The HEART represents the LIMBIC or EMOTIONAL brain which does not have power to interpret language.It can only understand signals.
MIND represents the RATIONAL BRAIN the part that understands reason and logic for e.g – comparison of features in a product and associated benefits.
This is why WINNING HEARTS is much more difficult , needs more WORK and is possible when the message communication STARTS WITH WHY.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
Knowing your WHY as an individual or an organization is the ONLY way to maintain lasting success and have a greater blend of innovation and flexibility.
When a WHY goes FUZZY , it becomes very difficult to maintain growth , innovation and inspiration to drive the original success.In such cases MANIPULATION and NOT INSPIRATION dominates wherein the leadership is hell bent on short term targets by focusing on WHAT’s rather than the WHY.
Time is witness to the fact that whenever WHY has gone fuzzy in iconic organization an inspirational leaders has bailed the organization out of crisis focusing on WHY.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
Manipulating buying behavior from a customer can lead to short term gains , create a desire but can never create LOYAL customers.
Inspiring leaders who start with WHY and communicate clearly the meaning of the offering are able to command loyalty from their customers.
It is the CAUSE represented by the company , brand , product or person that commands LOYALTY.
If a customer thus feels INSPIRED to buy a product rather than being MANIPULATED , they will be able to verbalize the reasons why they think what they bought is better.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
When we start the communication with WHY , the message would appeal to the emotional limbic brain and hence provide the reason to BUY a product or service.
The WHAT’s in the product or service would serve as the TANGIBLE proof of that belief.These would then appeal to the rational brain and become the reasons we are DRAWN to a product , company or an idea over another.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
It is not sufficient for a FOUNDER to espouse a WHY and communicate it clearly to the entire organization.
A founder who espouses a WHY needs an equally capable peer who knows HOW to run the company and advance the WHY or the JUST CAUSE around which the organization revolves.
Thus a combination of a visionary who knows WHY and the co-founder who has the wherewithal or knows HOW to run the organization is an essential pre-requisite to build an iconic organization.
Think of Bill Gates(WHY) and Paul Allen at Microsoft , Steve Jobs(WHY) and Steve Wozniak(HOW) at Apple , Rollin King(WHY) and Herb Kelleher(HOW) at SouthWest Airlines and the dots will connect.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
In FISH PHILOSOPHY by Chris Lundin the following is mentioned as one key principle:
“Make It Their Day”
The following inspirational quote from Simon Sinek endorses the same fact:
“The MORE people you INSPIRE , the MORE people will INSPIRE YOU.”
In nearly every case of a person or an ORGANIZATION that has gone on to INSPIRE people to DO GREAT THINGS , there exists this special partnership between a person who knows the WHY and another who knows the HOW.
This relationship starts to clarify the VISION statement and MISSION statement of an organization.
The vision statement is WHY the company exists whereas a mission statement are guiding principles based on HOW the company intends to create the future.
Bill Gates was the visionary who imagined a world with the PC , Paul Allen knew HOW to execute this vision.
Similarly Steve Jobs had the vision about the Mac and Steve Wozniak knew HOW to give this shape.
The list goes on…The point here is that unless and until there is a partnership between such like minded people with complementary skill set , the true magic on inspiring by innovating falls flat.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
The struggle that so many companies have to differentiate or communicate their true value to the outside world is NOT a BUSINESS PROBLEM.
Rather it is a BIOLOGY PROBLEM.
This is just like a person struggling to put emotions to words relying on metaphors , imagery etc. in order to attempt what we feel.
Exactly for organizations such a message which has to be understood by the human LIMBIC brain needs to be based on belief and stories which have no rational explanation.
Once communication starts inside OUT from WHY to HOW and WHAT the message becomes easy to understand and more credible.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
SouthWest Airlines copied their model from Pacific SouthWest Airlines , even copied their name but eventually carved a niche out for themselves.
This is because Herb Kelleher was successfully able to communicate the WHY which translated into all the employee touchpoints with the customers.The consistency of messaging is the reason SouthWest has had customer loyalty over the years.
Seeing the rising popularity of SouthWest’s low cost model , prompted United to Start TED and Delta to start SONG as the low cost variants.
Since both United and Delta copied the WHAT from SouthWest and did not focus on the WHY hence these models never took off.
Mentioned below links showcase the respective failures of United and Delta with their low cost segments.
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/united-shut-down-ted-airlines-95995/
Source Adweek
Source NY Times
Thus just copying the WHAT is not sufficient for long term sustenance.When the WHY is clear and communicated that way is when customers truly become loyal customers.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why
To get short term benefits and returns “Manipulation” and trickery by means of risk/reward behavior manipulation becomes the strategy of choice for most companies and marketers.
As with short cuts this has its own share of pitfalls in the long run.This is because NOT manipulation but INSPIRATION results in loyalty which results in long term benefits.
Organizations who have STARTED with WHY and build customer loyalty for e.g. Walmart , Apple etc. have struggled when their WHY went fuzzy due to the presence of a finite minded leaders.When this happens it becomes difficult to maintain the growth , loyalty and to inspire employees.
Time is witness that in order to bring such iconic companies back on track has needed an infinite minded leader back at the helm.Steve Jobs , Doug McMillon , Michael Dell the list goes on have returned to get their respective companies back on track by reviving the WHY.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why