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Leaders Eat Last
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The highly anticipated follow-up to Simon Sinek’s global bestseller Start with Why Simon Sinek is an optimist, a visionary thinker, and a leader of the cultural revolution of WHY. His second book is the natural extension of Start with Why, expanding his ideas at the organizational level. Determining a company’s WHY is crucial, but only the beginning. The next step is how d
...more
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Hardcover, 350 pages
Published
January 7th 2014
by Portfolio
(first published December 31st 2013)
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Lisa of Troy
Is both an answer? This book has some interesting parts and some boring portions. The beginning was stronger than the middle (haven't reached the end yet).
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As a U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, I receive professional military education on leadership regularly, so much so that it is almost a nuisance. From personal experience, I can firmly say that great leaders are not born, they are developed by their experiences and knowledge. The knowledge from this book has definitely made me a better leader.
Sinek's main purpose in writing this book is not to help others become better leaders so that they can jump up the corporate ladder, motivate subordinate ...more
Sinek's main purpose in writing this book is not to help others become better leaders so that they can jump up the corporate ladder, motivate subordinate ...more

Truthfully, you are better served watching this brief TED Talk delivered by Simon Sinek himself. Here: http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_...?
The book is bloated and unconvincing stretch of some already very simple ideas. No need to tell me about the chemicals of human survival or studies with statistics out of context which are not representative in the least... ...more
The book is bloated and unconvincing stretch of some already very simple ideas. No need to tell me about the chemicals of human survival or studies with statistics out of context which are not representative in the least... ...more

While this didn't blow me away like Start With Why did, it did validate a lot of things I've always hoped were true.
First, good leaders empower their teams to function on their own, and this often means that once leaders move on, continued or increased success isn't necessarily because you left rather because you were there.
I can think of a few groups I've been involved in that did this, which makes me feel great.
Second, that team creation is the most important thing of leadership. Recruiting an ...more
First, good leaders empower their teams to function on their own, and this often means that once leaders move on, continued or increased success isn't necessarily because you left rather because you were there.
I can think of a few groups I've been involved in that did this, which makes me feel great.
Second, that team creation is the most important thing of leadership. Recruiting an ...more

I'm disappointed with the goodreads reviewers. They lead me astray with this one. I feel like I just read one long string of business cliches strung with scientific definitions. Is the author, Simon Sinek, profound in telling us that a company with a trusting, comfortable environment with intelligent, genuine and caring leaders will be more successful than one without? That seems obvious. Sinek rebrands this idea as the Circle of Safety, an environment necessary for the well-being of humans, a s
...more

I read the first seven chapters. I just couldn't finish it. Sinek has some really good points mixed in with pseudo-science and weird assumptions. The chapters should be titled:
1: OOO RAH
2: Don't be a dick
3: Condescension
4: Obvious AND oblivious
5: My theories of Anthropology
6: My theories of Biology
7: Go Team!
DNF pg 61 (about 30%) ...more
1: OOO RAH
2: Don't be a dick
3: Condescension
4: Obvious AND oblivious
5: My theories of Anthropology
6: My theories of Biology
7: Go Team!
DNF pg 61 (about 30%) ...more

Started and ended well, but I didn't enjoy the middle as much.
With that said, it is still a worthy read, and here a few of my favorite takeaways...
"Empathy is the single greatest asset to do your job"
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader"
"It is not the genius at the top giving directions that make people great. It is the great people that make the guy at the top look like a genius"
"No one wakes up in the morning to go to work with t ...more
With that said, it is still a worthy read, and here a few of my favorite takeaways...
"Empathy is the single greatest asset to do your job"
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader"
"It is not the genius at the top giving directions that make people great. It is the great people that make the guy at the top look like a genius"
"No one wakes up in the morning to go to work with t ...more

