WHY Simon Sinek is getting a lot of flack and how to make it work.

Actually, it gets a bit complicated so strap on your protective headgear and lets dive into it.

The thing is why isn’t always why.

If you watch his talk, it sounds like he is saying “If we hear and see someone's purpose, we will buy from them”. The obvious answer is “no we don’t”.

I say obvious because not the cloths I wear, the flatscreen in my livingroom or my car is bought because I heard the manifacturer’s speech of their dream or their purpose. But as Simon delivers his speach, it gets to sound that way.

Why many organisations right now are trying to find their WHY - if for no other reason than for ledership to see if they can be seen as greater inspireres. WHICH I happen to be all for btw.

But in Silicon Valley many years ago, that kind of talk was called “air sandwich” because these why’s didn’t translate into the everydayness of what employees were doing, nor the business itself or the products and services.

The thing about why is that it can also mean “naturally, it follows that…”. And our brains happen to have very little defence against that statement. What we also have great difficulty in doing, is logically discerning between “who we are” and “the beliefs we have”. Identity and our values. Some of the things we hold true to ourselves - what we deem as right or wrong is so much us, we can’t use words about it.

What we can do, is resonate with others who orientate themselves the same way we do.

THAT’S what Simon is talking about and Simon’s talk is point in case. Many many people resonate with his message. However, the way he talks about it is simply not operational.

Because the very thing he is talking about is missing. What makes what he’s talking work, is not in his speech. What needs to happen is that the very thing we resonate needs to be BECOME the company, the operations, the objectives and into the products and services themselves. Or it wont work.

If you try to do what he says, there is a good chance your organisation will end in misery. It’s why I started Genius Circles.

Many years ago, I was desperately trying to make what Simpon is talking about, work in the organisation I was in at the time. You have NO idea of how much I tried to make leadership understand how to make our WHY work.

I had "fireside" seminars with them at fantastic off-site locations, I had workshops and I even pulled in Mads ?vlisen. He will forever be my hero. He exactly made Novo Nordic's why work. Yet, not even he could get them to get it.

These were brilliant business people! They were outstanding at what they did. And what I came to understand was that being brilliant was not enough. Understanding was not enough. To get this, you had to dive in and master something. There's an art and science to it and it takes patience.

Otherwise, it stays invisible.

But once you see it, you see it everywhere.

It was right there in the innovation stuff we were doing that worked really well and the things that failed.

In today's world of fast technology development and implementation where anyone can start their new company with little backing but potentially make a huge impact, I wouldn't leave home without it.

The startups and innovators I work with today will testify that I keep them nailed to the ground until they figure it out.

Now, I’ve just opened the doors to Genius Circles but I’m only letting 50 people in. They even get a special privilege membership. At nearly half the price - as an opening deal.

Already in the first package that’s available, I show you how to make it work. Things get much juicer in the next package coming up and fizzingly hot in the third package.

Why not give it a go? Did you see how I just used why there? Why doesn’t always mean why. But you can make it work and turn it into real innovation.