Book Bearings
Start with Why
- 246 pages · about 4 hours
- First published 2009
- 17 editions
Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.
1 About this book
The most important question for any organization There's a naturally occurring pattern shared by the people and organizations that achieve the greatest long-term success. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Steve Jobs, from the pioneers of aviation to the founders of Southwest Airlines, the most inspiring leaders think, act, and communicate the exact same way—and it's the complete opposite of everyone else.
The common thread, according to Simon Sinek, is that they all start with why. This simple question has the power to inspire others to achieve extraordinary things. Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how; but very few can clearly articulate why. Why do we offer these particular products or services?
Why do our customers choose us? Why do our employees stay (or leave)? Once you have those answers, teams get stronger, the mission clicks into place, and the path ahead becomes much clearer.
- Motivational
- Inspiration
- Motivation (Psychology)
- Employee motivation
- Business
- Leadership
- Management
- Entrepreneurship
2 What to expect
A business and leadership book built on one idea: successful leaders and companies begin with why they do something, their purpose, before how and what. Sinek draws this as three rings, the golden circle, and illustrates it with Apple, Martin Luther King and the pioneers of flight. It is clear and motivating, it repeats its point often, and it argues from chosen examples, not from data.
Good for readers who want: leadership and purpose, business inspiration, and one simple idea explained.
3 About Simon Sinek
Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
4 More by Simon Sinek
5 Similar books
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Built to Last by James C. Collins
- The Dip by Seth Godin
- In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters
- Rising Strong by Brené Brown
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell