Starting with WHY: 6 takeaways from a book I read and WHY I want to help you change the world.

Thanks for stopping by...you know why you’re here right? Hmm, I sure hope so. Believe it or not, some of us don't exactly know why we do some of the things we do. Can you relate? I sure can. If you are on a path to change the world, you are at the right place and I am happy to have the opportunity of sharing this piece of writing and recommendations with you. While on my search to learn more about the subject and why I get so heated and passionate about certain topics or endeavors, including the launch of socialaim.co; I came across this book by Simon Sinek: Start with Why. This book was recommended by a number of my colleagues, glad I finally had a chance to dive in.

I honestly thought this book was going to be more of a “how-to guide” on how to develop a why statement, but it is so much more and the author did such a great job breaking it down as well as making it a joy to read. Here are some of my favorite takeaways:

1. If a company does not have a clear sense of WHY... it is impossible for the outside world to perceive anything more than what the company does. I really like this one because one of the more challenging roadblocks for me has been the ability to effectively communicate mine. Do you find that easy for you? I'm curious, let me know in the comments, please.

2. By WHY Simon wants me (and you) to know exactly why you get up in the morning to do the work that we do. Most of us probably this of the solutions to the problem that we're solving. However, what the author means here is what is our purpose, cause, or beliefs? Why do our companies exist and WHY should anyone care? Taking the time to really communicate and understand this myself has really helped clarify a lot for me and for sure adds an extra boost of energy to keep going every day.

3. We don't have to reinvent the wheel, let's learn from others. Simon made a lot of references to some of the biggest companies in the world that we have grown to love and believe in; simply because they don’t market to us about their products or services, but why they exist. One of his prime examples is Apple and how they were able to revolutionize a whole industry. In other words, we may not have to reinvent the wheel at all...see how some of the best have done it, and take notes! (As I write this on my Apple computer!)

4. Inspiring leaders must think, act, and communicate from the inside out. I love this take, simply because this is a challenging area for me, and I enjoy the challenge and journey of figuring out the steps. Can you think of an inspiring leader who has been able to communicate with you in ways that others simply cannot? Feel free to share with us in the comments.

5. The key is not to manipulate, but to inspire. As you know, there are many sales tactics out there, and some companies can be very good at helping you figure out why you need the stuff that you don’t really need. That’s not to say that the products are usually bad, but at times the wrong people fall prey to sales tactics as opposed to being inspired or be informed to take action based on a real need or want. To me, this means being true to yourself and sharing your purpose gives us the greatest chance at working with others rather than relying solely on the latest sale techniques to land customers or leads.

6. There are two types of people in the world...Why and How people. We are all familiar with the people who are driven by "why" and purpose. Those people go on to lead great movements and companies because they are able to passionately share their purpose with us while getting the world to align with their vision. In most cases, those are the visionary founders, CEOs, or leaders that we give the most credit to...such as the late Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Oprah Winfrey. However, for every one of those “Why” and visionary leaders, there is at least one other leader or a team of “How” leaders/people who are equally (if not more) responsible for making those dreams happen. In the book, Simon references Steve Ballmer as being one of those key "how" leaders for Apple, and Steve Wozniack for Microsoft. If you are more of a visionary type like myself, it is key to seek out the help of "how" types to help you accomplish your goals. Those are the people who are excited about the details, and logistical journey of every big idea and movement. Having the right team or support system to complement your skill sets and attributes as a leader can make all of the difference for you. It starts with knowing which type of person you are of those two.

Those are some of the key takeaways I got from the book. I highly recommend it for you, if you’re working on a project that you’re excited or passionate about. This isn’t a sales pitch for the book, so I do not have a link for it here, however, a quick google search will lead you in the right place to purchase a digital or hard copy or use my preferred option by supporting a local book store/library in your community. As promised, I am happy to share my WHY and what gets me excited every day to work towards building an innovative company for you. Again, my excitement got the best of me, so I dropped a quick video for you instead:

Thank you again for taking the time to read this post and watch my video. It means a lot to me that you’re interested in our work and lending your creative abilities and ideas to help change communities and the world around us. There are several ways to work and grow with us. You can start by checking our this blog on how our community work.

I look forward to hearing from you and supporting your journey as we grow together. Cheers to your success and WHY you do what you do!

Note about the author: Emmanuel is the founder & executive creator of socialaim.co. He's passionate about social entrepreneurship, innovation, and community building. He is a seasoned entrepreneur with 17+ years of business and professional experience. Over the years, he's valued the opportunity to do business and gain working experience while learning from various industries such as banking, sales, marketing, real estate, and management. You may connect with him by clicking here.