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Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
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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 ...more
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 ...more
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Fabio Fonseca
watch the ted talk. Don't read the book. Endless repetition starting from page 1.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Me: “I’ll take ‘Books That Should Have Been Long Articles or Essays Instead of Books’ for $500, please, Alex.”
Alex Trebek: “This book takes hundreds of pages, including at least 4,398 references to how great Apple is, to make a fairly simple (albeit important) point, and was likely written by someone from the Department of Redundancy Department.”
Me: “What is ‘Start With Why’?”
The idea at the core of this book—that successful companies can clearly articulate WHY they are in business (beyond ...more
Alex Trebek: “This book takes hundreds of pages, including at least 4,398 references to how great Apple is, to make a fairly simple (albeit important) point, and was likely written by someone from the Department of Redundancy Department.”
Me: “What is ‘Start With Why’?”
The idea at the core of this book—that successful companies can clearly articulate WHY they are in business (beyond ...more
Great TED Talk, but not enough to carry a book.
The author utters the same platitudes over and over. The main concept is that persuasive argument starts with connection, then emotions, then facts. This goes back to Aristotle and is nothing new.
The plus-value here would come from present real world illustrations, but this is where he trips himself up in self-contradictions.
For example, Apple Inc. is great because they are so original, i.e. they don't just copy and refine, they truly "innovate." ...more
The author utters the same platitudes over and over. The main concept is that persuasive argument starts with connection, then emotions, then facts. This goes back to Aristotle and is nothing new.
The plus-value here would come from present real world illustrations, but this is where he trips himself up in self-contradictions.
For example, Apple Inc. is great because they are so original, i.e. they don't just copy and refine, they truly "innovate." ...more
Stuart Sinek gave a really great TED Talk that summarizes the argument of this book: when we get caught up in the details of HOW and WHAT we are working on, it is very easy to forget WHY we are doing it.
For example, at the turn of the 20th century, the Wright brothers were trying to build something that would fly with no support and very little money of their own. Meanwhile, Samuel Pierpont Langley was given full government subsidy to solve the problem of flight. But the Wright brothers got ...more
For example, at the turn of the 20th century, the Wright brothers were trying to build something that would fly with no support and very little money of their own. Meanwhile, Samuel Pierpont Langley was given full government subsidy to solve the problem of flight. But the Wright brothers got ...more
I am only on page 90 and this book is driving me nuts. I usually don't review a book or make a comment before I have finished reading it but I have to get this off of my chest so I can power through the rest.
First of all, I agree 100% with Sinek in that a company has to have an established vision and mission in which the company culture hinges upon with a unified purpose. I believe that it is important to hold yourself and your company to an ethical standard. However, beyond that I think Sinek ...more
First of all, I agree 100% with Sinek in that a company has to have an established vision and mission in which the company culture hinges upon with a unified purpose. I believe that it is important to hold yourself and your company to an ethical standard. However, beyond that I think Sinek ...more
Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Start With Why by Simon Sinek
TED Talks is an incredible platform for someone to either make it or break it. And in the case of Simon Sinek, the 5 Million plus views he received on his talk not only must have catapulted him to the ‘Management Guru’ status, it also ensured his book became a New York Time Best Seller.
But here let me surprise you – The book is Great and then the Author & Book Publisher Mess it up badly.
Lets start with the fundamentals.
What made Simon ...more
TED Talks is an incredible platform for someone to either make it or break it. And in the case of Simon Sinek, the 5 Million plus views he received on his talk not only must have catapulted him to the ‘Management Guru’ status, it also ensured his book became a New York Time Best Seller.
But here let me surprise you – The book is Great and then the Author & Book Publisher Mess it up badly.
Lets start with the fundamentals.
What made Simon ...more
DON'T WASTE TIME READING THIS. WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE INSTEAD.
I was lured by this book because of Sinek's TED video. Great video and idea, and I should have stopped there.
I feel that the book can be cut by 75% without losing its message. What's really annoying is the overuse of Apple as a example. Like, really? There are other examples in the book, the massive use of Apple story is just irritating.
Borrow the book and skim through it. But it is not worth buying. Watch the TED video for ...more
I was lured by this book because of Sinek's TED video. Great video and idea, and I should have stopped there.
I feel that the book can be cut by 75% without losing its message. What's really annoying is the overuse of Apple as a example. Like, really? There are other examples in the book, the massive use of Apple story is just irritating.
