How Great Leaders Inspire Action
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the YouTube video link that my daughter recently forwarded to me (“we watched this in class today and I thought you might like it”). Well, it turned out to be great. So great that it is worth sharing.
It is Simon Sinek’s TEDTalk on why the most inspiring people and organizations (think Apple, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Wright Brothers) are so successful and influential. Here is the video:
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
My takeaways:
- There is power in purpose: start with WHY you are doing what you are doing (rather than the WHAT and the HOW), which in turn makes it possible to attract others who share those beliefs, and to inspire them to act on this shared sense of purpose.
- There are two kinds of leaders: those who lead through power and authority, and those who lead by inspiring us. The latter is more powerful because those kinds of leaders get us to do it for ourselves. And that is a powerful purpose.
- Tapping into your purpose allows you to be authentic, and makes you a more “sticky” leader because your followers are showing up for their beliefs, not just for you.
To quote Simon Sinek, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. What you do simply is proof of what you believe.”
Simon Sinek is a leadership expert and author of “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action”. He also teaches Strategic Communications at Columbia University, and works with Count Me In, an organization committed to helping one million women-owned businesses reach a million dollars in revenues by 2012.
Hi May,
First off, kudos to your daughter’s teacher for injecting this thought provoking content in their lesson plan!
I agree with your takeaways, especially the point on authenticity. The question it raised for me – What if what one believes does not have a strong market appeal or creates outright hostility? Does one modify what they believe in, sacrificing authenticity for better opportunity or stick with their belief and modify their criteria for success?
It may need to be addressed on a case by case basis but this decision is always there for leaders. The answer may rest in the large number of people who display unwavering authenticity and outstanding leadership qualities but do not achieve mainstream commercial or career success.
Best,
Chris
Dear May,
Excellent!!! This was really great!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Ann