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on May 28, 2010
I really had to struggle with what rating to give this. Simon Sinek's idea is astoundingly insightful, very helpful, and definitely worth the price of this book let alone the Kindle price. I'm inclined to think that the world would be considerably better off if more people lived by Sinek's simple idea.
On the other hand, the book is agonizing in its redundancy, often repeating the same examples many times over to make precisely the same point as the first time the example was used. I'm inclined to think that virtually everything Sinek wrote could have been stated in a 20-page article without leaving out anything important. I daresay it might be possible to do it in five pages. That's part of the beauty of the idea: it's incredibly simple while still being astoundingly powerful. But Sinek doesn't seem to have bothered taking the time to distill the idea down into its essence for straightforward presentation in this book. It reads a little bit like he took articles from his blog, stuck them in a large word-processing document, did some minor editing, and submitted the thing as-is for publication in order to create this book.
So, the idea is worth the cost of the book and the time to read it, but the book itself is, in my humble opinion, very poorly organized and needlessly long.
I would advise those who are interested in Sinek's ideas save themselves a great deal of time and a little expense by first watching his TED Talk:
[...]
This covers virtually all the core ideas involved. The one thing Sinek never does either in this presentation or in his book is spell out what "HOW" is. It's a bit confusing in large part because it's different for each of the two communication structures. In the "WHAT --> HOW" structure, "HOW" is "how we're different"; for instance, Dell has to argue that its computers are somehow better than (say) HP's and therefore specifies HOW they're better in order to compete against HP. On the other hand, in the "WHY --> HOW --> WHAT" structure, "HOW" is "how we enact our purpose (i.e. our 'WHY')".
As far as I can tell, if you're reasonably intelligent you can glean pretty much everything essential to Sinek's idea based on his TED Talk together with this understanding that "HOW" means something different in each of the two contexts he contrasts.
What you WON'T get from that is his rather in-depth, incredibly clear exposé of why the "WHAT --> HOW" communication pattern requires manipulating people to some degree or another and why that is by necessity unsustainable in the long run. That's not core to his point but it's certainly a nice supplement.
So in short, the book is a reasonable buy, certainly at the Kindle price, but do consider benefitting from Sinek's wisdom for free in 20 minutes first by watching his TED Talk. If you want more details, you can get the book, but understand that you're not likely to learn much more than what you could have figured out on your own between the talk and what I mention above.
On the other hand, the book is agonizing in its redundancy, often repeating the same examples many times over to make precisely the same point as the first time the example was used. I'm inclined to think that virtually everything Sinek wrote could have been stated in a 20-page article without leaving out anything important. I daresay it might be possible to do it in five pages. That's part of the beauty of the idea: it's incredibly simple while still being astoundingly powerful. But Sinek doesn't seem to have bothered taking the time to distill the idea down into its essence for straightforward presentation in this book. It reads a little bit like he took articles from his blog, stuck them in a large word-processing document, did some minor editing, and submitted the thing as-is for publication in order to create this book.
So, the idea is worth the cost of the book and the time to read it, but the book itself is, in my humble opinion, very poorly organized and needlessly long.
I would advise those who are interested in Sinek's ideas save themselves a great deal of time and a little expense by first watching his TED Talk:
[...]
This covers virtually all the core ideas involved. The one thing Sinek never does either in this presentation or in his book is spell out what "HOW" is. It's a bit confusing in large part because it's different for each of the two communication structures. In the "WHAT --> HOW" structure, "HOW" is "how we're different"; for instance, Dell has to argue that its computers are somehow better than (say) HP's and therefore specifies HOW they're better in order to compete against HP. On the other hand, in the "WHY --> HOW --> WHAT" structure, "HOW" is "how we enact our purpose (i.e. our 'WHY')".
As far as I can tell, if you're reasonably intelligent you can glean pretty much everything essential to Sinek's idea based on his TED Talk together with this understanding that "HOW" means something different in each of the two contexts he contrasts.
What you WON'T get from that is his rather in-depth, incredibly clear exposé of why the "WHAT --> HOW" communication pattern requires manipulating people to some degree or another and why that is by necessity unsustainable in the long run. That's not core to his point but it's certainly a nice supplement.
So in short, the book is a reasonable buy, certainly at the Kindle price, but do consider benefitting from Sinek's wisdom for free in 20 minutes first by watching his TED Talk. If you want more details, you can get the book, but understand that you're not likely to learn much more than what you could have figured out on your own between the talk and what I mention above.
