Last time I wrote about organization, delegation and planning which are the internal structures that help you get the work done consistently. But there is a deeper internal component that helps you stand out in the market place. Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why, How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action addresses how to stay inspired by the work you do. He equates understanding your WHY, not to the want to make money why, (which is a result), but why you get out of bed every day. Your purpose, the cause or belief for the existence of your business and why should anyone care?
I interviewed a women on radio today who totally exemplifies someone who understands the meaning of WHY. She left her career working with Fortune 500 companies to use her financial expertise in a more meaningful way.Her passion to make a difference with entrepreneurs forced her to choose a purpose-filled path of her own. Her WHY is to inspire and educate entrepreneurs to design and live a life that matters. She has formed over 4 businesses in the past 12 years focused on financial education & empowerment with an emphasis on designing customized financial literacy programs for children, women, entrepreneurs & families. Listen to the interview and you will connect with her why, http://connectedwomenofinfluence.com/making-difference/.
The WHY is also what has allowed APPLE to continue to set & break sales records over and over again. Apple believes in challenging the status quo and thinking differently, which has nothing to do with WHAT they do. People don’t buy WHAT they do, they buy WHY they do it.
Do you clearly communicate your WHY? If not, WHY not? You know WHAT you do and you may know HOW you are different from your competitors, but coming from your WHY inspires you and creates loyalty in customers and those on your team.
If you are consistent in how you present your WHY you develop TRUST, which Sinek says brings a sense of value. You do this:
- By earning trust as you communicate and demonstrate that you share the same values.
- You have to talk about your WHY
- You have to prove your WHY with WHAT you do.
- You take actions to show HOW you believe in your WHY
As we position ourselves for Fourth Quarter and 2015, take some time to look at HOW you can think, act and communicate differently so you can build a stronger foundation, and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Challenge: Review your top three business values and look at how you can refine the behaviors that represent them. And spend some time reconnecting to your WHY.