Book: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I always thought we must first have a reason to create something and this book shows some companies that are famous for doing that and how they did it.

Here are some notes about it:

  • Most of what we have now is marketing by manipulation
  • Fear is the most powerful manipulation of all. A good example is the insurance commercials talking about guns or heart attacks.
  • Peer pressure. This product is recommended by 80% of the specialists in the field. If specialists use it, it’s probably good for you.
  • It’s not because it works that it’s good. It works for many situations, but is it good for you and what you want to do?
  • What, how, and why. What is easy to answer. How shows the way you work but why says the reason behind your actions, what do you want to achieve, and why should people care. Money is not an answer, it’s a consequence
  • The great leaders of our time think from the inside out of the golden circle, from why to what. The first thing is to tell why are you doing something.
  • Don’t sell what you do, sell why you do it.
  • If you don’t know the why, you will not know the how
  • Your why and the clients why should be the same
  • Why is just a belief, how is the action that makes this belief happen
  • Business is just like dating, you may impress on the first date, but if you don’t build a relationship (why) it will not happen again
  • We do better when the culture fits
  • The goal is not to hire people with the skillset you need but people who believe in what you believe
  • When hiring, how do you know if someone is passionate about something? Everyone is passionate, but you have to understand if they have the same why as you.
  • Dream teams are not so dreaming. When they are together, they work for themselves, not for the whole – 💭 had to emphasize that, been there.
  • Great leaders are respected both above and below the hierarchy
  • The optimists who change the world
  • “Why” people need “how” people. How types don’t change the world but make things happen.
  • People have Apple or Harley Davidson logo tattooed on their body. Why? Because it’s a symbol, of a way of life, not just a logo. (lifestyle marketing)
  • Be careful to not assume wrong things and take actions on top of it, get good data for your assumptions
  • Aspiration. Many people are aspired in the beginning of the year to go to the gym but very few keep the routine. You can aspire, it’s good, but keep it.
  • Until now, manipulation is the law, but there is an alternative.
  • Good leaders see what others can’t see
  • You don’t hire the skills, you hire the attitude. Skills you can teach.
  • How do you know if these people are passionate about something? Everyone is passionate, but yiu have to understand if they have the same why as you.
  • You don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, you hire motivated people and train their skills
  • When you pay a lot to “get the best talent” they will not show up for the why but because of the money
  • There are innovators, early adopters, and the mass. The mass doesn’t want to test things that are not established
  • Energy motivates but charisma inspires
  • The optimists who change the world
  • Why people need how people. How types don’t change the world but make things happen
  • EFE works to give a feel of opportunity to people, with mindset and knowledge
  • People don’t do things for a common reason, they do that for themselves. You must align their why with your goal
  • Make your logo a symbol, not just a logo. People have Apple or Harley Davidson logo tattooed on their bodies. Why? Because it’s a symbol, of a way of life, not just a logo
  • Gates fail when he left Microsoft. Ballmer doesn’t have the same why, he’s a business man. Gates inspire people because of what he did.