Start wth WHO, not WHY

Did you know that it's 15-years since Simon Sinek published "Start with WHY", a book outlining how leaders can inspire people to take action?

This book really put purpose on our radar as leaders and organisations. So you may be wondering why I suggest that you don't start with WHY?!

Carolyn Butler-Madden and I have found that leaders should add an extra step before "WHY", and that is to "Start with WHO", because you can’t genuinely connect to your WHY, without understanding WHO you are when you're operating at your best.

This revelation comes from Carolyn's deep dives into the works of Seth Godin and Marshall Ganz, and concluding that working out who are your people - or People Like Us as Seth puts it - is a logical precondition to your organisation's WHY-HOW-WHAT analysis.

BTW, if you know of a better communicator than Seth Godin, please let us know, because he's such a master of the craft!

Our unique and proven approach is to “Start with WHO” because it’s a powerful way of making purpose personal to every leader and building a shared narrative amongst the group.

By way of simple example, Carolyn and I have gone from competitors to collaborators because we found we had so much in common when it came to our philosophy and approach to purpose-driven leadership and business.

We both had a clear and common vision about who we are when we're at our best, and we spent half a day workshopping it just to make sure!

In team settings, knowing WHO you are and then questioning WHY, HOW and WHAT brings clarity to the journey you're taking together.

If you want to know more, this article has it, including a client case study:

Leading Transformation: How Clarity of Purpose Drives Organisational Change

>> Read the full article .

Gently Shoving Elephants!?

To round off the 'mutual appreciation society' vibe of this update, this is Carolyn's podcast and the episode where we had a bit of a chat, including how I transitioned out of a corporate career and discovered 'shared value', which kicked off my path to purpose.

Super-duper Speaker Kit Revamp

Yep, it's a new speaker kit peoples. I actually like this one!

What's on Your Mind?

If you'd like?to discuss?anything mentioned here or the issues you're facing, you are welcome to?message me, add a comment or book a zoom call .

Thanks for reading?and I wish you well on your journey!

Yours on Purpose

Phil Preston

Purpose, Leadership & Change

e | [email protected]

w | philpreston.com.au