Whether you’re an individual who runs your own business or is part of a team in an organization, you must know why you’re doing what you’re doing and being your leader when none inspires you.

Here are two inspiring Leadership Lessons from Simon Sinek, author of multiple New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-sellers, including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, Find Your Why, and The Infinite Game.

He emphasizes the importance of finding & knowing our Why as individuals. This includes finding the inspiration to grow our leadership skills, regardless of your role within your organization. After all, each of us has the opportunity to learn from these leadership lessons.

1. START WITH WHY
Simon Sinek points out that everyone in an organization knows what they do. Some know HOW they do it. But, only a few know WHY they do what they do.

He points out that the reason can’t be to make a profit. That’s because it is a result–and it will always be a result–of providing something of value.

WHY translates to:
What’s your purpose?
What’s your cause?
What’s your belief?
Why do you get out of bed in the morning?
Why should anyone care?

According to Sinek, he believes that great leaders don’t actively seek out their WHY. Instead, he insists that a life-changing moment happened in their lives caused an emotional reaction.

Because of that, it instilled their driving purpose. This is the most powerful WHY a person can have. Take note that none of them is set out to “be first” but set out to serve others.

“Every company, organization or group with the ability to inspire starts with a person or small group of people who were inspired to do something bigger than themselves,” – Simon Sinek

2. HAVE CLARITY, DISCIPLINE, AND CONSISTENCY

The Clarity of WHY: If you don’t know WHY you do WHAT you do, how will anyone else? Having clarity is what enables great leaders to articulate their WHY in the organization.

It exists beyond providing its products and services. It is first to their employees and then to their customers. To lead requires those who willingly follow. It requires being a part of something bigger than oneself. To inspire others to follow starts with having clarity of WHY.

“People don’t buy “what” you do. They buy “why” you do it,” – Simon Sinek.

The Discipline of HOW: Having clarity in WHY will lead you to the question of HOW you will do it? Your values or principles that bring your cause to life are how you do things. Finding your WHY is simple compared to having the discipline necessary to never veer from your cause. To be accountable for HOW you do something is the most challenging part.

“For values or guiding principles to be truly effective, they have to be verbs.” – Simon Sinek.

The discipline of HOW hinges on having the discipline to stay focused on the WHY, to remain true to your values.

The Consistency of WHAT: Everything you do and say must prove what you believe. Your WHAT results from your beliefs and the actions you take to realize the view. It’s everything you say or do; your products, services, marketing, PR, culture, and the people you hire.

“If you’re not consistent in what you say and do, no one will know what you believe.” – Simon Sinek.

3. REIGNITE YOUR PURPOSE. After clearly reimagining your Why, the next step is to reignite it again purposefully. You haven’t lost it despite the many challenges that you have encountered in your life. Stoke that flame in your heart until you become fire yourself.

According to a McKinsey article, “Igniting individual purpose in times of crisis,” creating strong links to the individual’s purpose will benefit both the individual and the company. This is especially true during a post-pandemic era, where uncertainties are inevitable.

The article mentions that individual purpose can help guide and navigate people during times of crisis. In return, this will mitigate the damaging effects of long-term stress.

Those with a strong sense of purpose are more likely to be more resilient and recover better from adverse events.

The article also cites research findings that show that people who say they are “living their purpose” at work report levels of well-being that are five times higher and are four times more likely to report higher engagement levels than those who don’t.

Purposeful people also live longer and healthier lives. The article also mentions a longitudinal study entitled, “Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood,” that was published in Psychological Science, Volume 25, Number 7, that found that a single standard deviation increase in purpose decreased the risk of dying over the next decade by 15 percent–regardless of age at which people identified their purpose.

Individual purpose benefits organizations, too. Purpose can be an essential contributor to employee experience, which is linked to higher levels of employee engagement, more substantial organizational commitment, and increased feelings of well-being.

People who find their purpose harmonious with their jobs are likely to be more productive and outperform their peers.