From the Stack: Start with Why, by Simon Sinek
HERE'S THE GIST
Simon Sinek's Golden Circle has three layers. What you do sits on the outside. How you do it sits in the middle. Why you do it sits at the center, and it's the layer most of us skip. Sinek argues that our why, our actual purpose and belief, drives everything else, whether we've taken the time to name it or not.
THE LINE THAT STUCK
“Finding why is a process of discovery, not invention.”
MY TWO CENTS
I found my own why almost by accident. I was working with a coach on a personal mission statement, and around that same time, I came across Sinek's original TED talk on knowing your why. Between the two, something surfaced I hadn't said out loud before. I stand for safety, for the sake of every person being able to show up as their full self. At the time, it was specifically about women and girls, shaped by experiences from when I was a teenager that broke boundaries of safety and left me with a real sense of betrayal. That scope has broadened since, but the root of it hasn't changed. I demonstrate it, in how I show up, how I coach, how I try to make people feel in a room. That's the part of this book I didn't expect. Our values are inherently good, but we only stay aligned with them when we take the time to actually name what's underneath our own behavior, not just react to what's on the surface.
PICK THIS UP IF
you've ever felt slightly out of step with your own decisions and wanted to understand why, or if you're ready to get even more clear on how you show up and how you lead.