Global Atlantic Financial Group - Leaders Insights Spring 2020 | Page 9

If we want to feel an undying passion for our
work, if we want to feel we are contributing to
something bigger than ourselves, we all need to
know our WHY.
buy Apple products over other brands, even if
Apple isn’t always the most affordable choice.
Whether we like to admit it or not, we are not
entirely rational beings. If we were, no one
would ever fall in love and no one would ever
start a business. Faced with an overwhelming
chance of failure, no rational person would ever
take either of those risks. But we do. Every
day. Because how we feel about something or
someone is more powerful than what we think
about it or them.
There’s just one problem with feelings. They
can be tremendously difficult to express in
words. That’s the reason we so often resort to
metaphors and analogies, like “our relationship
feels like a train heading at high speed toward a
rickety bridge” or “when I get to the office, I feel
like a little kid on the playground again.” Even
though communicating our feelings is hard,
the payoff is big. When we align emotionally
with our customers and clients, our connection
is much stronger and more meaningful than
any affiliation based on features and benefits.
That’s what starting with WHY is all about.
And here's the best part, this whole concept
of WHY is grounded in the tenets of the
biology of human decision making. How the
Golden Circle works maps perfectly with how
our brain works.
The outer section of the Golden Circle—the
WHAT—corresponds to the outer section
of the brain—the neocortex. This is the part
of the brain responsible for rational and
analytical thought. It helps us understand
facts and figures, features and benefits. The
neocortex is also responsible for language.
The middle two sections of the Golden
Circle—the WHY and HOW—correspond
to the middle section of the brain, the
limbic system. This is the part of the brain
responsible for all our behavior and decision
making. It’s also responsible for all our
feelings, like trust and loyalty. But unlike
the neocortex, the limbic system has no
capacity for language. This is where “gut
feelings” come from. It’s not our stomach.
It’s a feeling we get about a decision we
have to make that we struggle to explain.
That separation of powers is the
biological reason we sometimes find it
difficult to put our feelings into words
(“I love you more than words can say”),
explain our actions (“The devil made me
do it!”) or justify our decisions (“I don’t
know ... it just felt right”).
We can learn, however, to put words to
those feelings. And those who do are the
ones who are better able to inspire action
in themselves, among their colleagues
and with their customers.
The WHY Effect
Once you understand your WHY, you’ll
be able to clearly articulate what makes
you feel fulfilled and to better understand
what drives your behavior when you’re
at your natural best. When you can do
that, you’ll have a point of reference for
everything you do going forward. You’ll
be able to make more intentional choices
for your business, your career, and your
life. You’ll be able to inspire others to buy
from you, work with you, and join your
cause. Never again should you have to
play the lottery and act on gut decisions
that are made for reasons you don’t really
understand. From now on, you can work
with purpose, on purpose. From now on,
you can start with WHY.
If we want to feel an undying passion
for our work, if we want to feel we are
contributing to something bigger than
ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.
Discover your WHY at:
startwithwhy.com/p/why-discovery
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Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek is an unshakable optimist
who believes in a bright future and our
ability to build it together. He discovered
remarkable patterns about how the
greatest leaders and organizations
think, act and communicate.
Simon may be best known for
popularizing the concept of WHY in
his first TED Talk in 2009. It rose to
become the third most watched on
TED.com, with over 37 million views
and subtitled in 46 languages.
Simon is the author of multiple best-
selling books including Start With
Why (global best seller), Leaders Eat
Last (New York Times and Wall Street
Journal best seller), Together is Better
(New York Times and Wall Street
Journal best seller) and Find Your Why
and The Infinite Game, coming soon.
StartWithWhy.com
This is an edited excerpt that first
appeared on Linkedin from "Find
Your Why: A Practical Guide for
Finding Purpose for You and Your
Team" by Simon Sinek with David
Mead and Peter Docker. Copyright
© 2017 by Sinek Partners, LLC.