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Tag: Simon Sinek

  • Understanding the difference in approaches between Wright Brothers and Samuel Langley

    Wright Brothers as well all know invented the first airplane.

    But if we look book at history we can find that Samuel Langley was more equipped than the Wright Brothers , yet could not achieve what the Wright Brothers did.

    Langley had a passion for aeronautics and knew WHAT he needed to do.He did not have a CAUSE to champion and more than anything else fame , earning money was his driving motivation.There was no clear sense of WHY.

    Contrast this with the Wright Brothers , they clearly knew WHY it was important to build the plane.Not a single person working with the Wright Brothers had college education.

    They imagined the benefits to everyone else if they were successful , they had the clear sense of WHY.Rest as they say is history.

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why

  • Understanding differences between “Vision” & “Mission” Statements

    The VISION Statement is the PUBLIC statement of the founder’s intent , WHY the company exists.

    It is like the VISION of the future which does not exist now.

    The MISSION statement is the description of the route or guiding principles , HOW the company intends to create the future.

    In all iconic organizations be it Apple , SouthWest Airlines , CostCo there is a clear difference between these two statements on the basis of WHY and HOW respectively.

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why

  • Good Successors keep the WHY alive

    Visionary founders of iconic companies e.g. Apple , SouthWest , CostCo who espoused the WHY – the reason the company existed have always been meticulous doing succession planning.

    This is because when the visionary founder is no longer around and the WHY goes fuzzy it can even lead to the demise of the company.

    Hence the need of successors who buy into the vision , keep the JUST CAUSE alive by investing in the long run , prioritizing will over resources rather than trying to hit short term goals.

    This is the reason successors of iconic companies believe in investing in the long run to keep the WHY alive.

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why

  • What makes SouthWest Airlines so good at Succession Planning?

    One of the main reasons SouthWest Airlines over the years has been so good at SUCCESSION planning is because its JUST CAUSE is so much deeply ingrained in its CULTURE and hence the CEO’s who have taken over from the co-founder Herb Kelleher have embodied the CAUSE.

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why.

  • What do John Sculley , Kevin Rollins & Jim Donald have in common?

    Apple is known for the vision of Steve Jobs and his co-founder Steve Wozniak.

    Dell Inc is known for the visionary founder Michael Dell.

    Lastly Starbucks the iconic coffee chain is known for the vision espoused by Howard Schultz.

    John Sculley succeeded Steve Jobs at Apple , toppled him and eventually took Apple  , a once market leader , to near bankruptcy.

    Kevin Rollins succeeded Michael Dell and failed miserably to carry on the legacy.

    Same holds good for Jim Donald who succeeded Howard Schultz.

    What this thus teaches us is that even though a WHY is espoused by a visionary , succession planning is of paramount importance since when these visionaries are not around the WHY can go fuzzy especially if leaders who lead with WHAT are given charge.

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why

  • When a GROUP does REMARKABLE things

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s leadership quotes..

    The following inspirational quote shows why human bonds matter and why great teams are one where maximum trust exists.This is the only pre-requisite that leads to HIGH Performance teams.

    “The ABILITY for a GROUP of PEOPLE to do REMARKABLE things HINGES on how well those PEOPLE can PULL TOGETHER as a TEAM.”

  • Great quote on SELF HELP

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s self help quotes

    “We ALL understand the IMPORTANCE of asking for HELP , but those who achieve BIG THINGS are the ONES who ACCEPT it when it is OFFERED.”

  • Understanding the Infinite Game of Life

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game

    The game of LIFE is an INFINITE one.We are the PLAYERS.

    The rules are not fixed , the players are not fixed.PLAYERS can come and GO and there are no WINNERs and LOSERs.There is no TIME LIMIT as well.

    In such a context we can realize that none of us will ever be declared the WINNER in life.

    So to summarize to lead a fulfilled life and play the infinite game with finesse we must realize that:

    1. We are PLAYERS
    2. We CANNOT choose the RULES
    3. We CANNOT choose the GAME

    ONLY Choice that we have:

    1. The ONLY choice we have is to play with an INFINITE mindset or a FINITE mindset

  • Achieving fulfillment doing work that “we believe in”

    When we work for something that WE BELIEVE IN , we do not think about the ill effects of putting in more effort.Something drives us inside out and we derive fulfillment out of the work that we do.This is because we seem to be believe in the CAUSE that is larger than ourselves.

    The following quote from Simon Sinek aptly highlights the difference between PASSION and STRESS.

    “When we work HARD for something we DO NOT BELIEVE in , it is called STRESS.

    When we work HARD for something we DO BELIEVE in , is it called PASSION.”

  • Why adopting an INFINITE MINDSET needs COURAGE?

    Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game.

    Realizing something in quick time in the short term needs a FINITE mindset.To achieve something in the long run , deriving fulfillment , needs an INFINITE mindset and hence the requisite amount of risk and courage.

    The following quote summarizes this very aptly:

    “Bowing to the pressure of the FINITE PLAYERS around us is the EASY and EXPEDIENT choice.This is the reason it takes COURAGE to adopt an INFINITE MINDSET.”