Great Leaders Inspire Action

How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume?

How do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?

For example, why is Apple so innovative.  Year after year, they are more innovative than all of their competition.  And yet, they’re just a computer company.  They’re just like everyone else. They have the same access to the same talent.  The same agencies. The same consultants.  The same media. Then why is it that they seem to have something different?

Why is it that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement? He wasn’t the only man who suffered in a pre-civil rights America.

And why is it that the Right Brothers were able to figure out controlled powered man flight when there were certainly other teams who were better qualified, better funded, and they didn’t achieve powered man flight?

There’s something at play here.

If you take a real close look at it you will recognize just how all the great and aspiring leaders and organizations in the world think, act, and communicate the exact same way. And it’s the complete opposite to everyone else.

It’s called the Golden Circle. The “Why” “How” and “What” of things.  This little idea explains why some organizations and leaders are able to inspire where others aren’t.

Let me explain…

Every single person or organization on the planet know WHAT they do. Some know HOW they do it. But very few people or organizations know WHY they do what they do. And by “Why”, I don’t mean in regards of making a profit. That’s called a result. By “Why”, I mean… what is your purpose? What is your cause? What is your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?

Well as a result, the way we think, the way we act, they way we communicate, is from the outside in (What => How => Why).  It’s obvious. We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations, regardless of their size, regardless of their industry, all think act and communicate from the inside out (Why => How => What).

What this does is lets you know one thing.  People don’t buy WHAT you do.  People buy WHY you do it.

The goal is to not do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.

If you don’t know why you do what you do, and people respond to why you do what you do, then how will you ever get people to buy from you or want what you have? Or more importantly, be loyal and want to be a part of is that you do?

There are leaders and there are those who lead.  Leaders hold a position of power and authority. But those who lead inspire us. Whether they are individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to.  And it’s those who start with the “WHY” that have the ability inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.