For those who hold a leadership position, creating an environment in which the people in your charge feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves is your responsibility as a leader. For those who work for an organization that does not leave you feeling inspired at the beginning and end of every day, you must become the leader you wish you had.
If we want to feel an undying passion for our work, if we want to feel we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.
Money isn't the thing that drives people. WHY goes much deeper to understanding what motivates and inspires us. It is the purpose, cause, or belief that drives every organization and every person's individual career. Why does your company exist? Why did you get out of bed this morning? And why should anyone care?
For better or for worse, hiring for cultural fit is usually less about facts and more about how it feels. Irresponsible executives will ignore that feeling (a.k.a. their gut) whereas good executives will listen to it.
Each of us has only one WHY. It's not a statement about who we aspire to be; it expresses who we are when we are at our natural best.
Here's how Simon Sinek expresses his WHY: To inspire people to do the things that inspire them so that, together, we can change our world.
Contribution and impact. These are the building blocks of the final WHY Statement -- the contribution the person makes to the lives of others and the impact of that contribution over time.
Our struggles are the short-term steps we must take on way to long-term success.
An organization has a WHY. And within an organization are teams -- subcultures that exist within the larger group. Each of these parts within the whole will have its own WHY. We call that a Nested WHY -- the purpose, cause or belief that defines a subgroup within the larger organization. Then within each of those teams are people who also have their own unique WHY -- their individual WHY. The goal is for each individual to work for a company in which they fit the culture, share the values, believe in the vision and work on a team in which they feel like they are valued and valuable.
Simply hiring a good fit for the company is only part of the work. Knowing where in the company that person will work at their natural best and feel like they are contributing in a way that inspires them is also important. In fact, it can actually be more important.
When a unit, division or middle manager within an organization wants to find the WHY of their subgroup because those at the top of the hierarchy are not interested in articulating the company's overall WHY. If the larger organization really has lost its way, is operating without a clear sense of WHY and the senior leadership has no intention of going through a WHY Discovery, any leader of a team or member of a team can become the leader they wish they had.
A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
The greatest contribution of a leader is to make other leaders.
Do the things you say you believe.
Our actions either add to or take away from the trust and loyalty others feel toward us.
You don't want to spend a bunch of time small talking with someone who doesn't believe what you believe. It's just a sign that there is someone else with whom you could be having a deep and meaningful conversation. Go find them!
Each of us has one WHY and one WHY only. The WHY is the one common thread that brings out the best in us and makes us feel the most fulfilled.
Moving toward something (e.g., a situation in which you can thrive and live your WHY) is always better than moving away from something (e.g., a situation that isn't working for you).