A deeper explanation of HOW: HOW is CORE VALUES, and WHY & HOW come together to form your Constitution, to guide your WHAT
on March 11, 2015
A lot of people are searching for a clearer understanding of what "HOW" is (especially judging by the most highly rated review).
I was searching for it also. I found it over the course of much labor, across many other books and a large number of hours of additional research. HOW is only how you deliver your product when you start with WHAT - when you start with WHY, your HOW also changes. HOW becomes how you bring your WHY to life in your CULTURE, not products
So you start with WHY (your purpose). HOW do we deliver a purpose? HOW we deliver a WHY (purpose) is in HOW we behave - through Core Values. With purpose and aligned core values, the broad guidelines for every decision is in place. The validity of every system is obvious. The people to hire are clear. The reasons to fire are even more clear. And every person instantly knows the validity of every decision.
Think about it. Just like the golden circle concept, this fits. You cannot go backwards from WHAT (product) to HOW (core values). You will NEVER have an aligned WHY if you write the core values first. The consistency is immediately obvious. The golden circle must be in balance.
WHY is the purpose, and HOW are the Core Values around which we make every single decision, even in the absence of the visionary. It's HOW we make our WHY come to life every day. Our core values tell us who to hire, who to fire, and which decisions are right on a micro-level. Is that system or that process true to our core values?
Try to create core values. You cannot create genuine, honest core values without first knowing WHY you exist. When you know your WHY (such as apples challenging the status quo), you can then describe the values (in terms of behaviors) that exemplify that WHY. Without a WHY, core values are blatantly phony and greed-serving things. Without a WHY, nobody cares what your core values are, because all we know is your WHAT. If all we know is your WHAT, then the rest just comes down to features and price. But if we know your WHY, we can buy into your HOW (core values), which we see reflected in your WHAT (product)
Look at it in the light of Zappos:
WHY - to deliver the best customer service possible
HOW - CORE VALUES:
1.Deliver WOW Through Service
2.Embrace and Drive Change
3.Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4.Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5.Pursue Growth and Learning
6.Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7.Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8.Do More With Less
9.Be Passionate and Determined
10.Be Humble
Sure, they sell shoes online. But they dont seek to innovate how people shop online (WHAT-based HOW). Instead, they seek to bulid a culture around core values centered on their WHY. Nobody mentions anything about product until the WHAT.
The constitution is another great example of a WHY & HOW which guides us in an ever evolving WHAT. It doesnt try to make every law, or build every system. The constitution is our WHY, followed by our HOW. The president knows WHAT because he is guided by the WHY and HOW. When one president is replaced after 4 to 8 years, there is no lapse, no lack of clarity as we find in corporations - Tell me why that is? Because we define our WHY (purpose) and HOW (core values) in our CONSTITUTION, as every good company should have. Without a supreme law of the land, nothing stops a CEO from destroying the company when the prior CEO steps down.
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
WHY - We believe all humans have a right to life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness.
HOW - our Core Values are the values we hold most dear, through which we show what we believe, out of which our culture grows, out of which our laws are defined, redefined, and removed. It does NOT attempt to define every situation, or create every law, or prevent every problem. it is our WHY and HOW, out of which we are left to determine WHAT.
We believe in fair representation of the people
We believe in freedom to defend ourselves.
We believe in speaking out against injustice.
We believe in expressing ourselves as we see fit.
We believe that no individual should hold total power to undo these things.
Hope this helps, or at least stimulates discussion.
I was searching for it also. I found it over the course of much labor, across many other books and a large number of hours of additional research. HOW is only how you deliver your product when you start with WHAT - when you start with WHY, your HOW also changes. HOW becomes how you bring your WHY to life in your CULTURE, not products
So you start with WHY (your purpose). HOW do we deliver a purpose? HOW we deliver a WHY (purpose) is in HOW we behave - through Core Values. With purpose and aligned core values, the broad guidelines for every decision is in place. The validity of every system is obvious. The people to hire are clear. The reasons to fire are even more clear. And every person instantly knows the validity of every decision.
Think about it. Just like the golden circle concept, this fits. You cannot go backwards from WHAT (product) to HOW (core values). You will NEVER have an aligned WHY if you write the core values first. The consistency is immediately obvious. The golden circle must be in balance.
