For decades, we’ve embraced leadership gurus such as Dan Goleman, Robert Greenleaf, Bill George, Stephen R. Covey, and others as they’ve shared thoughtprovoking insights and prescriptive remedies to help us be successful in the workplace. In recent years, enter Simon Sinek and his TED Talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” Although several of the concepts discussed in his TED Talk have been around in various forms for some time, Sinek succinctly and adeptly crystallizes everything down to one simple point: We must be clear about the “why” of what we are doing. If we start with a belief in our “why,” then others who share common beliefs around the same “why” will buy from us.
Simple, right? Well, maybe, but there’s more to the story. In taking Sinek’s “golden circle” approach, we consider three concentric circles, with the innermost circle being the “why,” the second outermost circle being the “how,” and the outermost circle being the “what.” There is great emphasis on the “why.” What do I believe? Why am I doing what I’m doing? How does it align with what’s important to me, my higher purpose, my values, and my organization?
“INVOLUTION” INSPIRES LEADERSHIP EVOLUTION
Starting with our own personal “why” is critical to the iterative leadership process. It is our personal journey, or our “involution,” that leads to evolution in our mindsets and expressions of leadership. It is in this space that we ignite change across our teams, departments, organizations, and communities.
Once we are clear on our “why,” we must take full responsibility for, and place equal value and importance on the “how.” If your “why” and “how” aren’t clear, aligned, and given due weight and consideration, it is difficult to become a leader who is inspired and inspires others. It’s even more difficult to produce the third prong of the golden circle—the “what” (i.e., your product or service)—that is relevant to your audience.
People don’t simply buy what you have to sell because they believe what you believe. That is a critical intersection, but it is only the starting point that gets their attention and interest to seek more information. Ultimately, people buy from you because your “why” you do what you do and your “how” you do what you do align. They see that you walk your talk and are inspired by it. When this pairing is done in earnest, consumer trends show that many often will purchase your product or service (or want to partner with you) even when what you are offering is not best in class.
Many dangers can result from our failure to embrace the inner two components of Simon Sinek’s golden circle theory. Most notably, and as reflected in historical examples across corporate (and world) history, is the misguided notion that the ends justify the means.
THE PERSISTENCE OF “FIRMS OF ENDEARMENT”
Today, we are beginning to see something interesting happen across business communities: the emergence of new and evolved leadership practices that include concepts such as mindfulness (focused training of the mind) and conscious capitalism (espousing four key principles for success: higher purpose, stakeholder orientation, conscious leadership, and conscious culture) to help encourage individual and workplace transformation.
Currently, we know that more than 85 percent of worldwide employees (71 percent for the U.S.) are disengaged in the workplace, according to the 2013 Gallup study, “State of the Global Workplace.” Additionally, according to 44 percent of senior executives surveyed for the 2013 Adecco Staffing U.S. Report, soft skills make up the largest competency gap among U.S. workers.
Why are these statistics important? Because we can’t get to the “why” and the “how” and we can’t increase levels of engagement without first doing our own work. That necessarily means possessing a keen sense of self-awareness coupled with compassion, focus (mindfulness), and other soft skills. This balanced integration fuels the “why” and the “how,” makes the difference between an engaged or disengaged leader or workforce, and forms the bridge between essential technical and non-technical skill sets that round out high impact leadership capabilities.
Does all this also matter to the bottom line? You bet. In “Firms of Endearment,” written by Rajendra Sisodia, et al., he found that organizations that integrated technical and soft skills; valued all stakeholders equally; and directly connected the “why,” the “how,” and the “what” consistently outperformed companies in the S&P 500 when measured at intervals over a 15-year period. Contemporary companies such as Whole Foods Market, The Container Store, LinkedIn, and Zappos are but a few organizations that are doing well and “doing good” from the inside out.
INTEGRATING FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
When speaking about this topic, I often hear, “This is great, but it will never work at my company,” or “Yeah, that’s nice, but I have to get my work done and I don’t have time for anything extra on my plate.” My response is always the same— our challenge is to shift our mindsets. Until we can go from believing that leading in this way is “one more thing to do” to it simply becoming a state of being, we will continue to experience heightened challenges to becoming successful and sustainable leaders who also create successful and sustainable organizations.
This is uniquely personal work that, by its nature, inspires and transforms you and others over time. It’s contagious. So, yes, maybe today your workplace doesn’t support this kind of culture and leadership philosophy. Maybe today you serve as an influencer in culture transformation. Wherever you or your organization may be in its growth cycle, they should be valued and recognized. The next step is to determine whether it fits with your “why” or if you can help create a broader connection and awareness to the organization’s “why” in a way that’s authentic to you. If you stay, then you can be a change agent by incorporating some of the following approaches:
FOR RECRUITERS: Don’t wait until people get in the door; start with the onboarding process.
- Use the job description to include required skills that alert would-be employees about expected norms and behaviors (e.g., kindness, emotional intelligence, inclusion, creativity, etc.).
- Ask interview questions that reveal a candidate’s level of self-awareness and self-actualization, compassion, empathy, etc. You want someone who is effective, but who does not leave scorched earth behind them after completion of a project or business deal.
FOR TRAINERS, HR PROFESSIONALS, AND MANAGERS:
- Integrate the organization’s “why” and “how” into short-, mid-, and long-term development plans for employees. For example, in the first 30 to 90 days, weave soft skills conversations in and out of activities and discussions to show that it is not a side conversation with second-class citizenship.
- Over 12-, 18-, 24-, and 36-month periods, intersperse stretch assignments that include projects in and out of employee comfort zones to evaluate technical and non-technical skills sets that are tied directly to success metrics.
FOR MIDDLE-MANAGEMENT AND SENIOR LEADERS (INCLUDING THE C-SUITE):
- Walk your talk. If you can’t, it doesn’t mean you have to change positions. But self-reflective reevaluation may help you reconnect to your “how” so your “why” and your “what” can resurface and you can take your leadership to the next level.
FOR EVERYONE:
- Practice compassion, mindfulness, and self-awareness in equal parts to build a legacy that outlasts you.
Creating more conscious, compassionate, and authentic leaders is an experiential process that is honed over time. It begins with an inside-out approach to leadership and is shaped and influenced by our perceptions and experiences. Starting with the “why” (the innermost part of the inside-out work) builds a solid foundation for holistic and sustainable leadership.
Michelle Maldonado is a former corporate attorney with more than 18 years of leadership experience in strategic planning, operations, and partnership development across the e-learning, technology, and online media industries. She currently serves as associate vice president of Corporate and Strategic Relationships for American Public University (APU) and is the creator and editor of The Inspire Leadership Series. For more information about American Public University and its Inspire series, visit http://www.GreatLeadersInspire.com or contact mmaldonado@apus.edu.
