“If our leaders are to enjoy the trappings of their position in the hierarchy, then we expect them to offer us protection. The problem is, for many of the overpaid leaders, we know that they took the money and perks and didn’t offer protection to their people. In some cases, they even sacrificed their people to protect or boost their own interests. This is what so viscerally offends us. We only accuse them of greed and excess when we feel they have violated the very definition of what it means to be a leader.” – Simon Sinek
Category: Self Help
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Charisma v/s Energy – Simon Sinek quote
“Charisma has nothing to do with energy; it comes from a clarity of WHY. It comes from absolute conviction in an ideal bigger than oneself. Energy, in contrast, comes from a good night’s sleep or lots of caffeine. Energy can excite. But only charisma can inspire. Charisma commands loyalty. Energy does not.” – Simon Sinek
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Understanding “Selfish” and “selfless” happiness hormones in our veins
Very recently I had the honor of reading “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek, the author of the hugely popular “Start with Why”. This book is an amazing read for the simple fact that by means of biology the author has explained how to beat stress in our fast paced lives by sticking to ethics.
Stress as well as happiness stimulating hormones we all would be aware of but the mental mapping of these is something we rarely think of. Had we done the same our actions would have been more often than not directed towards enhancing the flow of happiness stimulating selfless chemicals to beat stress and duress in our stress filled lives.
Stress which is part and parcel of our modern fast paced lives results in a chemical named “Cortisol” flowing through our veins. As against this when we are happy for ourselves(selfish) say for e.g. when we have had a very tiring but fulfilling day in office may be for e.g. by being able to deliver something critical by stretching late in office a selfish happiness stimulating chemical named “Endorphin” flows through our veins. When people try to beat stress by working out extra time in gyms, the same chemical flows through our veins and keeps us happy for the time being.
Any kind of work done by us that gives us an appreciation to satisfy our self-ego(selfish) but which does not give us any sense of belonging results in “Dopamine” flowing through our veins. With the proliferation of social media penetration that “one buzz” in our phones to indicate one more like for our posts on FB or Twitter results in the flow of this selfish happiness stimulating chemical that acts as a quick fix to keep our subconscious mind happy.
When we feel happy and feel a sense of belonging especially when a co-worker thanks us or when we feel happy by doing something for the family/near or dear ones/society and that too ethically it does us the most good by allowing the flow of selfless and happiness stimulating chemicals named “Serotonin(leadership chemical)” and “Oxytocin(fulfillment chemical)” through or veins.
The challenge in life , to beat stress , is not to chase short term quick fix driven “Dopamine happiness” but look to do or achieve something ethically that would give us a sense of belonging and a good night’s sleep by allowing sufficient flow of “Oxytocin” through our veins.
Thus the mathematical equation involving biological chemicals to help us lead a balanced and truly happy life with a sense of belonging is:
(Serotonin + Oxytocin) >>>> Cortisol
With this simple equation in mind let us all pledge to act in ways to fight stress by doing things in our day to day lives that give us a sense of belonging that have far reaching impacts beyond mere self-satisfaction. The other advantage of this would be that since this formula to beat stress is scientifically proven we can form a mental map and preempt our behavior patterns to act in ways that help us achieve selfless truly fulfilling satisfaction rather than meeting our selfish short term goals.
Unleash the flow of selfless chemicals through your veins!!!!!
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How to judge whether you are a leader – Simon Sinek quote
The following very simple Simon Sinek quote defines the boundary of a true leader.It is not because of rank or position but by choice that one can become a leader and inspire others.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – Simon Sinek
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What kind of individuals do great companies hire? – Simon Sinek quote
The follow amazing Simon Sinek quote just highlights the difference between the great and not so great companies….
Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them. People are either motivated or they are not. Unless you give motivated people something to believe in, something bigger than their job to work toward, they will motivate themselves to find a new job and you’ll be stuck with whoever’s left.– Simon Sinek
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What draws us towards great leaders & organizations – Simon Sinek quote
Human beings right from the caveman times have always felt a sense of belonging.Human bonds are unique to homo sapiens and separates us from other animals around us.
The need to feel safe in a group is a basic instinct that all human beings have and are attracted by.This is the reason we perform at our best when led by leaders who make us feel safe and in teams where we feel a sense of belonging.The sense of belonging and the fulfillment as a result of the same results in the flow of oxytocin in our veins.
The following great quote crisply amplifies the message mentioned above..
“We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.” – Simon Sinek
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Two ways to influence human behavior – Simon Sinek quote
There are only and only two ways to influence human behavior.Depending on the kind of personality we are we need to choose the corresponding approach.The choice of course is ours..
Please find below an awesome Simon Sinek quote on the same….
“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.” – Simon Sinek
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Achievement vs Success
The following great quote of Simon Sinek shows the difference between achievement and success…
“Achievement happens when we pursue and attain what we want. Success comes when we are in clear pursuit of why we want it.” – Simon Sinek
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The journey of WHY Discovery for individuals – Lessons learnt from “Find Your Why”
Find Your Why from Simon Sinek , David Mead and Peter Docker is the follow up book to Start With Why by Simon Sinek.
The Why Discovery for individuals is something I found simply fascinating.
The distance the authors have gone in explaining the scientific approach to discovering WHY is simply awesome.
An individual who needs to discovery his/her WHY needs to first find a friend or a trustworthy person who would help with the discovery.Such a person should be chosen very judiciously.The person needs to be a very good listener and should not have prejudiced views.Eagerness and inquisitiveness in helping a friend discover WHY is also a very important criteria.
After the facilitator is chosen the following are the three steps:
- Gather stories about the life of the person – These stories should have some special place in the life of the person.
- Find out patterns – From the facts noted from the stories , try to find out meaning and connect the dots.
- Draft a WHY – Based on the above analysis , try to draft a WHY in the following format:
TO___________________(contribution) SO THAT_____________________(impact)
The draft WHY is in no means going to be 100% perfect at the first attempt and this needs to be refined going forward.All this exercise would do is to set a foundation for creation of a WHY.
For more details I would sincerely encourage readers to go through the book FIND YOU WHY.Believe me it would an absolutely unbelievable experience.
Pile on motivation..
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Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
Golden Circle of Simon Sinek summarized as follows:
WHY Means The Purpose
HOW Means The Process
WHAT Means The Result