Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” TED talk is the second most watched talk of all time at TED.com. Most of us at TSG have watched it, and as it frequently comes up in conversation it always inspires talk about how—and why—we do what we do as marketers.
For those that haven’t seen it, Sinek presents a theory that speaks to why some businesses continually exceed customers’ expectations. Why are some companies and people more innovative and profitable than others? In studying influential leaders and successful companies, Sinek found that they all share one common concept—he coined the term “golden circle.”
The concept starts with “why,” which—in his view—is the fundamental difference between great organizations and everyone else. What does this mean? To explain this principle, let’s look into the three layers of the “Golden Circle”:
-Why: This is the core value of the business. Inspirational
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HOWs are the basis of the approach that reflects WHY they choose and WHAT they do.
-What: This is what the business does to fulfill the core value. This could be their products, services, and marketing conversations.
Inspirational companies start their business with “why,” and this core vision drives operations. Because of this, they’re able to increase employee satisfaction and customer loyalty with those who share their vision. Customers buy why companies do, not what they do. Consumers today are interested in the motivation behind the company. Starting with “why” makes companies more than just businesses selling products/features.
The concept sounds simple. However, while most companies have a business vision and mission, they do business starting with “what” and then move to “how”, skipping the “why” entirely. Most importantly, many of them don’t even incorporate their core value into daily operations. This practice makes it difficult for businesses to think ahead of their customers and exceed their