This post appeared on Mashable and was inspired by Simon Sinek’s now famous TED talk in which he discusses how great leaders inspire action. The video has garnered more than 2.5 million views and is the second-most-viewed TED talk of all time.
Start With the Why
Simon Sinek, an ex-advertising executive and author, is perhaps best known for his concept of the Golden Circle. The concept revolves around the thought leadership and messaging approach utilized by some of the world’s most exciting leaders and brands — the Wright Brothers, Apple, and Martin Luther King Jr. — which, as Sinek puts it, “starts with the why.”
According to Sinek, most people communicate by starting with the “what” they do aspect and eventually work their way back to talk about “how” and “why” they do what they do.
However, companies that are universally identified as unique and successful communicate with an “inside-out” type of thinking, observes Sinek. They start with the why and only then do they move on to talk about the how and what portions of what they do.
The Science of It All
So, why does the order in which we communicate matter? It has to do with the parts of our brain that are engaged when we communicate different types of information.
When we’re talking about what we do, we’re speaking to a rational and analytical part of the brain that’s tied to language. But when we talk about the why and how, we’re communicating with feelings and dealing with human behavior – gut decisions – that have no capacity for language.
Dell and Apple
Think about Apple under the leadership of Steve Jobs. Apple is really just a computer company, but people have never seen Apple as “just a computer company.” In fact, Apple and Dell sell pretty similar products, but it’s safe to say that the two companies are held in much different esteems in the public eye. We happily buy more TVs, music players, and all sorts of other devices from Apple because we’re inspired by the story they tell.
Continue reading on Mashable.
