Book Report 5: It Starts with Why - Simon Sinek

This is a book I Have been meaning to read for a while. I am quite familiar with Simon Sinek's concept of "WHY" as i have listened to many of his podcasts, youtube videos, etc. Thus, the book was nothing new, however, it was beneficial to get a more indepth understanding of the concept.

I definitely recommend the book, especially if someone doesn't understand the concept of WHY.

Simon Sinek has a great ability to clearly explain WHY to the readers.

He goes in depth about knowing your WHY, so you can do your WHAT, and you learn to do your HOW.

WHY is the indepth belief of your reasoning for doing what you do. Such as for Microsoft, Bill Gates's WHY was to put a PC on everyone's desk, and for Apple, Steve Jobs's WHY was to rebel against the norm, and be revolutionary.

Simon also speaks about companies that lose their WHY eventually. Such as Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart used to be about serving the community and the people. But after the founder's death, it turned into a heavily profit driven company, trying to cut costs, and getting involved in scandals. It's important for a company to know its WHY, but it's also important to keep the WHY.

He speaks about Apple indepth about them knowing their WHY. Which is great as it can be relatable, and we can see why the WHY is important, but I believe he used them a bit too much.

Simon mentions that there are many who may be 'successful' by rational terms (amount of income/money/other metrics), but that doesn't make them happy. That's because people mix up achievement and success. Achievement is measurable, such as how many products you sold, how much your profit was etc. Success, however, is not easily measurable. It's a feeling. Do you feel you have achieved your why? your goal(s)? That is success.

This has shown me that I have been pushing for achievements, without ever feeling successful. I feel this is because I have not yet defined my WHY as clearly as I should.

I plan to reflect and think about how to best define my WHY. I plan to read Simon's next book "Finding your WHY" to help me do just that.

Simon also mentions that your limbic brain is what determines these feelings. Somethings things just feel right. You cannot explain why you may like something, or even why you may love someone. Rational explationals do not work in the long term, whether it's for businesses or relationships. It's the feeling.

I am fortunate that the WHY of the EV company I work for resonates with me. So, while I work on Finding my own WHY, i am grateful and fortunate I am involved in a company that knows its WHY, and it is one I can resonate with.

I recommend listening to Simon's podcasts and TEDx talks first before diving into the book.