WHY is the purpose, and HOW are the Core Values around which we make every single decision, even in the absence of the visionary. It's HOW we make our WHY come to life every day. Our core values tell us who to hire, who to fire, and which decisions are right on a micro-level. Is that system or that process true to our core values?
Try to create core values. You cannot create genuine, honest core values without first knowing WHY you exist. When you know your WHY (such as apples challenging the status quo), you can then describe the values (in terms of behaviors) that exemplify that WHY. Without a WHY, core values are blatantly phony and greed-serving things. Without a WHY, nobody cares what your core values are, because all we know is your WHAT. If all we know is your WHAT, then the rest just comes down to features and price. But if we know your WHY, we can buy into your HOW (core values), which we see reflected in your WHAT (product)
Look at it in the light of Zappos:
WHY - to deliver the best customer service possible
HOW - CORE VALUES:
1.Deliver WOW Through Service
2.Embrace and Drive Change
3.Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4.Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5.Pursue Growth and Learning
6.Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7.Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8.Do More With Less
9.Be Passionate and Determined
10.Be Humble
Sure, they sell shoes online. But they dont seek to innovate how people shop online (WHAT-based HOW). Instead, they seek to bulid a culture around core values centered on their WHY. Nobody mentions anything about product until the WHAT.
The constitution is another great example of a WHY & HOW which guides us in an ever evolving WHAT. It doesnt try to make every law, or build every system. The constitution is our WHY, followed by our HOW. The president knows WHAT because he is guided by the WHY and HOW. When one president is replaced after 4 to 8 years, there is no lapse, no lack of clarity as we find in corporations - Tell me why that is? Because we define our WHY (purpose) and HOW (core values) in our CONSTITUTION, as every good company should have. Without a supreme law of the land, nothing stops a CEO from destroying the company when the prior CEO steps down.
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
WHY - We believe all humans have a right to life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness.
HOW - our Core Values are the values we hold most dear, through which we show what we believe, out of which our culture grows, out of which our laws are defined, redefined, and removed. It does NOT attempt to define every situation, or create every law, or prevent every problem. it is our WHY and HOW, out of which we are left to determine WHAT.
We believe in fair representation of the people
We believe in freedom to defend ourselves.
We believe in speaking out against injustice.
We believe in expressing ourselves as we see fit.
We believe that no individual should hold total power to undo these things.
Hope this helps, or at least stimulates discussion.
on March 8, 2016
Many people see three stars as a stronger negative indication than it really is. To me, three stars means average, okay, passable. That's what this book is: okay. It has some fantastic ideas and provocative suggestions. Ultimately, however, Sinek's most important ideas could be easily summed up as "remember your purpose, don't forget who you are, and sell your reason, not your product."
Instead of this concise, albeit fragmented, sentence, Sinek dilutes his message with border-line ramblings and repetitive text. Before you judge, I am not preaching a "I want it NOW" message, but rather pointing out that Sinek could write in condense some of his chapters into one. Sinek admits his love of Apple, which is fine, and often uses this company to demonstrate his ideas. However, after what felt like the twentieth use of the same Apple example, his writing became tired. This is not a complaint against Apple, or Sinek's use of Apple, just the lack of variety present in the text. Sinek's argument seemed to be weakened by his almost sole uses of Southwest Airlines and Apple as companies that value WHY.
This was my biggest gripe about the book, but not the only reason for my scoring. This text just did not reach me. I was not expecting a profound book, holding the key to success, but I was hoping for an engrossing text. I didn't find that. When I finished the book, I thought that his ideas could make an excellent hour-long presentation, something he actually does. Instead, Sinek's book convolutes his own work, reducing its power.
I recommend this book, despite all the negativity, because there is something meaningful here. Sinek's WHY is interesting and does have merit, but his presentation fails to match his passion.
Instead of this concise, albeit fragmented, sentence, Sinek dilutes his message with border-line ramblings and repetitive text. Before you judge, I am not preaching a "I want it NOW" message, but rather pointing out that Sinek could write in condense some of his chapters into one. Sinek admits his love of Apple, which is fine, and often uses this company to demonstrate his ideas. However, after what felt like the twentieth use of the same Apple example, his writing became tired. This is not a complaint against Apple, or Sinek's use of Apple, just the lack of variety present in the text. Sinek's argument seemed to be weakened by his almost sole uses of Southwest Airlines and Apple as companies that value WHY.
