Start With Why
By Simon Sinek
Introduction
Start With Why is a book that focuses on the topic of evaluating why people do what they do. It is a book about how great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Knowing why we do what we do is a very important part of being successful and producing quality work, and this method of recognizing why exactly we do everything that we do is dissected throughout the book through real-world examples and stories.
Body
For the most part, any person can tell somebody else what or how he or she does what he or she does. However, not many people can actually articulate why they do what they do. This is the question that Simon Sinek wants the readers to ask themselves. To make it make more sense he breaks down several successful companies and talks about how they use ‘their why’ to sell their products. One of these examples would be Apple. Apple has an almost cult-like following of people who will buy strictly Apple products, and nothing else. Sinek believes that this is due to the way the company carries themselves and conducts their business. Many companies will tell the public what they make, how they make it, and that the public should buy it. Contrary to popular practices seen today, Apple uses a method of telling their consumers why they are creating new products and why they are so great. They give off a sense that they make things for the public because they want to revolutionize the products they are selling. All of this tracks back to the original point that people don’t care what you do, they care why you do it.
“It is not logic or facts but our hopes and dreams, our hearts and our guts, that drive us to try new things.” This is a quote from this book that stuck out to me significantly. It brings meaning to a person’s “why”. It’s a good way to put the perspective into why people will try new things to see their hopes and dreams play out the way they want it. When a person starts to become successful it is easy to forget why you are doing something. A person starts losing that thought of “why” and starts thinking of “how” and “what” he did to get to his or her current level. In reality, if a person is always thinking of why they are doing what they are doing, everything will take care of itself in the end.
Analysis and Evaluation
Yes, I believe that Sinek achieved his purpose. He introduced a different way of thinking to the reader.
I felt that the writing was difficult. Not that it was difficult to understand, but it was difficult to want to keep reading. It was very bland and repetitive.
The strengths of this book would be the real-world examples and facts supporting the author’s thesis. The weaknesses would be the repetitiveness seen throughout the book.
Simon Sinek is a consultant on leadership and management. He is also a part of the RAND Corporation where his position entails him to advise on military innovations and planning. I agree with the author’s arguments and conclusions as he offered facts to back everything up.
I found the book dull. Although the author supported his arguments and informed the reader, it seems dull and repetitive. I felt like I was constantly reading the same thing over and over.
I would not recommend this book to others. Although the message was there and it could be beneficial, this book was simply too long to talk about something that could’ve been summarized in a much shorter length.
Conclusion
Start With Why is a book that is all about challenging the reader’s ability to realize why he or she does what they do. This is something that, as marines, we should always be asking ourselves. When we think about why we do something and now what or how we do it, we will see further success within our lives. As the author says, “There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us”. As leaders, we must inspire those around us and make them realize their “why”.