This is the first entry in what I intend to be a series.
One of my favorite ways to find new ideas or improve is to read. Short of buying a mentor a cup of coffee, there are not many ways where just a few dollars can open up your mind so much.
These “reports” won’t be long (like our teachers used to make us write!) – just a quick summary of the main point(s) of the book and a few ideas or passages I found memorable. And maybe how I am (or hope to) applying the knowledge to my business. I hope you find them useful and learn something along the way.
Start With Why‘s main theme is: people are drawn to you (and potentially buy from you) because of WHY you do something, not necessarily WHAT you do. Thus, your WHY can be used as a basis for your decision making – whether it be marketing, product/service offerings, etc. I particularly liked Sinek’s “Golden Circle” concept that is essentially a progression: WHY—>HOW—>WHAT. In the book he argues most companies just focus on HOW or WHAT to their detriment.
Sinek uses the example of Apple quite a bit throughout the book. He admits at one point it seems repetitive, but it IS a good example. Not only are they hugely popular which makes them easy to identify, but their WHY really hasn’t changed since they started.
Sinek’s example of WHAT vs. WHY for Apple:
WHAT “We make great computers. They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. Wanna buy one?”
WHY “Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. And we happen to make great computers. Wanna buy one?”
Some other ideas that stand out:
- the role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas, but rather create an environment where great ideas can happen
- find people who believe what you believe, instead of selling to anyone. These people will perceive greater value and tell others about you.
- filtering decisions through your WHY is more efficient and everybody can then see what you believe
- Success comes from waking up every day in pursuit of WHY.
- industries holding on to legacy business models should be forewarned – you could be next (talking about Apple’s innovation of the music industry via iTunes – I found this one particularly interesting when it comes to CPAs – who typically hate change)
- (on competition) – if someone asks what makes you better, you might say “we’re not better in all cases, but the work we’ll be doing will be better in 6 months than what we are doing now” (basically you are competing against yourself)
- keeping your WHY clear over time is difficult
I am really happy I read this book. It has truly made me think deeply about WHY I am doing what I do. Many CPAs complain about our business becoming commoditized, but I think that is just an excuse. After all, how can any profession that, at its core, relies on personal relationships become a commodity? Perhaps they have simply lost their WHY.
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read this book. What was your takeaway?
