CONVERSATIONS WITH SIMON SINEK
big decision, even if it’s the right decision, doesn’t make you
a leader. All it means is you made one right decision. You
can’t be a leader at work and then stop being a leader when
you leave work. When you ask someone how they are doing,
do you actually care about the answer? That’s the practice of
leadership. When you go into the break room and you take
the last cup of coffee from the coffee machine, do you make
another pot? That’s the practice of leadership. In other words,
leadership is a choice we make on a daily basis, and the best
leaders are the ones who work very hard to practice it in all
aspects of their life.
P: You wrote that “our jobs are killing us.” Why do
you think that?
S: There’s a chemical called cortisol, which is responsible for
stress and anxiety. When we talk about stress at work or the
lack of work-life balance, it has nothing to do with how much
yoga we do. The lack of work-life balance may be because we
feel safe at home but don’t feel safe at work. When we feel
stressed out and do not feel safe in our own workplace, the
release of cortisol affects our immune systems. In other
words, the long-term effects of working in an unhealthy work
environment are literally early death or disease. Thus, leaders
must remember that they’re not just responsible for the performance of the organization. They’re actually responsible for
the lives of the people who volunteer to work for their
company. n
Leaders May Eat
Last, But They
Never Go Hungry
According to Sinek, when we see leaders make sacrifices to
put other interests ahead of theirs, we often respond by
giving them our loyalty and tirelessly working to advance
their vision and help build the business.
“I’ll give you a perfect example: There’s a true story of one
Marine officer who waited for his unit to eat first during chow
time. When the men were done, the officer was left without
food. The men went back into the field and, one by one,
brought him some of their food,” he says. “This is something
that’s really important to remember: The officer chooses to
eat last, but officers never go hungry—ever—because when
we understand that our leaders would sacrifice themselves
for us, we will sacrifice ourselves for them.”
Personal Side Notes
The other side of Simon: I’m a lover of the arts. I spend a lot
of time at museums and galleries, and I am a photographer
myself.
Strangest food you’ve eaten: Balut, a boiled developing
duck embryo, which is a Filipino street food.
Movie you’ll never get tired watching: Star Wars
On loop in your playlist: Contemporary
music by Philip Glass and alternative rock
by alt-J
Live the spa lifestyle by: Running outdoors
and riding a bike
26 PULSE
n
June 2015
CO N T I N U E D
IF THERE’S ALREADY A culture of
distrust within an organization before you
came on board as a leader, what’s the best
way to help change it?
Click here to read Sinek’s response.