Simon Sinek Reflection:

I had heard of Simon Sinek a few times before this video. Most notably, Sinek wrote “Start with Why” a popular book and has many popular YouTube videos. In this video, however, he is talking about the origins of his new book “Leaders eat last.” Simon starts by telling the story of his trip to a military base in the middle east wherein he had some trouble. Long story short, Sinek hit rock bottom and had a choice to make: sink into self-pity or change his attitude and improve his situation. When he finally came around, Sinek chose to improve his situation. This put him on a path to understanding what real leaders do and how they act.

When he returned, Sinek began to write his new book. He talked about some of the main points in this video. After careful reflection, these are the most interesting points:

Trust and cooperation:

The first point Simon firmly believes in is: building an environment of trust and cooperation is the core responsibility of a great leader. This environment is essential to a positive work environment. Meaning, if employees can’t trust the company they work for, they can never invest fully in that business.

Safety:

Similar to creating a trusting environment, leaders must create a “circle of safety”. This goes hand in hand with trust, but employees must feel safe sharing ideas and making mistakes. Sinek did make an important note on this matter, “You can tell someone to trust you” this needs to be earned and proven not bought.

Look out for people:

Finally, perhaps my favorite point of this whole video was Sinek’s final point. He said, “Being in charge isn’t about being in charge it’s about taking care of the people you’re in charge of.” What a great thing for young leaders to understand. Being in charge is not about a paycheck or a big desk, there is a tremendous responsibility to the people under you.

I guess that’s where the title “leaders eat last” came from. Looking at for your employees becomes a lifestyle, not just an obligation. However, Simon would surely say this philosophy of looking out for others should be carried out in all areas of your life—not just at work. I also feel Sinek would agree with this idea.

In the end, I enjoyed this video. I plan on buying “Leaders eat last” and reading it as soon as possible.