By: Gina Angeli, Bay Tek Entertainment
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
We all can make leadership really complicated- making sure you have the “right tools” in the “right situation” for the “right people in the right seats” at “the right time.” All I can say is good luck with that. The most impactful leaders I have been around have had a common thread and it wasn’t complicated. It fact it is quite simple. They understand the power of “why.”
Simon Sinek, the author of four books including the best seller Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (2009), describes what he refers to as “The Golden Circle.” At the center of the circle is the question “why.” This word/question, simply put, is the “magic bullet.” It offers the keys to what we, as humans, value most.
Great leaders are, themselves, driven by a “why”/ a belief in something greater than themselves. They communicate this “why” to others through words, emotions and deeds. They allow, encourage and embrace others who believe what they believe to join their mission.
These great leaders care and ask about the “why” of those around them. They take the time to seek to understand versus making assumptions and providing answers. This is true no matter how grand or routine the “mission” may be.
The reality is that we all have purpose and passion within us. Leadership is truly just taking the time and caring enough to ask and speak about it. The mission then has the opportunity to become a reality. This is how “the impossible” is achieved. Simple, right?