Simon Sinek-Inspiring Others To Do Remarkable Things

For most people in the workforce, having a sense of purpose in our careers is what we seek for. Simon Sinek, marketing consultant/ motivational speaker, is one among many people who felt unfulfilled with his career and ultimately felt out of control. Through his journey that he shared with Marie Forleo on MarieTV, Sinek found himself contemplating his career and being unable to answer the question “why?” The question Sinek found himself asking lead to his first best-selling book, Start with Why. The concept of why was a turning point in Sinek’s professional life. On his interview with Marie Forleo, Sinek shared his most recent life changing event which lead to his second best-seller, Leaders Eat Last. From Sinek’s inspiring story, I was able to highlight a few key points that stood out to me the most.

First, “When we get the environment right, humans will do remarkable things.”

When Sinek discusses leadership, he is not talking about how well you run a company, he is talking about how well you run your people. What I learned from this statement is that people respond to the environment that they are in. When our environment is distressed, we feel distressed. When our environment is comfortable, we feel comfortable.

Second, “If a leader doesn’t feel safe with their people it’s because they aren’t taking care.”

The people responsible for shaping our environment are our leaders. When our leaders have created a safe environment, not only will they feel safer but we will feel safer. With the environment being the only variable to a business, it is crucial that leaders design an environment that allows for trust to grow.

Third, “It’s not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of those in your charge.”

Businesses constantly deal with pressure coming from the outside, there shouldn’t be any pressure on the inside. With the uncertainty of the future, leaders need to build an environment where there is certainty with safety and people feel that they are being cared for.

One important takeaway that I have from Sinek’s interview with Marie Forleo is that “we are all designed to be leaders.” This concept sat highly with me because leadership is one of those words that is taken in many different ways. As humans, our natural reaction is to look after each other. When people have a desire to help others around them it is because of their human nature, but simply, the natural outcome becomes leadership.