Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership — starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers …
The Golden Circle of effective thought leadership:
- [ CENTER ] Why?
- [ MIDDLE ] How?
- [ OUTER ] What?
Here are the main concepts:
- Great companies start with Why? and move outward
- Mediocre companies start with What? and never quite make it inward
- Companies that start with Why? resonate with people, and get them to believe in their vision. This makes it so they’ll buy anything from the company
- Companies that start with What? blend in with everyone else, and don’t ever stand out
The concept applies to people as well.
- Good leaders of people have a vision and a core set of beliefs, and they lead by pursuing those beliefs through the How? and What?
- Weak leaders just tell you What and How, and don’t provide any insight into Why
The Golden Circle, an extraordinary concept.
