Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
14 Comments
What really stuck with me from Simon Sinek’s Start with Why is how knowing your purpose can guide everything you do. When you understand your why, it gives meaning to your work and helps you inspire others to follow along. I also realized that how we make decisions matters just as much. Sometimes you need to think things through carefully, and other times you have to trust your gut. In public safety, both approaches are important because every situation is different. Knowing your why and understanding how decisions are made helps you lead with confidence, keep your team motivated, and handle whatever comes your way.
This is the best concept I have heard for explaining the “why”. The Golden Circle concept was new to me but really drove home the principle of great leaders knowing and understanding their organizations “why” to be great leaders and to help grown the organization. Having people who buy into the ideas of the organization help moral and growth. I really enjoyed the concepts and always a big fan of the why, this took it to the next level.
The Golden Circle concept was also new to me, but it helped everything regarding the “Why”. The “Why” is what makes real change in organizations and people. Having a central idea and foundation fosters growth, and puts the purpose at the center of leadership.
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle is a good concept, and I have heard his material before. People have used the why principle before but not laid out quite like he has. The idea that great leaders and organizations start with “why” instead of just focusing on what they do or how they do it, explains to people what they believe in.
The “why” can make a huge impact. When leaders and organizations lead with purpose, people are more motivated to follow or are more likely to recruit like-minded people who will naturally support the why.
The “why” is about inspiring people by giving them something to believe in. People want to be part of something bigger than themselves and have a purpose.
The Golden Circle also helps with self-reflection. It pushes people about what they want to do in their career, and why they want to do it. When someone knows their “why,” their actions have more direction and meaning.
Overall, I like the Golden Circle because it puts purpose at the center of leadership, and that can make all the difference.
One of the key takeaways I took from this module was on finding your purpose. Simon Sinek talked about the three ways people find their purpose: through a close loving relationship, through service and through suffering. Knowing your purpose means you know the direction of your life and where to concentrate your energy. Your purpose is what you want to achieve and helps find the “why.”
Many people are lost in life without a purpose, especially men. Without purpose, many people become lost, uncertain, and end up isolating themselves. To find a purpose causes self-motivation, and to find other like-minded people causes camaraderie because you are headed towards a common goal.
Knowing your path and a understanding of who you are helps find the “why”. People often get lost and don’t have a direction. Having a place to put your energy and discovery your why is important.
As I reflect on the Start with Why module, one of my key takeaways was the importance of understanding how the brain operates when it comes to decision-making. In his book, Simon Sinek emphasizes the significance of starting with why in order to inspire and motivate others. However, a better understanding of how the brain operates and why an individual makes the decisions will also clarify the decision-making process.
Wellington suggests that those who make decisions rationally typically take more time to conclude. In some cases, this extended period of consideration can result in a lower-quality decision. On the other hand, individuals who trust their gut or instinct are tapping into their limbic brain, which provides an innate sense of what is right. These people are often able to make quality decisions more efficiently.
As a professional in the public safety line of work, I believe that it is essential to master both types of decision-making skills. Each situation requires a different decision, and adapting to the problem at hand is crucial. By understanding how the brain operates and the different types of decision-making skills, we can make better decisions and ultimately be more effective in our roles.
Reference:
Scott, W. (2017). Reflective leadership. 2.10, Week # 8. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses/
NAGVXPB5E6/StartWithWhy0514d820-806f-4d18-90ae-defa40b68821/5/index_lms.html
Simon Sinek is one of my favorites. He has such a way with words and can motivate anyone to be a better human and worker. The book “Start with Why – How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” has some fantastic points that leaders of all organizations should pay attention to. Knowing the why puts passion and optimism into the work. This culture creates an inspired workforce that is more productive. One of the things that struck me in this lesson that was new (since we previously talked in a prior lesson about The Golden Circle) was about hiring people. It was made clear that hiring people who buy-into your why is especially important. We can’t all pay the best or have the most fancy equipment, but if we can attract people to our culture, passion, and beliefs… the why at our core…. they’ll be willing to offer blood, sweat, and tears. And in the public safety field, we all know those things might be the cost of our business. We need people how are passionate about the public we serve and the role we play in society. We need people who know that this job makes a difference in people’s lives. Those are the people who will make us proud and produce for the greater good.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why.” I completely agree that knowing the “why” behind our work is crucial for creating an inspired and productive workforce. I found it interesting that you mentioned the importance of hiring people who buy into your why. Indeed, attracting people who are passionate about your organization’s mission is more important than just offering high salaries or fancy equipment. And in the public safety field, it’s even more crucial to have dedicated people committed to serving the public. Your post highlights the importance of having a strong sense of purpose and passion in our work. Thanks for sharing your insights!
I agree with you thoughts on the book, i didn’t know much about Simon Sinek but started watching some of his stuff on you tube and after going through the lecture and his book i think that it is something that should be introduced to new employees from the start, i think of how my mindset might have been diffrent in the beginning of my career if i would have started with why i not only wanted to work here but why i would choose to follow my company’s mission and find a way to create my own mission.
Having a better understanding of how the brain operates and why an individual makes the decisions they do will clarify the decision-making process. According to Wellington, individuals who make decisions rationally tend to take a longer period of time to make decisions. Often times the individual overthinks the decision and the quality is low. An individual who follows their instinct or gut is utilizing their limbic brain. This is an instinctive feeling of knowing what the right thing to do is. These individuals have the ability to make higher quality decisions quicker (2017). I believe that in the public safety line of work it is important to master both types of decision-making skills. Each situation requires a different type of decision.
Reference
Scott, W. (2017). Reflective leadership. 2.10, Week # 8. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses/
NAGVXPB5E6/StartWithWhy0514d820-806f-4d18-90ae-defa40b68821/5/index_lms.html
I feel this to my core! I naturally have good instincts, but my rational brain always wants a piece of the action. Regularly I’ll spend days mulling over all the data over a specific purchase. Recently it was which Garmin watch to buy. I had an instinct on which watch to buy, but it wasn’t cheap and I wanted to make the right decision. I read all the data, watched all the videos about the different products, comparison videos, reviews… you name it, I’m sure I looked at it. I even asked friends and family what they thought. All of their instincts (with basically 0 data) was the exact same watch, the one I had the initial instinct to buy as well. They knew me and they knew what would be the best fit. I knew they were right, but I kept wanting more data. I woke up one night in the middle of the night and just bought the watch I knew I should have bought days ago. It was my gut instinct. The data was helpful to solidify it, but it wasn’t the tipping point for me to make my decision. I knew which one was best for me, just as my friends knew which was right for me. In the end, it was a good choice.
But hearing this information in the lesson definitely helped me understand that following your gut feeling is enough. Obviously you should be informed about the decision, but gut instincts are based in the limbic brain which deals with trust and loyalty. It’s important to follow that feeling unless we have reason to doubt it’s correct.
I tend to agree that mastering both types of decision making in public safety is important and different scenarios require different decisions. In my experience the people that overthink their decisions are usually not confident in their skills and abilities and try to rationalize each situation. This can be frustrating and sometimes devastating. The people who are confident in their knowledge and abilities and are able to draw from experience while following their instincts make the high quality decisions quicker.