Borrow the book and skim through it. But it is not worth buying. Watch the TED video for ...more
TL;DR
The author wants us to communicate from the inside of the golden circle, not from the outside of it.
He believes that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
"People don’t do business with everyone who has what they need.
They do business with people who believe in the same thing they believe in."
more @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Eui...
The author wants us to communicate from the inside of the golden circle, not from the outside of it.
He believes that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
"People don’t do business with everyone who has what they need.
They do business with people who believe in the same thing they believe in."
more @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Eui...
Simon Sinek describes in his book "Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" how leaders and companies should work as a series of circles, i.e. "The Golden Circle" - the why, how, and what. This idea explains why organizations and leaders inspire the others. Everybody knows what they do, some know how they do it, very few people know why they do what they do. The way we communicate, think and act is very easy: we go from the clear things we know to the more fuzzy ones.
...more
Simon Sinek presents a compelling vision of how companies, organizations, and individuals can achieve success. His simple message? Start with why. Which is to say the guiding principle of our endeavors should be based not on what we do or how we do it, but rather on why we do it. According to Sinek, those agencies that can effectively articulate their "why" (or purpose) are most likely to develop loyal followers and long term success.
Sounds great Jeff, so why just two stars? Well, there's a ...more
Sounds great Jeff, so why just two stars? Well, there's a ...more
One good point, offered with endless repetition, extreme oversimplification, and annoying inconsistencies, in a bad writing style.
Using selective facts or analogies to suit an assertion, gratuitous statements often contradicting other assertions, and selective use of parts of a bigger story while conveniently overlooking others in the same context are among the reasons why I found this book to be of no value in leadership development. The author works backwards in that he has a belief in his view of what makes great leaders and selects biased or incomplete data or uses unsubstantiated hyperbole to set about making the case
...more
We are easily caught up in the details of what we want to do, and how we are going to get it all done. Communications expert Simon Sinek argues that we’d be far better off if we more regularly focused on why we’re investing all that effort and activity in the first place. It’s the WHY, after all, that inspires action, that galvanizes people and keeps them going when the going gets tough. Embodying our WHYs and effectively communicating them to anyone who will listen, asserts Sinek, is crucial to
...more
Start with Why is one of my all time favorite Ted Talks. This book is a longer version of the same concept. For the first few chapters, I did not feel that I was really getting any new information. However, the latter portion of the book went in to more specific examples of how great leaders have changed the face of their companies by focusing on Why.
Have you ever noticed that books written for entrepreneurs or other tech-bros love to write about Shackleton? Am I the only one who thinks the dude put himself and his crew in a pickle and then gets lauded for getting them out of the self-imposed pickle? Anyway, they also love to talk about the Wright brothers and Steve Jobs.
The thing with these books is that they can't prove that these people succeeded because they had a WHY. In fact, I've seen those stories used to prove a whole bunch of ...more
The thing with these books is that they can't prove that these people succeeded because they had a WHY. In fact, I've seen those stories used to prove a whole bunch of ...more
Having read Leaders Eat Last, and watching and following everything Sinek does, I thought it was about time to go back to his original book.
With a basis in anthropology, but a strategic marketing mind and experience, Sinek has created a great argument for why "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it". Work out your own personal "why" and you will be successful provided you stay true to that "why" AND make sure others in your organisation also understand and believe in that "why".
...more
With a basis in anthropology, but a strategic marketing mind and experience, Sinek has created a great argument for why "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it". Work out your own personal "why" and you will be successful provided you stay true to that "why" AND make sure others in your organisation also understand and believe in that "why".
...more
Simon Sinek offers a life-altering and business-changing message: "Start with Why". Why do you do what you do? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should people care?
The golden circle - the "why, how, and what" - is grounded in biology. If you were to look at a cross-section of the brain from the top, you’d see that it corresponds perfectly.
Starting at the top, our ‘newest’ brain, our homo-sapien brain (also called our neocortex) is our “what” and is responsible for all our ...more
The golden circle - the "why, how, and what" - is grounded in biology. If you were to look at a cross-section of the brain from the top, you’d see that it corresponds perfectly.
Starting at the top, our ‘newest’ brain, our homo-sapien brain (also called our neocortex) is our “what” and is responsible for all our ...more
This is one of the best books I read in my list. Simon Sinek, the author of the book, narrated very clear how great leaders started with WHY and inspired people.
