Dear Readers,
Today is Sunday but still not a rest day for me. The heat is on and time is a pressure to deliver.
I would like to share with you all what I was reading – the Golden Circle theory developed by Leadership expert Simon Sinek. I like to read what other experts are thinking and writing to keep my mind working.
Anyway here’s the summary: The Golden Circle model helps to focus on how a business can stand out from similar competitors by communicating its differences.
So the main concepts are: Why, How and What. This a tool to evaluate the Value proposition of an enterprise. The think I like about this process is that it actually links up to psychology and how the brain functions.
Start with Why
‘Why’ is probably the most important message that an organization or individual can communicate as this is what inspires others to action. ‘Start With Why’ is how you explain your purpose and the reason you exist and behave as you do. Sinek’s theory is that successfully communicating the passion behind the ‘Why’ is a way to communicate with the listener’s limbic brain. This is the part of our anatomy that processes feelings such as trust and loyalty – as well as decision-making.
How
The organization’s ‘How’ factors might include their strengths or values that they feel differentiate themselves from the competition. The ‘How’ messaging is also able to communicate with the limbic brain – the important part that governs behavior and emotion.
What
It’s fairly easy for any leader or organization to articulate ‘What’ they do. This can be expressed as the products a company sells or the services it offers. For an individual, it would be their job title. The ‘What’ messaging only engages with the neocortex – the part of our brain that’s rational. This part of the brain is less of a driver of decision making than the limbic brain: the part that ‘Why’ and ‘How’ reaches better. Successful people and organizations express why they do what they do rather than focusing on what they do.