In ‘Start with Why’ Simon Sinek gives advice to company founders to always begin with asking why. In the book, he is wondering why people are following some ideas and leaders but not others, why some provide a lot of inspiration and some not.

Sinek claims that many times, the ‘What’ and ‘How’ are more important and the ‘Why’ is being ignored. However, in his golden circle, the ‘Why’ is the centre of inspiration while the ‘How’ and ‘What’ are larger circles around it. The way Sinek explains it, the outer layers of the circle are the equivalent of rational thinking, however, the deciding factor is always the inner circle of ‘Why’, which is not tangible or clear but dominated for most people by a gut feeling that is making their choice.

Sinek says, that when a message is constructed from the inside of the circle to the outside, it is a lot more efficient and more likely to reach people. Finally, according to Sinek, inspiration is more important than manipulation.

Sinek’s book in itself is quite inspiring and helpful, not only to leaders and company founders but most likely to anyone in many different situations. He does not just provide some examples of a few people who coincidentally had success with this strategy, but he actually provides concrete advice that anyone can follow. While finding the why can help leaders and company founders to success, it is also important for workers and employees to consider this. In my opinion, finding the why can be a way for self-motivation as well as motivation for small and big teams that are not in leading positions.

For businesses, this can also be used as a marketing tool. The golden circle model can help make a message more clear and concise and spread the company values to customers. They are more likely to be intrigued by a company if they understand the ‘Why’. It can be used to create a loyal brand following and increase overall popularity.

Furthermore, asking for the why can help companies focus on their original goals when they get lost over time. Asking ‘Why’ is something that in my opinion, all managers should do periodically in order to prevent a loss of focus. This can also be done in a way of including employees, which will make them feel valued and included. It could even serve as a teambuilding activity and a way to make managers more approachable. Letting employees know why do what they do could be a great way to increase motivation and give their work purpose. Simple jobs can be made more rewarding that way.

Overall, I think Sinek’s strategy is very helpful on many levels. It is something companies should consider if the want to reach success. It can help motivate employees but also be used in marketing to attract a larger crowd and maintain a customer base. There are hardly any downsides to it but many positives, which is why companies should implement the golden circle model whenever possible.