Simon Sinek, after
analysing outstanding inspiring people and organizations, like Apple, Martin
Luther King or the Wright brothers, developed THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. According to
that, we can divide the world into 3 different parts:
WHAT?
- It represents the action. Everyone knows what they do.
- It is the way to achieve the goals, like a value proposition or a methodology.
- It refers to the purpose, the cause, the belief. It relies on intrinsic motivation.
What is the usual way of thinking?
Most
people and organization do not reflect on why they do things. They just do it.
Why leaders are inspiring?
Inspiring
leaders and organizations are simply different than the rest. They think, act
and communicate from the inside out: starting with WHY, following with HOW and
ending with WHAT.
In
order to inspire, first of all we must start by our motivation, and then, and
only then, think of what we want to do and how to do it. As Stephen Covey
stated, it is essential to start with a
goal in mind. In any project, personal or professional, no matter its
entity, the first thing we should ask ourselves is why do I want to do it. Only if the answer is driven by internal
reasons we can consider assuming it.
Only
if you know why you do what you do something, you are able to convince people
to buy you, to support you, to join you. When trying to inspire, the goal is
not to convince people to follow you; the
goal is to make them share your same ideas and values, with a common believing,
and only then they will stand by you.
“If
you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money,
but if they believe what you believe, they'll work for you with blood and sweat
and tears”
Why is so important the "Why"?
Inspiring is not rational, but
emotional. It is about feelings. And feelings and guts, as
passion and self-confidence, drive behaviour and, at the end, action, which is
what changes the world.
Success
is thought to be a lineal function of money, connections (people) and context.
But it is not. The real difference relies
on the cause, the purpose, the belief. People and organizations that have
changed the world actually wanted to change it.
It
is important not to confuse the result with the purpose. Success is the result
or consequence, never the purpose itself. Be driven by something deeper is
necessary to leave a mark on the world.
Dreams
are not easy to achieve. To be accomplished, they require a lot of effort,
dedication, patience and motivation. And, above of all, to be shared. “People don't buy what you do; they buy why
you do it. If you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who
believe what you believe”.
Leading means
inspiring. We follow leaders not because obligation, but freedom. People and
organizations that start with "why" have the ability to inspire others.
How can we apply the Golden Circle to
Entrepreneurship?
Going
through entrepreneurship just looking for success is wrong. It is necessary to
have an intrinsic motivation to overcome
all challenges you will have to face, and share it.
People
who believe what you believe will be more likely to take your cause and make it
their own, and tell other people. Therefore, do not focus on telling your
clients about the features of your products and services. Tell your clients about a story, your story, and the reason you are
spending so much time on your project.
The
key of being different does not rely on structure of resources. We often
complain about not having enough money or hands to accomplish a project. Forget
about it. The key to sell is to connect
with your clients, their beliefs and their needs.
And
remember that it is not just about being different, but also communicating that
you are different. In this information era, if you do not communicate, you do not exist.
Example:
Youth Business International network
WHY?
- People own their destiny. We all have the right and the duty to pursue our dreams and to be happy. Young people are often underserved, especially in need of resources and opportunities to find their way and succeed.
HOW?
- Building a global network of NGOs specialized in self-employment and entrepreneurship to maximize the impact of their activities, by means of sharing challenges, joining efforts and exchanging good practices.
WHAT?
- Accompanying young entrepreneurs in their self-employment projects through a comprehensive service offer which includes training, access to finance and mentoring, supporting them to shape the world they are living in according to their hopes and values, creating sustainable business and employment and strengthening their communities.
Link of
interest:
