Synopses & Reviews
Why do only a few people get to say I love my job”? It seems unfair that finding fulfillment at work is like winning a lottery; that only a few lucky ones get to feel valued by their organizations, to feel like they belong.
Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled.
This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.
In his travels around the world since the publication of his bestseller Start with Why, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams were able to trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives were offered, were doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?
The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general.
Officers eat last,” he said.
Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. Whats symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: great leaders sacrifice their own comforteven their own survivalfor the good of those in their care.
This principle has been true since the earliest tribes of hunters and gatherers. Its not a management theory; its biology. Our brains and bodies evolved to help us find food, shelter, mates and especially safety. Weve always lived in a dangerous world, facing predators and enemies at every turn. We thrived only when we felt safe among our group.
Our biology hasnt changed in fifty thousand years, but our environment certainly has. Todays workplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best organizations foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a Circle of Safety that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.
The Circle of Safety leads to stable, adaptive, confident teams, where everyone feels they belong and all energies are devoted to facing the common enemy and seizing big opportunities.
As he did in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories from a wide range of examples, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking.
The biology is clear: when it matters most, leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their leaders vision and their organizations interests. Its amazing how well it works.
Review
Praise for Stanley McChrystal's
My Share of the Task:
“ General McChrystal is a legendary warrior with a fine eye for enduring lessons about leadership, courage, and consequence.”
—Tom Brokaw
“ This is a brilliant book about leadership wrapped inside a fascinating personal narrative.”
—Walter Isaacson
“ Engaging and humble throughout, McChrystal raises the bar for his peers.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
Synopsis
The New York Times-bestselling follow-up to Simon Sinek's global hit, Start With Why.
Why do only a few peopleget to say I love my job ?It seems unfair that finding fulfillment atwork is like winning a lottery; that only afew lucky ones get to feel valued by theirorganizations, to feel like they belong.
Imagine a world where almost everyone wakesup inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valuedduring the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled.
This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, inmany successful organizations, great leaders arecreating environments in which people naturallywork together to do remarkable things.
In his travels around the world since the publicationof his bestseller Start with Why, Simon Sineknoticed that some teams were able to trust each otherso deeply that they would literally put their lives onthe line for each other. Other teams, no matter whatincentives were offered, were doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?
The answer became clear during a conversationwith a Marine Corps general.
Officers eat last, he said.
Sinek watched as the most junior Marines atefirst while the most senior Marines took their placeat the back of the line. What s symbolic in the chowhall is deadly serious on the battlefield: great leaderssacrifice their own comfort even their own survival for the good of those in their care.
This principle has been true since the earliesttribes of hunters and gatherers. It s not a managementtheory; it s biology. Our brains and bodies evolvedto help us find food, shelter, mates and especiallysafety. We ve always lived in a dangerous world, facing predators and enemies at every turn. Wethrived only when we felt safe among our group.
Our biology hasn t changed in fifty thousandyears, but our environment certainly has. Today sworkplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoiaand self-interest. But the best organizations fostertrust and cooperation because their leaders buildwhat Sinek calls a Circle of Safety that separates thesecurity inside the team from the challenges outside.
The Circle of Safety leads to stable, adaptive, confident teams, where everyone feels they belongand all energies are devoted to facing the commonenemy and seizing big opportunities.
As he did in Start with Why, Sinek illustrateshis ideas with fascinating true stories from a widerange of examples, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking.
The biology is clear: when it matters most, leaderswho are willing to eat last are rewarded withdeeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their leader s vision and their organization sinterests. It s amazing how well it works."
Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller by the acclaimed, bestselling author of Start With Why and Together is Better. Now with a new chapter on leading millennials, based on Simon Sinek's viral video "The Millennial Question" (150+ million views).
Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.
In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?
The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. "Officers eat last," he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care.
Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.
Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller by the acclaimed author of START WITH WHY and TOGETHER IS BETTER
Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. As Simon Sinek noticed in his travels around the world, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. Some of these teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other.
Far more common, unfortunately, are teams that seem doomed to infighting, fragmentation, and failure, no matter what incentives are offered. But why?
The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general who explained a USMC tradition: "Officers eat last." Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line.
What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care.
This principle has been true since the earliest tribes of hunters and gatherers. It's not a management theory; it's biology. Our brains and bodies evolved to help us find food, shelter, mates, and especially safety. We've always lived in a dangerous world, facing predators and enemies at every turn. We thrived only when we felt safe among our group.
Our biology hasn't changed in fifty thousand years, but our environment certainly has. Today's workplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best organizations foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a Circle of Safety that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.
The Circle of Safety leads to stable, adaptive, confident teams, where everyone feels they belong and all energies are devoted to facing the common enemy and seizing big opportunities. Leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their leader's vision and their organization's interests. It's amazing how well it works.
As he did in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories from a wide range of fields.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller by the acclaimed, bestselling author of Start With Why and Together is Better.
Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.
In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?
The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. "Officers eat last," he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care.
Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.
Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.
Synopsis
andquot;A powerful and penetrating exploration of what separates great companies and great leaders from the rest.andquot;
-Polly LaBarre, coauthor of Mavericks at Work
Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty?
In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way-and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why.
Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire.
Synopsis
Why do you do what you do?
Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and moer profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. It was their natural ability to start with why that enabled them to inspire those around them and to achieve remarkable things.
In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way -- and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it; but very few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not money or profit-- those are always results. WHY does your organization exist? WHY does it do the things it does? WHY do customers really buy from one company or another? WHY are people loyal to some leaders, but not others?
Starting with WHY works in big business and small business, in the nonprofit world and in politics. Those who start with WHY never manipulate, they inspire. And the people who follow them don't do so because they have to; they follow because they want to.
Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or who wants to find someone to inspire them.
Synopsis
The highly anticipated follow-up to Simon Sinek’s global bestseller Start with Why Simon Sinek is an optimist, a visionary thinker, and a leader of the cultural revolution of WHY. His second book is the natural extension of
Start with Why, expanding his ideas at the organizational level. Determining a company’s WHY is crucial, but only the beginning. The next step is how do you get people on board with your WHY? How do you inspire deep trust and commitment to the company and one another? He cites the Marine Corps for having found a way to build a culture in which men and women are willing to risk their lives, because they know others would do the same for them. It’s not brainwashing; it’s actually based on the biology of how and when people are naturally at their best. If businesses could adopt this supportive mentality, employees would be more motivated to take bigger risks, because they’d know their colleagues and company would back them up, no matter what. Drawing on powerful and inspiring stories, Sinek shows how to sustain an organization’s WHY while continually adding people to the mix.
Synopsis
The highly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed bestseller Start With Why Simon Sineks mission is to help people wake up every day inspired to go to work and return home every night fulfilled by their work. His first book, Start With Why, offered the essential starting point, explaining the power of focusing on WHY we do what we do, before getting into the details of WHAT and HOW. Start With Why became an instant classic, with a loyal following among Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, governments, and the highest levels of the U.S. Military.
Now Sinek is back to reveal the next step in creating happier and healthier organizations. He helps us understand, in simple terms, the biology of trust and cooperation and why theyre essential to our success and fulfillment. Organizations that create environments in which trust and cooperation thrive vastly out perform their competition. And, not coincidentally, their employees love working there.
But truly human” cultures dont just happen; they are intentionally created by great leaders. Leaders who, in hard times, would sooner sacrifice their numbers to protect their people, rather than sacrifice people to protect their numbers, are rewarded with deeply loyal teams that consistently contribute their best efforts, ideas and passion.
As he did in Start With Why, Sinek illustrates his points with fascinating true stories from many fields. He implores us to act sooner rather than later, because our stressful jobs are literally killing us. And he offers surprisingly simple steps for building a truly human organization.
Synopsis
The retired four-star general and and bestselling author of My Share of the Task shares a powerful new leadership model As commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), General Stanley McChrystal played a crucial role in the War on Terror. But when he took the helm in 2004, America was losing that war badly: despite vastly inferior resources and technology, Al Qaeda was outmaneuvering Americas most elite warriors.
McChrystal came to realize that todays faster, more interdependent world had overwhelmed the conventional, top-down hierarchy of the US military. Al Qaeda had seen the future: a decentralized network that could move quickly and strike ruthlessly. To defeat such an enemy, JSOC would have to discard a century of management wisdom, and pivot from a pursuit of mechanical efficiency to organic adaptability. Under McChrystals leadership, JSOC remade itself, in the midst of a grueling war, into something entirely new: a network that combined robust centralized communication with decentralized managerial authority. As a result, they beat back Al Qaeda.
In this book, McChrystal shows not only how the military made that transition, but also how similar shifts are possible in all organizations, from large companies to startups to charities to governments. In a turbulent world, the best organizations think and act like a team of teams, embracing small groups that combine the freedom to experiment with a relentless drive to share what theyve learned.
Drawing on a wealth of evidence from his military career, the private sector, and sources as diverse as hospital emergency rooms and NASAs space program, McChrystal frames the existential challenge facing todays organizations, and presents a compelling, effective solution.
Synopsis
Much studied CEO Bob Chapman and bestselling author Raj Sisodia take on one of the greatest misconceptions of modern businessthat leadership starts with getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off). Real leader enable the people already on the bus to achieve extraordinary things.
Too many companies focus only on producing the best products; Bob Chapman says we should put our efforts into bringing out the best in the people who produce them. Over the past few decades, he has transformed Barry-Wehmiller from a broken one-hundred-year-old manufacturing business into a thriving global firm, by acquiring challenged companies and leading them in creating a better future.
However, instead of using cost cuts, cosmetic changes, financial hijinks and major layoffs, Chapman did it by inspiring the people within the business around a shared vision of a better tomorrow. When he looks into a challenged company, he usually sees disenfranchised team members, undeveloped value, unheard complaints, and a lack of inspiration. As he frequently points out, seven out of eight people believe the company they work for does not care about them. Chapman advocates creating environments teeming with care, compassion, and human connection to bring out the best in the employees. When that happens, both the business and its people flourish.
In this book, Chapman and Sisodia challenge traditional thinking about how to run a business and, above all, how to be an inspirational leader. Through actual stories and proven how-to techniques, youll see how the cultural transformation Chapman championed throughout Barry-Wehmiller became the fuel for its robust growth and created meaningful work and personal fulfillment for its team members. From the establishment of an organizational vision to adopting continuous improvement processes to drive that vision deep to empowering employees through education, recognition, collaboration, communication, and more, youll get simple, straightforward, practical techniques to create thriving work environments grounded in people-first leadership. Youll be inspired and equipped with actionable build a better organization and a better world.
About the Author
Bob Chapman is Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a $2-billion global capital equipment and engineering consulting company. A combination of almost eighty acquired companies spread among ten operating companies with nine thousand team members around the world, Barry-Wehmillers vision is to use the power of business to build a better world.
Raj Sisodia is FW Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business and Whole Foods Market Research Scholar in Conscious Capitalism at Babson College. His most recent book is the Wall Street Journal bestseller Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (with John P. Mackey, cofounder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market).