Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Simon Sinek

Oct 2009 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

 The inspiring, life-changing bestseller by the author of LEADERS EAT LAST and TOGETHER IS BETTER.

In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work, and in turn inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who’ve watched his TED Talk based on START WITH WHY -- the third most popular TED video of all time.
 
Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
 
People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it. 
 
START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way -- and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

Ratings and reviews

I only came by this book because I saw Simon Sinek's TED talk. His TED talk on the same subject has been widely viewed and it was probably because of this that the idea of writing a book came about. While the core idea of the book is valuable - that the purpose in corporations is what distinguishes inspiring companies from great companies, the book is ultimately also filled with too much fluff. Although the central message is good, I was still annoyed by some of the other things that he does. Things such as using the same three or so anecdotes throughout the entire book, surely he could have perhaps found more examples rather than just gush over and over of how inspirational Apple is. Then it reads like his TED talk, making it just a bit harder to read. The usage of "The Golden Circle" is particularly annoying for me. Sinek makes it sound like he just happened to stumble onto the "Golden Circle" as if it was a natural law. Sinek is so concerned with legitimacy for his idea of "The Golden Circle" that he likens it to the golden ratio (which can actually be derived with maths) and keeps trying to legitimize his "Golden Circle" by using proofs wrong. At one point he uses the phrase: "This example proves" which is not how examples work! Examples DOES NOT prove things! This Proof by example is actually a logical fallacy. Then he points toward how the "Golden Circle" which to be clear is just three concentric circles where it goes from the inner circle to the outer circle with this: why, how, what, is exactly the same as how the brain works with the limbic structure in the middle, similar to the why (limbic structure is the oldest part of the evolved brain and is where emotions are generated) and how the prefrontal cortex is actually on the "outside" of the brain and is compared to the what in his "Golden Circle". Again, this is not entirely true. The prefrontal cortex does not stretch in a circle around the brain, the brain is not two-dimensional, and while I can appreciate that he's trying to make a link here, it just reeks of someone so insecure of his own theory that he again needs to link it with other things to make it more real. Then at the end he reveals how it's actually three dimensional and it's a cone where the why is on top and the what is on the bottom. If it wasn't golden circles but, say, squares instead, it would be a pyramid which is kind of the scheme that I think of while reading this book. Ok, this review is quite negative and probably sounds like a massive attack on this book. There's some value in all of this marketing speak, which is inspiration requires a clear purpose and through inspiration, you'll create followers who will stay loyal to you. So instead of 200+ pages, to get the insight of one sentence, perhaps just watch his TED talk again and then read about Apple, Walmart and Southwest.

This book is like reading the thoughts of a six year old with ADD...every page is jumbled and the order if the book reminds me of the movie "Memento". You are likely better off just reading a Malcolm Gladwell book (take your pick) and then a book about Apple. Seriously, this book is like 60% a PSA about Apple. Don't believe me? Check out the index, there are more entries for Apple than the Golden Circle which is the whole WHY concept...all you'll ask when you're done with the book is WHY did I waste my time reading this?

This is a review on the book “Start with why” by Simon Sinek. I am a student at the University of Baltimore enrolled in the survey Entrepreneurship course. The book is about the problem that many businesses or people encounter because assumptions are made. This assumptions often result in failure. The book is a great tool in getting a person to look at their real motivation for starting a business, or moving forward with an idea, which is one of the “Why’s” of the book. The “why” of an idea is the purpose or belief behind what you are trying to create. The author uses a technique called the “Golden Circle” that entrepreneurs should appraise before moving forward with an idea. Knowing why from within, before you are doing or creating something, could mean the difference between success and failure. I really enjoyed the last chapter about new competition and the lessons learned. According to Sinek, if we all started with answering the question “Why” each day and answered to do something better than the day before, the world would be a better place. It’s not always about how you can out do your competitors, it why you are in existence and business. This was a great read...

About the author

SIMON SINEK, the bestselling author of LEADERS EAT LAST and TOGETHER IS BETTER, is an optimist who believes in a brighter future for humanity. He teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people and has presented his ideas around the world, from small startups to Fortune 50 corporations, from Hollywood to Congress to the Pentagon. His TED Talk based on START WITH WHY is the third most popular TED video of all time. Learn more about his work and how you can inspire those around you at StartWithWhy.com.