Put your WHY to the test

There are some things we know about what makes a great Why Statement. All of our content is a work in progress, so, by no means is this THE comprehensive answer. It’s simply the best thinking we have at the moment.

You can put your WHY to the test by considering these criteria below. They include both our team's concepts and thinking over the years as well as our founder Simon Sinek’s most current thinking from his next book, The Infinite Game. Put your WHY to the test and see if it fits the bill!

As David Mead and Peter Docker share in the online Why Discovery Course and the book, Find Your Why, a great Why Statement is:

• Simple and clear - the easier your WHY is to understand, the easier it is to share. The easier it is to share the more likely we will action on it, together, and bring it to life.
• Free of WHATs - WHAT we do (the tangible products, services or roles/identities we hold) are simply proof of our WHY in action. They are not your WHY. Your WHY is the reason your clients, friends and family love you. Being a ‘wealth advisor’ is not the reason they love you, for example. Maybe it’s because you provide a fresh perspective that enables them to make clear decisions for the better. Now we’re talking!
• In service - our WHY is who we are at our natural best. Every human being at their natural best shows up to serve the people around them. Your WHY always has to do with your human contribution and impact. Your WHY is the thing you most love to give to others and the thing you must need to receive and feel yourself.
• In affirmative language - it is more inspiring to move toward something than it is to move away from something. The most powerful Why Statements we’ve come across are expressed in positive and inclusive language that inspire us and move us toward a brighter future. If your WHY is expressed in language that is designed to prevent something from occurring, see how your WHY feels when you express it in a way that shares what you are trying to create.
• Feels right to the author (you!) - in the end, it’s your WHY and it has got to feel right to you. Personally, I’d rather live my WHY for 1 year than know the perfect words for 10 years. It’s most important and valuable to action on and live your WHY. The words will become clear, especially when people you are serving reflect back to you the impact you’re having on them.

Alongside those five criteria are three new criteria that Simon has fashioned in The Infinite Game. In his new book, Simon has upgraded the language of WHY to a Just Cause. The reason being is people would come up to Simon, meet him for the first time and proudly proclaim, “I found my WHY!!” Simon would ask to hear it and they’d often say, “To be the best aluminum side installer in the Greater Phoenix area.” FAIL.

A Just Cause is your noble purpose for being. You describe a vision of the world that is so inspiring and compelling that people are willing to sacrifice to see that cause be advanced. Simon has learned that for a Just Cause to be a Just Cause, it must be:

• Resilient – It can withstand any political, cultural or technological change. For example, if your purpose is tied to some sort of technology being prevalent your purpose is not resilient. This is similar to ‘Free of WHATs’ above.
• Inclusive – It must serve as an open invitation for anyone to be able to contribute. If your purpose is about the technology, then it’s mostly designed for your engineers and excludes others the opportunity to meaningfully contribute. This aligns with ‘in affirmative language.’
• Service oriented – The primary benefit of the cause has to go to those other than the contributors. For example, if you go to your boss for career advice and your boss gives you advice that is in their own best interest, they are not service oriented. This obviously connects with ‘in service.’

My WHY is to engage people in meaningful ways so that we connect with depth and live in a more fulfilled world.

What’s your WHY?!