God dang this is a good book. I have to say, Sinek NAILED IT!
Sinek is a Brit, and therefor different than an American in an absolutely crucial way.
Like other British intellectuals, he's not afraid to integrate the evolutionary perspective into his theory and analysis.
Maybe it's because Charles Darwin is British. Maybe it's because all of the super psycho religious fanatics came over here (America) circa 300 years ago. Probably a little of both.
What ever the reason. British intellectuals demonstr ...more
Sinek is a Brit, and therefor different than an American in an absolutely crucial way.
Like other British intellectuals, he's not afraid to integrate the evolutionary perspective into his theory and analysis.
Maybe it's because Charles Darwin is British. Maybe it's because all of the super psycho religious fanatics came over here (America) circa 300 years ago. Probably a little of both.
What ever the reason. British intellectuals demonstr ...more

Read instead: Tribal Leadership or Built to Last. This book was nothing more than a regurgitation of other better researched and more concisely written works. It's not a bad read, just be prepared for more opinion, personal ideologies and vague calls to action than concrete, evidence based methods to implement.
...more

Meh. Within this book, Sinek summaries my own experience reading his book: "This is no soapbox rambling. It is just biology." Actually, it is soapbox rambling.
Although unsurprising based on his background, Sinek writes from a heavily military-oriented perspective. I found myself needing to inject "she", "her", "they", and "their" an awful lot because this book reads old fashioned. It makes the female workforce somewhat invisible by omission.
Content I found useful:
* "A consumer is just that: an a ...more
Although unsurprising based on his background, Sinek writes from a heavily military-oriented perspective. I found myself needing to inject "she", "her", "they", and "their" an awful lot because this book reads old fashioned. It makes the female workforce somewhat invisible by omission.
Content I found useful:
* "A consumer is just that: an a ...more

Incredible. Love the concept of the Circle of Safety. Great tie in to recovery and Step 12. Sinek examines how four chemicals incentivize and repeat behaviors. They are:
Dopamine - Gratification, tied to addiction
Cortisol - Fear, stress
Oxytocin - Serving, being a part of
Endorphins - Runner's High
Makes a strong case for Empathy as a major missing component in organizations.
"Empathy is not the something we offer to our customers or our employees from nine to five. Empathy is, as Johnny Bravo expla ...more
Dopamine - Gratification, tied to addiction
Cortisol - Fear, stress
Oxytocin - Serving, being a part of
Endorphins - Runner's High
Makes a strong case for Empathy as a major missing component in organizations.
"Empathy is not the something we offer to our customers or our employees from nine to five. Empathy is, as Johnny Bravo expla ...more

Simon Sinek really inspire you into something big. Following his initial great book "Start With Why", he immensely added great value by discussing a crucial element into the success of any organization, and that is the "environment/atmosphere". As it is titled, "Why Some Teams Pull Together?". You have a team with great education and great skills but how they are pulled together into long-term success? Simon delves into biology, evolution, anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, economics
...more

I never thought I could hate a book more than I hated Fifty Shades of Grey, but here we are...
While 50 Shades was atrocious, at least it was not masquerading as self-respectable business book, whereas Sinek lost absolutely any credibility he might have had by pretending this book was anything more than an overstretched TED talk with zero new insights to bring on the table.
I have never ever NOT finished a book before, but this one will have to break the rule. My free time is too precious to spen ...more
While 50 Shades was atrocious, at least it was not masquerading as self-respectable business book, whereas Sinek lost absolutely any credibility he might have had by pretending this book was anything more than an overstretched TED talk with zero new insights to bring on the table.
I have never ever NOT finished a book before, but this one will have to break the rule. My free time is too precious to spen ...more

Jul 16, 2018
Pawel Domagala
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
self-help,
nonfiction
Overrated. (in my opinion)
I just don't like it and did not enjoy reading EVEN despite the fact I do agree with most of the mentioned theories. I couldn't get rid of the impression that author is trying to get easy applause by combining common truths (or statesments you can't deny) and unobvious, "sensational" findings (better presented in many other books, btw).
What annoys me the most, Simon Sinek does not leave much room for independent thinking and drawing conclusions by reader himself... he ...more
I just don't like it and did not enjoy reading EVEN despite the fact I do agree with most of the mentioned theories. I couldn't get rid of the impression that author is trying to get easy applause by combining common truths (or statesments you can't deny) and unobvious, "sensational" findings (better presented in many other books, btw).
What annoys me the most, Simon Sinek does not leave much room for independent thinking and drawing conclusions by reader himself... he ...more

