By starting from why you do what you do. What is the reason your business exists. And whatever it is that you are REALLY passionate about, you, like others who are aware of their WHY, become more successful, inspiring and significant. This is what Simon Sinek claims in his book Start With WHY (2009).
Kenny RM Sørensen reviews the video at the Lederinsigt Academy
To illustrate how to become more aware of your WHY and how the human brain normally works, he has created this simple model:
The model tries to illustrate, in all its simplicity, how we act, think and communicate.
WHY
Why – Your purpose, vision or cause. Why does your company exist and why does it interest others?
HOW
How do I do it - Your values. How is what you do different or better than what everyone else does?
WHAT
What am I doing? – Your products and services, your marketing, PR and sales.
The vast majority of people and organizations start from the outside and work their way towards the center of The Golden Circle when they think, act, communicate, sell, etc., and there is a logical explanation for this: In this way, you work your way from that is easiest to understand and describe versus the most obscure. Everyone knows WHAT they are doing, and most HOW, but few can answer WHY.
And this is where Sinek believes that you should step in. According to him, starting with WHY makes a big difference:
For it to work, it is therefore important that you always test HOW and WHAT in relation to WHY.
But how do you find out which HOWs and WHATs fit into your organization? By doing the Celery test. When you get a good piece of advice or an idea for something new in your business, put the idea or piece of advice to the Celery test.
Sinek illustrates the test with a little story:
You are at a party where you get several good tips from some of the other guests. The first thinks your organization is missing M&Ms, the next that it's rice milk you're missing. The third recommends cookies and the last celery. You listen to all this good advice and the next time you go shopping, you buy it all. But what if you don't need it all? Then you are wasting your money. And, as you stand in line at the supermarket with the trolley full, no one can see what YOU believe.
But if you know your WHY before you attend the party, then it's a completely different situation. When you know, for example, that your WHY is that you always do things that are good for your body, you still get all the good advice for the party. The only difference is that the next time you go shopping, you only buy rice milk and celery.
When you filter your decisions through your WHY, you spend less time in the supermarket and save money at the same time. Furthermore, you are sure that you get value out of all your decisions. And most importantly: When you stand in line with rice milk and celery, everyone can see what you believe. You communicate what you believe (your WHY) through your actions (WHAT).
If your WHY is clearly stated, everyone in your organization can make decisions as clearly and accurately as you. A WHY is a clear filter through which all decisions can be said; hiring, partnerships, strategies and tactics. They should all pass the celery test.
According to Simon Sinek, the approach works because people don't buy what you do, but why you do it. There are many ways to achieve success, but only through identification with your "reason" (your WHY) will you achieve long-term business success.
The method also entails several different advantages.
Benefit No. 1. Emotional attachment
Give your customers a reason why you do what you do, and you create an emotional connection that can potentially mean loyal customers who, in some cases, go to great lengths to show that they share your WHY.
An example is Apple, which has managed to create a loyal customer group, which one is next tempted to call fans. Many are willing to stand in line for their products just to be able to say they had the phone, tablet or whatever it is first.
Or think about e.g. on Harley Davidson fans who get the company's logo tattooed on their upper arms. They do so because they identify with Harley's values. By getting a tattoo, they mark that they live by the same.
Et dansk eksempel er Maersk, der med mottoet ”rettidig omhu” tydeligt markerer en værdi. At det virker, ses bl.a. af virksomhednes meget succesfulde facebook page, where thousands of fans share photos of Maersk containers they have spotted around the world.
Advantage No. 2. Affiliation
We humans have a strong need to feel that we belong. Think, for example on how you react when you run into another Dane abroad. We immediately feel a community, even if we don't know this person. That kind of community doesn't happen when you tell what your product is and how you make it. In order for us to experience emotional attachment, our brain requires a reason – a WHY – that we share. Apple's WHY speaks, for example. largely for innovative, creative people.
Advantage No. 3. Product independence
Companies that start from their WHY can sell a wide variety of products as long as they work in accordance with their vision. Eg. Apple doesn't just sell computers, but a wide range of products, and Maersk, other things being equal, has an impressive product portfolio ranging from container ships to Danish supermarkets.
Your WHY does not come from looking ahead, towards what you want to achieve and by laying out an appropriate strategy for how you want to achieve it. It does not come from market research or interviews with customers and employees. To find your WHY, look in the opposite direction.
You find your WHY by looking back. Just as Apple's WHY, according to Simon Sinek, came from the youth rebellion of the 60s and 70s, so yours and your company's WHY also stems from something in the past. From your upbringing, your experiences, etc. As he writes: "Finding WHY is a process of discovery, not invention" (p. 214)
Every organization is founded by a person or a group of people who had a desire to create something bigger than themselves. It is this desire, this passion, that you must find – either in yourself or in your organisation. To find your WHY, it comes down to something as simple as trusting your gut.
So what is your company's WHY? Why do you do what you do? What is the reason you get up in the morning? According to Sinek, there are great advantages in finding out.
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