4. Simon Sinek here talks about examples of a
company who lost their WHY, either in a mishap
Volkswagen or more seriously in their core
values Walmart.
Volkswagen for example literally means “car of
the people” and its image has always been that
of reliable cars for everyone, for the average
citizens.
5. And the
most famous
Volkswagen model
was a hippy symbol
of freedom and
simple life. So when
they introduced a
super expensive
model, that flew
against their own
WHY and sold
nothing.
6. Walmat is a more serious case. It started with the idea
of helping people and communities and providing
products at low prices.
However, after the death of its founders, the company
focused only on low prices, forgetting about helping
people and the communities they entered. So it
became a cutthroat business towards its suppliers,
employees and the communities it joined.
7. Simon Sinek says that achievement comes when you
pursue and attain WHAT you want but success only
comes when you are clear in pursuit of WHY you
want it. Simon Sinek wording is just too
beautiful that I will quote him verbatim here:
Success comes when we wake up every
day in that never-ending pursuit of WHY we do
WHAT we do.
8. Which brings me again to Viktor Frankl when
he says that success, like happiness, cannot be
pursued, it can only ensue. Ensuing from a
cause bigger than yourself (your WHY). Simon
Sinek says that of those successful, rich
entrepreneurs, few are actually happy. The
ones who are, tend to never have lost sight of
their WHY.
9. Simon Sinek also says that gaining a clarity of
WHY is not the hardest part. The hardest part is
the discipline to trust one’s gut over outside
advice (Steve Job’s example), and to stay true to
your cause or belief.
“Success comes when we
wake up every day in that never-ending pursuit
of WHY we do WHAT we do.”
10.
11. Sinek talks about companies which have lost
sight of their original “Why.” Take the
example of Volkswagen and Walmart.
Volkswagen literally means “car of the people”
and its image has always been that of reliable,
affordable cars for everyone. The original VW
Beetle was a cheerful symbol of freedom and a
simple, carefree life. So when they introduced
the super-expensive, $70,000 VW Phaeton, that
flew against their own “Why” and sold
nothing.
12. Walmart was a more serious case. Walmart was
started by Sam Walton with the idea of helping
people and communities by providing products
at low prices. However, after the death of its
founders, the company focused only on low
prices, forgetting about helping people and the
communities they entered. It ended up
becoming a cutthroat business towards its
suppliers, employees and the communities it
was a part of. Walmart got into serious trouble
when it lost its initial “Why.”
13. When Why Goes Fuzzy Walmart began with the intention,
the why, to help and serve people. They did this using a
discounting method of selling goods. However, along the
way, they lost sense of their why and forgot their purpose.
They stopped caring about their employees. No one could
explain what happened, it’s a feeling in the part of the brain
why has no capacity for language. So we blame size and
money. Simon recalls attending the Gathering of Titans
where americas most successful entrepreneurs gather
together. 80% has achieved their financial goals! although
80% didn’t feel successful. As their companies had grown,
they had lost a sense of their why. They still knew what
they did and how they did it, but their why had gone fuzzy.
And of course, this was difficult to put in to words.
14. “More importantly, some people, while in pursuit
of success, simply mistake WHAT they achieve as
the final destination. This is the reason they never
feel satisfied no matter how big their yacht is, no
matter how much they achieve.”
15. “For great leaders, The Golden Circle is in balance.
They are in pursuit of WHY, they hold themselves
accountable to HOW they do it and WHAT they
do serves as the tangible proof of what they
believe.”
16. “Achievement is something you reach or attain,
like a goal. It is something tangible, clearly
defined and measurable. Success, in contrast, is
a feeling or a state of being
17. ”She feels successful. She is successful,“ we
say, using the verb to be to suggest this
state of being”. “In my vernacular,
achievement comes when you pursue and
attain WHAT you want. Success comes
when you are clear in pursuit of WHY you
want it.”
18. Walmart began with the intention, the why, to
help and serve people. They did this using a
discounting method of selling goods. However,
along the way, they lost sense of their why and
forgot their purpose. They stopped caring about
their employees. No one could explain what
happened, it’s a feeling in the part of the brain
why has no capacity for language. So we blame
size and money.
19. Simon Sinek says that a company always starts fueled
by passion. But for passion to thrive and survive, it
also needs structures and HOWs. Most companies
fail, says the author, because both HOWs and WHYs
need each other. An Idea. That’s probably where
every company starts. At the beginning, ideas are
fueled by passion. That very compelling emotion
that sometimes causes us to do irrational things.
20. For all
organisations
that go through
the split, they
are no longer
inspired by a
cause greater
than
themselves.
They simply
come to work,
manage
systems and
work to reach
certain preset
goals.
21. There is no longer a cathedral to build. The
passion is gone and inspiration is at a
minimum. They are focused too much on the
how and what.