This was my biggest gripe about the book, but not the only reason for my scoring. This text just did not reach me. I was not expecting a profound book, holding the key to success, but I was hoping for an engrossing text. I didn't find that. When I finished the book, I thought that his ideas could make an excellent hour-long presentation, something he actually does. Instead, Sinek's book convolutes his own work, reducing its power.
I recommend this book, despite all the negativity, because there is something meaningful here. Sinek's WHY is interesting and does have merit, but his presentation fails to match his passion.
on August 25, 2014
I don't usually give a book a bad review, but this was truly a waste of time. It was repetitive and boring. After the first few paragraphs, I 'got it' that the way to sustain personal drive and business success is to define WHY you do something. And then he spent the next 280+ pages saying the same thing over and over: Start With Why.
Due to recent personal events, I have lost my "why" and even the what and how have become rather fuzzy. I bought this book upon the recommendation of a friend, hoping to find tips or checklists or questionnaires on how to redefine my WHY, but I found nothing to help define (or re-define) WHY. The book is full of meaningless stories you have most likely heard or read (about the turn around of Continental and the fun stuff about Southwest Airlines, Apple Computers, etc). And he repeats the stories over and over (was there an editor?) His TED presentation is free and more inspiring. If you're looking for the "meat" of discovering your WHY, this isn't it.
Due to recent personal events, I have lost my "why" and even the what and how have become rather fuzzy. I bought this book upon the recommendation of a friend, hoping to find tips or checklists or questionnaires on how to redefine my WHY, but I found nothing to help define (or re-define) WHY. The book is full of meaningless stories you have most likely heard or read (about the turn around of Continental and the fun stuff about Southwest Airlines, Apple Computers, etc). And he repeats the stories over and over (was there an editor?) His TED presentation is free and more inspiring. If you're looking for the "meat" of discovering your WHY, this isn't it.
on June 23, 2016
This book was awful. So difficult to power through this horrible book.
Sinek relies on tired adages from Apple, Microsoft, Southwest, etc. The book is mostly made up of tired old tales, instead of unique and actionable ideas. The parts of the book that offer insight could be summed up in a small pamphlet. The book doesn't talk about HOW leaders start with why, it's just a collection of the same three examples over and over.
Don't waste your time on this book.
Sinek relies on tired adages from Apple, Microsoft, Southwest, etc. The book is mostly made up of tired old tales, instead of unique and actionable ideas. The parts of the book that offer insight could be summed up in a small pamphlet. The book doesn't talk about HOW leaders start with why, it's just a collection of the same three examples over and over.
Don't waste your time on this book.
on March 22, 2017
The author's TED talk is one of the most-viewed ever; and it's really quite good. In fact, it's so good that you don't need to read this book! He takes a very, very simple concept and expands, and expands, and repeats, and seemingly never edits, and then repeats, and expands, and -- well, you get the idea. The whole thing could've been done in 50 pages or less.
Example: Yes, there's a difference between WHAT one does in business and WHY one does it. And sometimes they diverge. He calls this the "Split" and has a graphic and whole chapter on it. Really?? Not needed.
Example: He mines the stories of Apple, Wal-Mart, Costco, Starbucks, Martin Luther King Jr, and a few others - over & over & over & over & over again. He makes elementary and generalized statements, such as saying that NONE of the 250,000 people who came to hear Dr. King in Washington came for him; no sir, they came for themselves because their "why" connected with his "why." Uh, no; many came for him and his message or to simply support civil rights.
Example: He constantly repeats the words WHY and WHAT in CAPS ALL THE TIME so you'd get the message. And then again....and again.....
Example: Yes, the Apple Computer story is inspiring. But among all that WHY stuff is also the story of a dreamer with incredibly bad people skills. To simply elevate the Apple story - and retell it umpteen times - is to vastly oversimplify what made them great back then and now, and why they succeeded in spite of the way Jobs treated his employees.
It's almost as if the author had about 10 stories in his pocket and decided to use nothing else at all. He created the entire "start with WHY" mantra out of the 10 stories and never went beyond them to augment, embellish, or create more learnings.
So save the money, see the TED talk, and take what he says there to heart. WHY is the basis for being motivated. But there's a whole lot more to say, and sadly, he never gets to it.
Example: Yes, there's a difference between WHAT one does in business and WHY one does it. And sometimes they diverge. He calls this the "Split" and has a graphic and whole chapter on it. Really?? Not needed.