The best part of this book is 'The Golden Circle', which has three layers of WHY at the core, followed by 'HOW', followed by 'WHAT', and which is very much similar to the biological arrangement of human brain of limbic and neocortex. If we have the clarity of WHY we do, know the HOW we can do and maintain consistency of that WHAT we do, ...more
The best part of this book is 'The Golden Circle', which has three layers of WHY at the core, followed by 'HOW', followed by 'WHAT', and which is very much similar to the biological arrangement of human brain of limbic and neocortex. If we have the clarity of WHY we do, know the HOW we can do and maintain consistency of that WHAT we do, ...more
Interesting ideas, poorly presented, with 90% of examples being white men in tech. Try harder.
If you work in the corporate sector, it is almost inevitable that you will be invited to a corporate re-branding meeting.
At first this sounds like fun, creative; you think it may do with the logo, or maybe color schemes. You are surprised, though, when you go to the first meeting and encounter a team hired to do more than a logo, but to define the company's purpose. There are a series of meetings, in which the rebranding team tells you what you should value, interviews your customers to show you ...more
At first this sounds like fun, creative; you think it may do with the logo, or maybe color schemes. You are surprised, though, when you go to the first meeting and encounter a team hired to do more than a logo, but to define the company's purpose. There are a series of meetings, in which the rebranding team tells you what you should value, interviews your customers to show you ...more
All in all a good book. Basically base your product/service/business around WHY, more so than what or how.
Notes:
- "There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.... Typical manipulations include: dropping the price; running a promotion; using fear, peer pressure or aspirational messages; and promising innovation to influence behavior—be it a purchase, a vote or support."
- price/promotion play is not good for the brand and playing that game will ...more
Notes:
- "There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.... Typical manipulations include: dropping the price; running a promotion; using fear, peer pressure or aspirational messages; and promising innovation to influence behavior—be it a purchase, a vote or support."
- price/promotion play is not good for the brand and playing that game will ...more
Reviewing a book before completing it isn't a great idea usually, but I completed only 30% of the book and it's just too much fluff. The idea is simple but explanations are redundant. Simon's Ted Talk was great but I don't think it's enough content for a book. He doesn't support his theories with enough evidence. Sometimes, I could think of the counter examples very easily. That made me doubt the author's credibility. And the concept of Golden Ratio that he introduced to give legitimacy to his
...more
I get the message and agree that "why?" is probably the most important question any leader should be asking... and answering. The book was inspiring, to be sure. But it also felt full of speculation as to why certain companies succeed and others don't. It wasn't that what Sinek says is wrong, but it's based upon a lot of assumptions and relationships why little empirical evidence. Carefully chosen examples that tend to confirm his theory, but still anecdotal at best.
This book was alright, for non-fiction, I guess. It’s hard for me to gauge, given my intense loathing for non-fiction books. They’re so unenjoyable.
Sinek writes decently enough, and I totally buy what he’s dishing out, but I gotta say, by the 9th time he uses Apple or Southwest (or etc.) as an illustrative example, I’m a bit “I get it already!” It seems a bit...convenient.
He also contends that finding the WHY is not the hard part - it’s sticking to your WHY that’s difficult. If this is so true… ...more
Sinek writes decently enough, and I totally buy what he’s dishing out, but I gotta say, by the 9th time he uses Apple or Southwest (or etc.) as an illustrative example, I’m a bit “I get it already!” It seems a bit...convenient.
He also contends that finding the WHY is not the hard part - it’s sticking to your WHY that’s difficult. If this is so true… ...more
I hated this book.
It is overly simplistic, repetitive, has little merit into the real world and was annoying to read. This book could have said everything in 20 pages but instead dragged it out to 200. the examples (in my opinion the only part of the book actually worth reading) are too far and between to make up for the fact that the book is just annoying and repetitive. WHAT WHY HOW, these 3 words were capitalized almost every time they were used and placed in every non example part of the ...more
It is overly simplistic, repetitive, has little merit into the real world and was annoying to read. This book could have said everything in 20 pages but instead dragged it out to 200. the examples (in my opinion the only part of the book actually worth reading) are too far and between to make up for the fact that the book is just annoying and repetitive. WHAT WHY HOW, these 3 words were capitalized almost every time they were used and placed in every non example part of the ...more
Years ago I watched Simon's now legendary TED talk on the same topic and I liked it a lot. Reading this book I wouldn't say that I didn't agree with the point he tried to make, quite the contrary, but the presentation felt insufficient for me. As with every book everyone is coming from different experience and expect different things. I didn't feel at this point in my life that this book gave me the quality content and sophistication I have come to expect from the books I read. I would have
...more
This book was very well researched and written in a way that indeed gels with the Author Simon Sinek s "WHY" of inspiring others. The book is based on the premise of most people know what they do. Some know how to do WHAT they do. But very few know WHY they do what they do. Most think from what to how and then on to why. Simon Sinek submits...start with WHY and the how and what will come naturally. By WHY he means whats our purpose,and beliefs behind what we do? The book provides great examples
...more
I read this book after having seen Simon Sinek's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek.... It turns out, the TED talk is really all you need to watch. This book does little more than repeat that exact same message again and again.