This books starts out pretty well, with an interesting thesis, then devolves from there. Funny how this is rated one of the best business books of 2014 by Inc. It is the archetypal bad busines book, that is an expanded magazine article, with the repetition of one idea over an over again.
The author blames the entire collapse of the social contract and basic morality in business on Ronald Regan and the Bushes. I do buy the idea that managing earnings from quarter to quarter for public companies h ...more
The author blames the entire collapse of the social contract and basic morality in business on Ronald Regan and the Bushes. I do buy the idea that managing earnings from quarter to quarter for public companies h ...more

Like many people, I loved Start With Why, and was really anticipating this book. Wow, what a let down. Simon's thoughts were sort of all over the place. It started out strong, providing great examples of good & bad leaders, how leaders can influence company loyalty. Then there were parts of the book where I was like "what is he talking about and what does this have to do with leadership?" He'd get to the point eventually, but he was reaching more often than I would've liked. Stopped 84% into the
...more

A very insightful book about people behavior, social mindset and modern company cultures. It ties in nicely concepts of human psychology with the biological mechanisms inside us to give an explanation of human behaviors and how to deal with them. Personally, I recommend this book to everyone working in an organization today but especially those that lead or aim at leading an organization some day.

Well, I figured it would be near impossible to do better than his first book, "Start With Why" and this comes really close :)
I watched the introduction video of Simon's on YouTube and was really surprised when he talked about good leadership being a "literal" part of human survival. I didn't see how a leadership book was going to go there but it did.
The book sticks to science by discussing in part how our own physiology as humans plays a part of our own satisfaction in the work place. This break ...more
I watched the introduction video of Simon's on YouTube and was really surprised when he talked about good leadership being a "literal" part of human survival. I didn't see how a leadership book was going to go there but it did.
The book sticks to science by discussing in part how our own physiology as humans plays a part of our own satisfaction in the work place. This break ...more

With examples of successful pro-active steps taken to improve working environments, this book is an excellent read to evaluate your action and reaction in the workplace no matter your role. Easy to read and written without jargon, pomp, and filler.
On a personal note I was forced to purchase this book as my post-it notes were getting out of hand! This is something I intend to read again.
Lisa - Information and Readers Services Department
On a personal note I was forced to purchase this book as my post-it notes were getting out of hand! This is something I intend to read again.
Lisa - Information and Readers Services Department

I've been wanting to read Simon Sinek's books ever since I watched this video. Interestingly, I first watched this video at a friend's house during a Friday night dinner where we got talking about social media addiction. The friend who showed me and my boyfriend this video has never joined any kind of social media and he was clearly shocked to find out that his girlfriend spent 3+ hours on Instagram. The whole situation brought the social media addiction subject up and then he said: “You know wh
...more

Listened to the audio book version.
The basic premise of this book is that some teams work together and some teams don't. This books is how to create a culture in the workplace of safety, connection, caring and commitment. Using many examples and anecdotes from big corporations to the military the author shows how leaders can bring groups together.
One of the most interesting and unexpected parts of this book is a thorough analysis of how basic biology plays a role in our workplace environment. Th ...more
The basic premise of this book is that some teams work together and some teams don't. This books is how to create a culture in the workplace of safety, connection, caring and commitment. Using many examples and anecdotes from big corporations to the military the author shows how leaders can bring groups together.
One of the most interesting and unexpected parts of this book is a thorough analysis of how basic biology plays a role in our workplace environment. Th ...more

A fairly enjoyable and thought provoking book on how to get people to be the most productive at work. They most form bonds among themselves - a "circle of safety" - and trust is essential. Feeling that the boss will sacrifice you if necessary creates angst and poor results. It is also important that the company is not after short-term wins and that they fire people only as a last resort.
It's pretty obvious. I work decidedly better with people who I know have my back - and I theirs - than the on ...more
It's pretty obvious. I work decidedly better with people who I know have my back - and I theirs - than the on ...more

