Think about the inspirational leaders of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Southwest Airlines. You can probably name them: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Herb Kelleher.
Next, try to name the leaders of General Motors, TiVo and AOL during the same period. Some were good, but very few left a leadership legacy that was strong enough to ensure future success.
Most candidates for senior leadership positions are highly qualified, experienced and deeply engaged in their work. Lousy bosses are commonly weeded out in the long run, and competent bosses are usually promoted.
Why, then, do so many good managers lack the requisite leadership skills?
Leading with Why
Leaders who want to succeed should clearly communicate what they believe and why they’re so passionate about their cause, according to business consultant Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Portfolio, 2010).
Most people know what they do and how they do it, Sinek says, but few communicate why they do what they do.
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy into why you do it,” he writes.
Great leaders inspire us when they connect with our hearts and emotions, says Sinek, who presents his ideas on TED TV.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Walt Disney always communicated their “why”—the reasons they acted, why they cared and their future hopes. Great business leaders follow suit:
- Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, believes air travel should be fun and accessible to everyone.
- Apple’s Steve Wozniak and Microsoft's Bill Gates believed everyone should have a computer. Gates and Wozniak with Steve Jobs set out to challenge established corporations’ status quo.
- Walmart’s Sam Walton believed people should have access to low-cost goods.
- Starbucks’ Howard Schultz wanted to create social experiences in cafés resembling those in Italy.
Three years ago, a female executive coach in Canada and I discovered that we both were coaching a large number of career women who had similar life challenges. In our discussions, we decided to share with other women our unique knowledge of how these women we coached overcame their challenges and prospered. We began by providing coaching tips and conducting women-only teleseminars that reflected the truths our clients faced and conquered. Then we began writing a soon-to-be-released woman's guidebook based on our work experience coaching women to succeed in life and at work.
Simon Sinek: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action