Start with Why
An inspiring book about inspiration, by Simon Sinek.
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Start with Why, is a simple idea with profound consequences for how we live our lives.
Summarised in a great Ted talk, the book adds flesh to bones and plentiful real world examples of the concept in action.
Most organisations try and sell you what they make. “We make X, it’s cheaper, it’s newer, it’ll make you more attractive” etc etc. These are just manipulations. Some might tell you how they do it: using our proprietary process we make out products; quicker, lighter, smoother, quieter etc.. However, the best companies offer inspiration. They tell you why they do what they do. Not just what, and how:
“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.
We just happen to make great computers. Wanna buy one?”
This is the kernel of start with why: Why, then how, then what.
This model works because it maps to the biology of our brains. Our neocortex is the large thinking brain, it is concerned with what and how. However, our limbic brain, the part of the brain responsible for emotions; visceral drives like fear and love, is concerned with why.
Despite what we might want to think, our limbic brain is still much more powerful than our neocortex. If you can tap into and inspire this more primitive part of our brain, you cement an enduring and powerful connection. “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
In communicating your Why message, start with the early adopters. Find the true believers. These customers will be fiercely loyal, and will evangelize for you. They will communicate your why, to their friends and family. In turn inspiring them. This diffusion effect will spread the word, and inspire the mid-market to adopt your brand.
Your Why is also powerful in recruitment and motivation of your team. Everyone wants to feel a sense of purpose in their life. If they believe in the companies Why, they will be motivated through inspiration rather than manipulation to do a great job.
Why can also build a legacy. Often the why is a vision of the founder, if that founder departs, the Why can often go with them. To build an enduringly successful organisation, the Why needs to be explicitly codified, to ensure all leaders within the organisation know why the company exists and how to preserve the purpose.
Why is personal and genuine. Why is your purpose. It comes from within, not without. To understand your own why, it is important to reflect. Review where your true motivations lie. What would you do for free? What inspires you? What crises have you been through? How did you pull through the pain? These are the places of inspiration to draw out your own Why. Reflect to look forward.
