leadership classic.
When I first read the book back in 2010, I was hooked.
I wasn’t even a leader, but his message was so simple and compelling that it shaped the vision I had for the next 20 years of my life.
Sinek’s message was really simple: the most inspiring leaders and organizations have a strong ‘WHY’ as the core of their business.
The ‘WHY’ is the all-encompassing purpose, belief or philosophy that subsequently leads to the ‘HOW’ (the unique selling proposition) and the ‘WHAT’ (the product or service itself).
Average businesses try to sell us based on the ‘WHAT’ and ‘HOW’ (i.e. features and benefits) and try to appeal to our rational brain.
But inspirational businesses start by talking about their ‘WHY’ before they talk about their ‘HOW’ or ‘WHAT’.
In ’Start With Why’, Sinek cites Apple as a prime example of an organization that starts with ‘WHY’.
If Apple were to try to sell computers just like every other computer company out there, their pitch might sound like this:
We make great computers.
They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.
Wanna buy one?
It’s simple, but unremarkable.
Most brands sell the same way. Because of that, they have to compete aggressively based on price because the consumers don’t perceive any significant differences.
But Apple is special because it doesn’t sell that way.
At the height of its success, Apple’s pitch was more like this:
Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. And we happen to make great computers. Wanna buy one?
Even if you’re introduced to Apple for the first time, this second pitch sounds much more attractive and appealing than if you were introduced with the first pitch.
The difference is simple: in the second example, you are introduced to the ‘WHY’ of the company before you even know what they sell.
The first example went like this: ‘WHAT’, ‘HOW’.
WHAT: We make great computers.
HOW: They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. Wanna buy one?
The second example flipped the script by going in this sequence: ‘WHY’, ‘HOW’, ‘WHAT’.
WHY: Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently.
HOW: The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.
WHAT: And we happen to make great computers.
With the ‘WHY’ – you know why they exist.
You know the reason why they do business.
You know what they stand for.
And that’s powerful.
By having a strong ‘WHY’ and using it in your pitch, you communicate authenticity to your audience.
No manipulative tactics. No marketing gimmicks. No B*S.
Steve Jobs definitely knew what he was doing. And that’s why til’ today, Apple continues to have a cult following, long after the death of its founder.
The people who love Apple spend thousands of dollars and stand in queue for weeks not because of discounts or freebies, but because they want to be part of what Apple stands for.
It’s not Apple’s products that made it great, it’s their philosophy – their ‘WHY’.
The ‘WHY’ speaks to our core as humans because we subconsciously make decisions based on emotion, not logic.
Because of this, Sinek concludes that: people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
He hammers this message consistently throughout his book and his exceptionally popular TED talk.
Until today, the concept of having a strong ‘WHY’ continues to resonate with me, even at different points in my career.
Recently I took up the mantle of the President at my beloved Toastmasters Club.
I saw it as an opportunity to reaffirm my ‘WHY’. So I sat down and wrote this:
I believe in consistently showing up as the best version of myself – so I can help my members be the best version of themselves.
As a leader, I set a crystal-clear vision, communicate masterfully and readily coach my team to continuously operate at peak performance.
I am the President of Tampines Changkat Toastmasters.
Just writing this made me feel a surge in energy, one that comes from within.
By restating my ‘WHY’, I knew at that moment that I didn’t step up to be a leader for the title, the power or the status.
It was about my desire to continuously strive to be the best version of myself.
And it felt aligned with who I am as a person.
It felt right.
3 Tips To Write A Compelling ‘Why’ Statement
So how do you write down a ‘WHY’ statement that is inspiring? One that drives you forward and motivates others as well?
Here are 3 simple guidelines:
#1: Your ’WHY’ must be personal and relevant to you that you take the result very seriously (and personally).
First and foremost, your ‘WHY’ has to come from you.
No one else but you.
Your ‘WHY’ has to be an extension of your beliefs, your values and your perspective on life.
Before it can be inspiring, it must first be congruent with your identity.
If it was written by someone else, then you must determine exactly WHY that ‘WHY’ matters to you.
When it is personal – your pride and ego are at stake.
You’re now invested in the result.
You do whatever it takes because you don’t want to fail. When failure is not an option, you are much, much more likely to succeed.
And that kind of ‘WHY’ becomes undeniably powerful whenever you’re going through challenges or are on the verge of quitting.
#2: Your ’WHY’ must be clear and specific enough to produce a strong emotion or an image.
Your ‘WHY’ statement is powerful – but only when it conjures a certain type of emotion or visual in your mind.
The visual must be attractive and compelling to you. A vision that represents the ideal world you want to live in.
Your subconscious mind operates based on symbols, images and metaphors. By having a clear picture of what you want to achieve, you multiply your chances of achieving it.
So your ‘WHY’ has to be clear and specific. It cannot be vague or ambiguous.
You must be able to clearly see it first, before others can see it.
#3: Your ’WHY’ must be simple and concise enough that a 6-year old child or your grandmother can understand in one glance.
That’s right.
Have you ever read lines out of a passage which you had to do a double-take?
Most likely it’s not that you’re a bad reader. It’s because the writer was ineffective.
Your ‘WHY’ is good only when it’s not confusing or convoluted.
Simplicity is key.
If your ‘WHY’ is easy to understand, then you can communicate it more effectively when you need to garner support.
The best way is to communicate it in one sentence.
Make that sentence concise. Make every word count.
Use simple-to-understand words that people can relate to, even those who may not be familiar with what you do.
The most powerful leaders make the most impact because they communicate in simple terms, not by trying to razzle-dazzle their audiences with bombastic words.
—
So do you know your ‘WHY’?
If you subscribe to this concept as much as I do, send me a message!
I’d love to hear your ‘WHY’.
Cheers!
Summary
The most inspiring leaders and organizations have a strong ‘WHY’ as the core of their business.
People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.
3 Tips To Write A Compelling ‘Why’ Statement
#1: Your ’WHY’ must be personal and relevant to you that you take the result very seriously (and personally).
#2: Your ’WHY’ must be clear and specific enough to produce a strong emotion or an image.
#3: Your ’WHY’ must be simple and concise enough that a 6-year old child or your grandmother can understand in one glance.