I really enjoyed elements of this book, and moderately disliked other elements of it. It wasn't the 5 star read I hoped it would be...but I'd still strongly recommend.
Sinek makes some terrific points about leadership and work environments. I recognized everything I hate about law school in his discussion of a bad work environment, and things I loved about working for AFP in his description of a positive work environment. It was a fitting end of the year read for me.
When this book discusses lea ...more
Sinek makes some terrific points about leadership and work environments. I recognized everything I hate about law school in his discussion of a bad work environment, and things I loved about working for AFP in his description of a positive work environment. It was a fitting end of the year read for me.
When this book discusses lea ...more

A book probably every leader should read.
Simon Sinek offers insights on how biological triggers and mechanisms work in the context of team-work and leadership, and explanations on why certain leader behaviors are appreciated or disliked by their peers. At the same time, Sinek offers some advice on how better to treat peers, colleagues and subordinates from the perspective of a leader or co-worker.
One gets a better understanding and appreciation of how our biological wiring works in current tim ...more
Simon Sinek offers insights on how biological triggers and mechanisms work in the context of team-work and leadership, and explanations on why certain leader behaviors are appreciated or disliked by their peers. At the same time, Sinek offers some advice on how better to treat peers, colleagues and subordinates from the perspective of a leader or co-worker.
One gets a better understanding and appreciation of how our biological wiring works in current tim ...more

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Truly a book for more than just leaders—parents and friends will likely find powerful insights into what true leadership and love look like. While the setting for much of the book is the office, I have already drawn parallels for how the leadership principles apply in personal and home life. The people-first approach is a logical leadership approach but not used by the masses...yet. I recommend this book highly!

This is Nonfiction. I started this one yesterday and this morning, I wasn't sure I was going to finish it. I listened to something else instead. When that one ended, I finished this one up.
I like this author. I've watched his TED talks. He seems like such a nice guy with a big passion for what he does. However, this book was slow to start for me and some of this didn't resonate with me in any way. But ultimately, I was glad I read this. I enjoy the research the author pulls together to reinforc ...more
I like this author. I've watched his TED talks. He seems like such a nice guy with a big passion for what he does. However, this book was slow to start for me and some of this didn't resonate with me in any way. But ultimately, I was glad I read this. I enjoy the research the author pulls together to reinforc ...more

I am skeptical of consultant-types who write leadership books. So much of it is uninformed tripe. So I postponed reading Sinek's book. I should NOT have waited.
The thought I kept having as I read it was "if every American had read this book in 2016, the election would have turned out differently." Written in 2014, this book was before its time. It documents principle after principle that the current administration is violating. And because it was written prior to the election, it has no politic ...more
The thought I kept having as I read it was "if every American had read this book in 2016, the election would have turned out differently." Written in 2014, this book was before its time. It documents principle after principle that the current administration is violating. And because it was written prior to the election, it has no politic ...more

If you manage through some parts that are barely bearable for non-US reader, it's solid 4 stars.
What parts are these? For instance: full of pathos references to U.S. Marines, all-the-way analogies between belonging to company & to family. Simon is a great speaker, a good writer, but ... sometimes he just goes to far - not even in terms of conclusions, but in his analogies & parallels. It may still be ok for US readers, but not in Europe, sorry.
Anyway, back to the book:
It's not really a book abou ...more
What parts are these? For instance: full of pathos references to U.S. Marines, all-the-way analogies between belonging to company & to family. Simon is a great speaker, a good writer, but ... sometimes he just goes to far - not even in terms of conclusions, but in his analogies & parallels. It may still be ok for US readers, but not in Europe, sorry.
Anyway, back to the book:
It's not really a book abou ...more

This is an awesome book of inspiration to become a leader. This book takes us to the next level of success as it’s from the author of “START WITH WHY”, Simon Sinek. In this book Simon Sinek tells us the roles and responsibilities and dos an don’ts and skills and the path to choose, about and become a leader and this list evolves… It contains many good inspiring stories of the successful businessman and their way to reach there.
I like the following words from this book, “Leaders are the ones will ...more
I like the following words from this book, “Leaders are the ones will ...more
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Simon Sinek is an optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home everyday feeling fulfilled by their work, Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the ...more
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home everyday feeling fulfilled by their work, Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the ...more
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As we wrap up our 2018 Reading Challenge, we decided to ask our Goodreads coworkers a simple yet tough question: What were the...
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“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
—
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“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
—
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