This week I had the opportunity to assist a local talent
booking agency locate a motivational speaker for a leadership conference being
held in Central Florida. After determining all the details I made a list of
speakers that I had heard of or had contact with that would be a good fit for the
client. I recalled a great presentation I had seen sometime earlier on Ted.com
by Simon Sinek about how very successful leaders think and do things completely
opposite from the rest of us.
Mr. Sinek has a very calm and compassionate speaking persona
that draws the audience directly to his observations. Sinek, a graduate
professor of communications at Columbia University and adjunct staff member of
the RAND Corporation, has discovered a biologically based concept that drives
each of us to make decisions in what he calls, “The Golden Circle.” Sinek
describes how effective leaders all have one common trait regardless of what
product, service, or message they sell or present. Sinek concludes that the
common trait these unique leaders posses is their ability to master the concept
that human beings, “don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do
it.”
Sinek uses some great historical leaders to illustrate his
point. Starting with one that would seem pretty obvious is the late Steve Jobs
from Apple while others are a little more obscure leaders like the Wright
Brothers. We may view the latter as inventors and innovators which of course
they certainly were but, perhaps hidden in their glory of invention, the Wright
Brothers where able to clearly relate exceptional leadership qualities in
explaining “Why” they were working to create motorized flight and keeping the
‘what and how’ they were going to attain that as secondary messages. Sinek
concludes his examples by quoting part of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s world
famous speech in reminding the audience that after all, “Martin Luther King,
Jr. started his speech with ‘I have a dream’, not I have a plan.” People have
dreams and share dreams, that’s a much greater motivator than just following a
plan.
Watching this presentation has helped me develop better
leadership qualities in presenting my passion and compassion in producing the
best events ever for my clients. Passion is contagious, and having the clients
share the “Why” I do things has increased my business. I hope you get the
opportunity take a look at the short video of Professor Sinek’s presentation.
If the schedules work out, maybe I’ll finally get to meet him at the leadership
conference.