Don't get me wrong: that message is extraordinarily important. It's something I keep in mind every single day as I build my company, as I work on talks, when I write blog posts, and so on. The talk conveys 99.9% of everything you need to know about this ...more
Don't get me wrong: that message is extraordinarily important. It's something I keep in mind every single day as I build my company, as I work on talks, when I write blog posts, and so on. The talk conveys 99.9% of everything you need to know about this ...more
The cover of this repetative slog is "How great leaders inspire everyone to take action", which sounds interesting and perhaps even useful. Unfortunately what is between the covers is the same useless "case studies" (I hesitate to grant them that much weight) repeated again and again for more than one hundred and fifty pages.
None of the material supporting the book's main thesis past the first is particularly insightful. It's just the same stuff over and over again; a blunt hammer approach to ...more
None of the material supporting the book's main thesis past the first is particularly insightful. It's just the same stuff over and over again; a blunt hammer approach to ...more
I'm approximately the ninemlionth person to review this book, so I won't bother going into too much detail.
So why am I writing a review at all?
I'm glad you asked.
I'm writing this because the central message of the book is (in my humble opinion), spot the fuck on.
The core message of the book is essentially: if you want to create extraordinary works, focus on the deal not the thing.
So what's the deal with the thing and the deal?
I'm glad you asked.
The thing is what ever you're making (and ...more
So why am I writing a review at all?
I'm glad you asked.
I'm writing this because the central message of the book is (in my humble opinion), spot the fuck on.
The core message of the book is essentially: if you want to create extraordinary works, focus on the deal not the thing.
So what's the deal with the thing and the deal?
I'm glad you asked.
The thing is what ever you're making (and ...more
Jun 20, 2015
Chad Warner
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Chad by:
Barbara Littles
This book explains that people buy from a company because they believe in its values, not because of the quality of its products or services. In Sinek’s words, “People don't buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” Customers and employees want to be part of a higher cause (your WHY), so you need to share yours and show how your products or service advance that cause. If you watch TED Talks, you’ve probably seen Sinek’s 2009 talk, How great leaders inspire action, which this book expands on.
...more
...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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“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe”
—
246 likes
“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.
Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief - WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?
People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.
We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.
For values or guiding principles to be truly effective they have to be verbs. It’s not “integrity,” it’s “always do the right thing.” It’s not “innovation,” it’s “look at the problem from a different angle.” Articulating our values as verbs gives us a clear idea - we have a clear idea of how to act in any situation.
Happy employees ensure happy customers. And happy customers ensure happy shareholders—in that order.
Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you—not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.
You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.
Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them. People are either motivated or they are not. Unless you give motivated people something to believe in, something bigger than their job to work toward, they will motivate themselves to find a new job and you’ll be stuck with whoever’s left.
Trust is maintained when values and beliefs are actively managed. If companies do not actively work to keep clarity, discipline and consistency in balance, then trust starts to break down.
All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.”
—
153 likes
More quotes…
Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief - WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?
People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.
We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.
For values or guiding principles to be truly effective they have to be verbs. It’s not “integrity,” it’s “always do the right thing.” It’s not “innovation,” it’s “look at the problem from a different angle.” Articulating our values as verbs gives us a clear idea - we have a clear idea of how to act in any situation.
Happy employees ensure happy customers. And happy customers ensure happy shareholders—in that order.
Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you—not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.
You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.
Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them. People are either motivated or they are not. Unless you give motivated people something to believe in, something bigger than their job to work toward, they will motivate themselves to find a new job and you’ll be stuck with whoever’s left.
Trust is maintained when values and beliefs are actively managed. If companies do not actively work to keep clarity, discipline and consistency in balance, then trust starts to break down.
All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.”