Example: He mines the stories of Apple, Wal-Mart, Costco, Starbucks, Martin Luther King Jr, and a few others - over & over & over & over & over again. He makes elementary and generalized statements, such as saying that NONE of the 250,000 people who came to hear Dr. King in Washington came for him; no sir, they came for themselves because their "why" connected with his "why." Uh, no; many came for him and his message or to simply support civil rights.
Example: He constantly repeats the words WHY and WHAT in CAPS ALL THE TIME so you'd get the message. And then again....and again.....
Example: Yes, the Apple Computer story is inspiring. But among all that WHY stuff is also the story of a dreamer with incredibly bad people skills. To simply elevate the Apple story - and retell it umpteen times - is to vastly oversimplify what made them great back then and now, and why they succeeded in spite of the way Jobs treated his employees.
It's almost as if the author had about 10 stories in his pocket and decided to use nothing else at all. He created the entire "start with WHY" mantra out of the 10 stories and never went beyond them to augment, embellish, or create more learnings.
So save the money, see the TED talk, and take what he says there to heart. WHY is the basis for being motivated. But there's a whole lot more to say, and sadly, he never gets to it.
on January 21, 2017
I read a lot. At least a few hours a day. This book was awful.
Let's start with why. Sinek is an awfully repetitive and, frankly, unskilled writer. He lays out his thesis and then repeats it like a rower repeats his stroke. As he drags out the book to whatever number of words he needed to fulfill book contract, he re/illustrates his thesis with different examples. This would have made the book slightly more tolerable, except the examples are so ordinary and well known that they will put you to sleep. Apple, Disney, JFK, Hitler. Yawn. Even that might be fine if he had spent five minutes on Wikipedia to research less-known stories about them, but it doesn't look like he did.
This book should have been a column in a weekend newspaper, or, at best, a chapter in another book about leadership. Not worth your time.
Let's start with why. Sinek is an awfully repetitive and, frankly, unskilled writer. He lays out his thesis and then repeats it like a rower repeats his stroke. As he drags out the book to whatever number of words he needed to fulfill book contract, he re/illustrates his thesis with different examples. This would have made the book slightly more tolerable, except the examples are so ordinary and well known that they will put you to sleep. Apple, Disney, JFK, Hitler. Yawn. Even that might be fine if he had spent five minutes on Wikipedia to research less-known stories about them, but it doesn't look like he did.
This book should have been a column in a weekend newspaper, or, at best, a chapter in another book about leadership. Not worth your time.
on August 29, 2016
I've been on the road lately for work. Sometime the drive because the same songs over and over again. NPR can be full of election news and debates. I wanted something more helpful in my career development. This book did not disappoint! This audiobook was great. Not too boring with a monotone feel. Would recommend!
PRO: Easy to follow along with. I often have to stop and start the book on my commute. This book made it easy to do that.
CON: None
RECOMMENDED: We would recommend this product to our family and friends.
SHIPPING: Fast Shipping! We thought the packaging was sufficient and really protected this product well.
*** This review is based on my family’s fair, honest, and unbiased review of this product, and I only buy products that my family and I will actually use.
Thank you for reading our review on this product.
If my review was helpful for you in any way, please click the [YES] bottom below, which enables me to continue writing helpful reviews.
PRO: Easy to follow along with. I often have to stop and start the book on my commute. This book made it easy to do that.
CON: None
RECOMMENDED: We would recommend this product to our family and friends.
SHIPPING: Fast Shipping! We thought the packaging was sufficient and really protected this product well.
*** This review is based on my family’s fair, honest, and unbiased review of this product, and I only buy products that my family and I will actually use.
Thank you for reading our review on this product.
If my review was helpful for you in any way, please click the [YES] bottom below, which enables me to continue writing helpful reviews.
on October 17, 2016
I will be honest. I read the reviews before I bought the book and a lot of people said read the first 2 chapters and the last 2 chapters. I did just this. I think the book repeats itself a lot in the middle. I understand the author's reasoning but for someone who wants to get little nuggests of information I can apply to my life. 4 chapters is plenty. I only rated the book 3 stars due to what I would consider Fluff.
Simon is dead on with his idea though. Our business accelerator class ALWAYS makes us start off with the "Why" before ever moving forward with a plan. This is a great book to read to make you say "WHY" am I doing this? Once you read this you will know your "Why." Great quick read!
Simon is dead on with his idea though. Our business accelerator class ALWAYS makes us start off with the "Why" before ever moving forward with a plan. This is a great book to read to make you say "WHY" am I doing this? Once you read this you will know your "Why." Great quick read!
