“Men wanted for Hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
If you are not familiar with the above statements, this was an ad written in the early twentieth century to attract crewmen for an infamous expedition across the south polar continent led by Ernest Shackleton. You might think this blog is about the book dedicated to his adventure, but it is actually about Simon Sinek’s Start With Why. This expedition turned hazardous from almost the very moment it started. I will not recount the entire adventure in this blog (although certainly worth the read), but want to share a few key points. The crew ended up stranded in the Southern Atlantic after their ship was destroyed by ice and the crew boarded three lifeboats with limited supplies to journey across 800 miles of frigid ocean. The reason this story is so incredible is NOT A SINGLE PERSON WAS LOST!
Sinek uses this story in his chapter on creating a culture starting with WHY. Why does your company exist? Why does your company behave the way it behaves? Why does it hire the people it hires? He states in his book, “Only when the WHY is clear and when people believe what you believe can a true loyal relationship develop.” This is true for customers, but he emphasizes it is exceptionally true when building your company culture. The reason the entire crew of the Endurance survived was because Shackleton recruited with a WHY and drew the right people to him. Those who understood the risk and were not afraid; those who believed they were experienced enough to risk those odds. He did not sugarcoat or portray the expedition to be anything other than it was: dangerous.
As I read this book, I began to evaluate my WHY when I hire internally. When people ask me what I am looking for in my next hire, other than a few minimal qualifications (such as degree, good tenure, etc.), I tell people I am looking for passion. I can teach just about anyone how to recruit, but I cannot teach passion. Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines and believed to be one of the greatest businessmen of our century, is quoted in the book as saying, “You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.”
He continues building his case for beginning a company culture with WHY when he talks about establishing trust within the company. By hiring the right people (Shackleton’s crew for example), leadership is able to trust the employees are passionate about the WHY (staying alive during extreme conditions). The trust then works both ways; the company trusts the employees and the employees trust the leadership to provide the support needed to get their job done. Sinek says it best, “Great organizations become great because the people inside the organization feel protected.”
This is a small topic covered in Sinek’s book, but I believe it is an important section. It resonates well with me, as I believe in building better teams with a common goal. Each company’s goal is different, so people who may work for my team may not work for yours. This is why is is so important to determine your WHY before hiring.
Sinek uses some of the greats as examples and shares the difference their WHY has made in their branding. A couple of examples include:
- Apple – their WHY is not selling computers or phones, it is “a company that challenges the status quo and offers individuals simpler alternatives.”
- Southwest Airlines – their WHY is not running an airline, it is “giving you freedom to move about the country.”
- Harley Davidson – their WHY is not to sell motorcycles, it is to sell a lifestyle and experience.
Sinek gives great examples of why these companies have been extremely successful compared to other companies who have attempted to enter the same space without knowing their WHY, but rather started with their WHAT. These companies, although perhaps having a better product, quickly exited the space due to lack of sales. Their customers did not understand WHY they had entered the space in the first place. One example of this is United Airlines and Delta Airlines decided to compete with Southwest’s low airfares. Have you heard of Ted and Song Airlines? Me either. Both were around less than five years. Consumers did not understand WHY these big airlines created these lower fare airlines. Why not just lower the prices on the airlines you already have to compete with Southwest?
One final take-away (although I could probably write a whole other book based on this book), make sure you pay attention to the Golden Circle and the three major levels of the brain. When you line up the science, it becomes very clear why the WHY is so important.
Now go read, #Bookworm!
