Why?

Ted Talk by Simon Sinek -- How great leaders inspire action

Watch at least the first five minutes before you read the following.

After watching this video, I asked myself “Why HSA?” (non-profit org) and “Why Cyberonics?” (work place)

I realized immediately that my success or the organization’s success relies on the alignment of my ‘why’ with that of the leadership and the organization.

I think it is common to come up with personalized answers or answers related to projects/events we are a part of but it is important to consider if the answer reflects the ‘why’ of the organization. The ‘why’ of the organization should be more important than the why of any individual in that institution. Individuals in an organization are tools to accomplish the goals of the organization at different levels.

By removing the factor of an individual’s ‘why’ we give the position more importance. We start to align with the position and the goals of that position rather than the person holding that position. At the end of the day, that’s why that position was created. With this, the position and the division of labor gain a new respect and standard.

(As Simon describes in the video) While individuals in the organizations may not always see eye-to-eye on how things are done, the ‘why’ should still stay the same. We can work on our differences in how we do things but it's a problem if our "why" is different. 

At every major milestone, it is important to question ourselves if the following has been accomplished:

Have I inspired anyone new to align with the goals of the organization?

Has someone inspired me in how they accomplish their goals?

Are the initiatives/events aligned with the goal of the organization?

Have I created a leader?

Did I come up with any new initiatives or processes to accomplish the goals?

This is how individuals become leaders; by spending more time on the ‘why’ rather than the ‘what’ or the ‘how’.

Focusing on the 'why' differentiates Apple from HP. Focusing on the 'why' differentiates a person that inspires leaders from a person that manages people.