Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book titled “Together is Better”
“Genius is in the idea.Impact comes from the action.” – Simon Sinek
Category: Book review
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The destination is never “fuzzy” to a great leader
A great leader is one who has a clear vision that helps in showing followers the proper destination.
A weak leader or a micro manager is one who is not sure of the destination himself.As a result of this the followers never have a clear sense of vision.
The human brain is oriented in a manner that it feels relaxed when provided a clear sense of direction.The moment the direction is crystal clear the human brain is able to devise innovative means to reach the destination irrespective of obstacles on the way.
Thus a clear sense of direction keeps the followers engaged towards the vision.
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Reason our “WHY” should be for service to others
The concept of WHY was introduced by Simon Sinek in his iconic book titled “Start With Why”.
A WHY is another name for finding a deep filled purpose in our lives.This has to be in sync with our own personality traits as well.
When we run after short term benefits , hit a goal , get a promotion we do find moments of happiness which is short lived.This is like a “dopamine hit” which is bound to die after some time.
Hence our sense of purpose has to be long term.When we delve deep and find our purpose or WHY , more often it is part of a futuristic vision which is bigger than ourselves.
When we work towards attainment of the WHY , we sense the flow of “oxytocin” or the fulfillment chemical that enriches us.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book titled “Start With Why” and “Find Your Why”
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Great quote of the day
“There is only one way to avoid criticism : do nothing , say nothing , and be nothing.” – Aristotle
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s “Together is Better”
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“Slow and steady” in business as well wins the race
10X or high performing companies as analyzed by Jim Collins in “Great By Choice” exhibit one very surprising pattern
They have pegged their targets to a ceiling while at the same time earmarking a level beyond which it should never fall down.
It is like playing an infinite game of business with discipline to fight the ofds when the chips are down while at the same time showing restraint of not being too greedy when the times are good.
The comparison between Stryker and USSC has been cited as a reference wherein Stryker’s sustainable targets helped it stay afloat while USSC greed of aggressive targets eventually led to its acquisition by Tyco.
Thus in the game of business as well , slow and steady wins the race
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Are you still living your life by accident?
Most of us live our lives by accident.We live as it happens without wanting to take risks to chase our passion.
Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.
It’s upto us to choose the kind of life we want
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book “Together is Better”
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Comparison between Amundsen’s and Scott’s South Pole expeditions
Adopted from the book titled “Great By Choice” by Jim Collins.
Roald Amundsen and Rober Falcon Scott had contrasting approaches in their march towards South Pole.
In the end it was the better prepared and ferociously competitive Amundsen who not only reached South Pole earlier but returned home safely.
The following link from wikipedia.com highlights the contrasting approaches adopted by the two and also mentions how Amundsen with his better preparedness and leadership traits was able to reach South Pole and return back safely.This little story highlights the fact that there is no shortcut for better preparedness and “Productive Paranoia” when it comes to overcoming an “unforgiving environment”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_the_Amundsen_and_Scott_expeditions
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“Ambition” for self vs a “Just cause”
All high performing leaders are incredibly ambitious.
What makes their ambition different and in turn helps them rally followers and supporters around them is that their ambition is for a “just cause” not for self.
When followers are shown a futuristic “just cause” for achieving something larger than themselves it can lead to a big impact.This is when followers get viscerally involved to realize something in order to achieve fulfillment in their lives.
Thus when ambition is directly towards the betterment of a company , a just cause it has far reaching impact.
Adopted from Jim Collins’s “Great By Choice” and Simon Sinek’s “The Infinite Game”
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How to succeed in an “unforgiving environment”?
Look at the behavior patterns of the following 10X high performing leaders:
- Herb Kelleher of South West Airlines – Predicting 11 of the last 3 recessions
- Andy Grove of Intel – “Always looking for the black cloud in the silver lining”
- Bill Gates – Issuing nightmare memos in Microsoft
By embracing the myriad of possible dangers , they put themselves in a superior position to overcome danger due to an “unforgiving environment”.
These are leaders who succeeded in uncertain , unforgiving environment through deliberate , methodical and systematic practice.
Adopted from Jim Collins’s book titled “Great By Choice”
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Is “Productive Paranoia” good for high performing organizations?
The high performing 10X companies are ones who maintain hypervigilance in good times as well as bad.
They are always on their toes wary of disruption and hence competing with themselves to be a better version everyday.
These companies constantly consider the possibility that events could turn against them at any moment and hence to counter such unpredictability they are always better prepared.
Such “Productive Paranoia” thus keeps a high performing 10X organization afloat to be better prepared in the “Infinite Game” of business.
Adopted from Jim Collins’s book “Great By Choice” and Simon Sinek’s book “The Infinite Game”