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Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why”: an Appreciation

with a personal reflection: “Everyone Needs a ‘Why’?”

Brian Leekley
7 min readMay 9, 2020
Simon Sinek at Travis Air Force Base with his book Start with Why
Simon Sinek during visit to Travis Air Force Base. By Airman 1st Class Madelyn Ottem, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs. Published March 16, 2012. VIRIN: 120313-F-HC633–099.JPG. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Source URL: https://www.travis.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000169284/.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek is a thought-provoking and inspiring 2009 book. Sinek says that the organizations and companies that inspire enthusiastic loyalty and that change the world are those that put their Why first and their What and How second and third.

Why Start with Why?

By ‘Why’ in this context, Sinek means the purpose, the intention, the mission that motivates an organization’s or company’s leading founder or leading revitalizer and which is the litmus test of all decisions within it. A company or organization that focuses primarily or entirely on what it does and how it does it and has a fuzzy or never embraced ‘why’ does not inspire love and loyalty.

But Sinek means more than that by ‘Why.’ An essential element of an effective Why is that those who put its Why first when starting and while leading a company, organization, institution, or government body believe in its Why both rationally and emotionally. They are enthused and passionate about it, at a limbic brain system and gut level. To my understanding, it’s a longed-for ideal circumstance to be achieved, an overarching goal.

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Brian Leekley
Brian Leekley

Written by Brian Leekley

Born in 1942. Had an antiquarian bookseller career. Avocation creative writing. Unitarian Universalist, raised Catholic. Support Movement for a People’s Party.

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