Start With Why

greater. Trust would be a common currency. If our leaders were diligent about starting with WHY, optimism would reign and innovation would thrive. As this book illustrates, there is precedence for this standard. No matter the size of the organization, no matter the industry, no matter the product or the service, if we all take some responsibility to start with WHY and inspire others to do the same, then, together, we can change the world.
    And that’s pretty inspiring.

    If this book inspired you, please pass it on to someone you want to inspire.

AFTERWORD
    BE A PART OF THIS MOVEMENT, SHARE YOUR VISION OF THE WORLD
    Before any person or organization can take the steps necessary to be a leader, we must first agree on a definition of what a leader is. Leadership is not about power or authority. Leadership is decidedly more human. Being a leader requires one thing and one thing only: followers. A follower is someone who volunteers to go where you are going. They choose to go not because they have to, not because they were incentivized to, not because they were threatened to, but because they want to. The question is, why would anyone follow you?
    If an individual or organization hopes to assume the responsibility of leadership—a responsibility that is given, not taken—then they must think, act, and speak in a way that inspires people to follow. Leadership is always about people. No one leads a company. A company is a legal structure. You can run a company, you can manage an organization, but you can lead only people. And that requires two things.
    Imagine we’re out on a boat tour with a group of strangers and the boat gets stranded on a deserted island. How will we get off the island? Some people are panicking, some people are starting to form little cliques to figure out how to get off the island. Then, all of a sudden one person stands up and announces, “I will lead.” We like that; we’re social animals and we respond well to leaders.
    Our new leader moves to the front of the group and asks, “Right . . . who’s got ideas?”
    One person raises her hand and suggests we light a fire to attract the attention of a passing boat or aircraft. “Good idea,” our leader says.
    Another person pipes up, “We should forage for food in case we’re stuck here for a while.”
    “Also a good idea,” says the leader.
    “We should build a shelter because we’re going to need protection from the elements.”
    Our leader gives a thumbs-up and says, “That’s also a good idea. OK,” he continues, “let’s take a vote. . . .”
    And at that point someone in the group stands up and says, “As we were coming into shore, I saw some masts and smoke out on the west side of the island. There must be a fishing village there. If we can get there, we can get help. We’re going to have to go through the thick woods to get there, though, and I can’t do it alone. So if there is anyone who will join me, I’d be grateful. If anyone doesn’t want to go,” he says, “don’t worry, we’ll come back to get you when we find help.”
    The question is, whom do you want to follow? Do you want to follow the first guy or the second guy? Both are confident. Both care that we get off the island. The answer is so obvious it’s almost a silly question: we want to follow the second guy.
    Keep in mind, no one else saw the fishing village. There are no photographs and no research. All we have is the undying belief of this one person of a world that exists in the future and his ability to communicate it in a way that lets us imagine it as clearly.
    All leaders must have two things: they must have a vision of the world that does not exist and they must have the ability to communicate it. The second leader could have simply stood up, with the same vision of this fishing village, and simply announced, “This won’t work,” and walked away in the direction of the village. He would have been a visionary, for sure, but without the ability to communicate his vision, he cannot be a leader. We all work with people like this—they walk around with all the answers to all the questions, frustrated that no one else “gets it.” No one can see what they can see. They are visionaries, for sure, but they are not leaders.
    There are also those who have the gift of gab, the amazing ability to communicate. But absent a vision, they are just great communicators and not leaders. The second leader could have also stood up and given a rousing