an icmr-iipm think tank publication - Cycbth.org

LEADING BY READING
ANSWER TO ALL
YOUR WHYS
“WHY SOME PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
ARE MORE INNOVATIVE, MORE PROFITABLE,
COMMAND GREATER LOYALTIES AND ARE ABLE TO
REPEAT THEIR SUCCESS OVER AND OVER AGAIN”
NIDHI GUPTA
Newton was the greatest genius who ever lived
and he started his theories with a three letter
word called “WHY”.
Footprints on the sands of the time are not
made by sitting down. Lot of hardship, pain, dedication
makes you to reach to the top. But 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?
This book by Simon Sinek, “Start with Why: How Great
Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action”, answers all the
above questions in the most convincing manner. The book
is insightful yet often repeating the same examples many
times over to make precisely the same point as the first
time the example was used. On the hindsight, one would
be inclined to think that virtually everything Sinek wrote
could have been stated in a 20-page article without leaving
out anything important and that’s the beauty of this
book. It is astoundingly powerful.
The plethora of business and leadership books indicate
a desire by many to improve either themselves or their
business. However, Sinek begins by saying what he has to
offer does not attempt to supplant others, nor will he fix
all the things that do not work. Instead, he notes "I wrote
this book as a guide to focus on and amplify the things
that do work."
"Why" is the essential question in the book. His premise
is that companies which do well focus on their "why"
while many companies which fail are generally found to
have lost that focus altogether. Sinek believes that if customers
understand the why of a company, and they believe
in the why, they will naturally end up buying the
"what". In other words, people like companies with a vision
which matches their own. Sinek's ideas about why
customers (and employees) become loyal to certain companies
and not others is not only fascinating but has been
presented in completely new hue. He explained the same
by giving example, Volkswagen has been the automotive
equivalent of peace and love since the VW van ruled the
1960s. They put a vase for flowers on their Beetle's dashboard!
So when they introduced the Phaeton, a high-end
luxury car, it failed. Volkswagen’s engineering is legendary
and the critics loved the Phaeton, but it did not represent
the "why" of Volkswagen which has attracted so
many people. Why is Southwest Airlines successful? Why
did Walmart lose its way. The book explores why people
buy into an organization or a leader. People do not care
about what or the how. 'Start With Why' is a very practical
guide which explains why some companies became
and some didn’t become successful. Organizations need
a leader who breathes the “WHY” message. In addition,
many other people in the same company work out the
“HOW” of this “WHY” message. This is usually not the
work of the leader. Steve Jobs at Apple was a good example
of a “WHY” leader. Apple computers are more expensive
than PCs, have less software available to use on them,
and at times are even slower than the competition. So
why do people buy them? Because they buy into Apple's
"why". Apple has from the beginning marketed itself as
the rebel, the individual, the unique voice. They market
themselves that way because that is how they envision
themselves. People who buy into that vision will pay more
for a computer that reflects their values. By focusing on
their why, Apple has also been able to easily branch out
from computers and develop the iPod and iPhones. Those
products fit their image as the rebel. Sinek says their
products may not even be the best or first on the market,
but they quickly emerge as the leader.
Sinek explains how each of us can achieve greater success
and satisfaction by inspiring others through a shared
sense of purpose – as opposed to more commonly used
tactics of coercion and manipulation. “If you follow your
WHY,” writes Sinek, “others will follow you.” It’s a refreshing
redefinition of what constitutes true leadership,
and a great tool for re-infusing your own work with purpose-centered
passion. This book is impressive, practical,
credible, simple, clear and compelling.
count your chickens before they hatch 41 april 2012