It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
In this New Year I'm going to continue to explore some leadership quotes that might challenge us, inspire us or remind us of different aspects of the leadership journey. This is part of my personal journey to keep growing, learning and being stretched! Join me each Tuesday at 2:00pm (PST). It will take you just a few minutes to read through the 2 sections of this post, but don't miss the final section where I share some of the things I'm reading, listening to and enjoying this week.
You can find past posts on my website HERE.
Enjoy!
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe." Simon Sinek
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
We're going to dive into some thoughts from Simon Sinek this month. He's done some great work for leaders in his speaking and writing, but for me, the biggest "AH-HA" came when he shared his Golden Circle Model of WHY.
The model is explained in his Ted Talk from 2014 which is one of the most popular talks of all time. SEE IT HERE. The Golden Circle simply challenges us to "Start with the WHY", instead of starting with the "WHAT".
The WHY is what drives us, what gets us out of bed in the morning, what inspired us, what keeps us moving forward. The WHY doesn't really change.
The WHAT and the HOW is simply the ways in which we pursue the WHY.
Many times we get these backwards, and we're driven by WHAT we do, instead of WHY we do it.
When you think of your WHY, what comes to mind? What is that thing that you find yourself constantly thinking about and driven by?
DEEPER STILL:
I have regrets when I look back at past leadership roles and positions, because sometimes I focused completely on the WHAT instead of the WHY.
I remember one time as a young youth pastor, I created a series of outreach events that were designed to bring young people into our church.
I didn't really spend much time on the WHY, but instead spent most of my energy on the WHAT and HOW. Our team focused on creating a great event, and kids came. There was energy, it was fun, it looked good, and people paid attention to what was going on, but there was no WHY really. It was more about the event then about introducing young people to Jesus or to the church.
As I look back, there were some positive outcomes from these events, but had I started with the WHY, it would have changed radically everything that we did because we were working towards a common purpose, outcome and goal.
My regret is that we could have done something with lasting benefits, as opposed to a short-sighted big event gaining lot's of attention.
Am I the only one who has made this mistake in the past? Do you have any regrets? How have you shifted your model to a WHY FIRST?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Simon Sineks "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" on TED.
Simon Sineks Webpage and one of his books, "Start With Why"
The other night, I turned on the TV before going to bed and came across a program: Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon. What followed was 2 hours of great music, a great tribute and just soul-filling joy! Here's just a taste as Sting sings one of Simon & Garfunkels songs, America.
Listen to Paul Simon Essentials on Apple.
I'm diving deeper into this book from Ruth Haley Barton this week, "Invitation to Retreat". Really Inviting! Thanks for the tip Brad!