"Start With Why" Summary: A Book Review

“Start With Why”

Publisher: The Penguin Group

Pages: 225

Edition: First

Authors Social Media Pages:

Cost/Purchase Price:

Amazon: $18.95

Get it HERE

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Who Should Read?

This book is for anyone wanting to grow professionally, as a leader, or as a business owner.

“Start With Why”, in my opinion, does not have a specific audience that it serves, as it can help show anyone in any professional setting how to get their “Why” across.

However, anyone in a leadership position would benefit the most from this book. Getting teams to do work effectively usually takes some form of motivation. But what if you just told them “Why” the work needed to be done – maybe they would be more motivated.

If you lead teams (like project managers) or plan to be a people leader within your organization, this is a great read to level up one’s leadership capabilities.

Overview or "Start With Why" Key Topics:

This book is 200+ pages and consists of six parts with each part consisting of two or three chapters.

Each part of the book discusses a key concept with on “Starting with Why”

Part 1: A World That Doesn’t Start With Why
Part 2: An Alternative Perspective
Part 3: Leaders Need a Following
Part 4: How to Rally Those Who Believe
Part 5: The Biggest Challenge Is Success
Part 6: Discover Why

Simon starts this book off by setting the scene on why you need to provide a “Why”. Shifting quickly into the science behind humans wanting to know “Why” – then getting into the meat and potatoes on “Why” in leadership and industries.

He then ends the book with a call to action on utilizing the material and passing it along to others to read.

Basic Overview:

Many great leaders inspire their teams through one easy. They start by explaining “Why”.

Just telling someone how to do something does not always motivate them to do the work. However, telling people “Why” has a higher success rate in getting them involved.

Simon details how companies like Apple have succeeded with this concept. If you don’t think Apple has pushed out a good “Why” around their product – this is vs. Microsoft, which is better at using the “What” around their products.

Starting with why in a company’s purpose or mission ensures that people are inspired by a product and the organization they are buying the product from. This brings people back again and again to the product – building faithful customers.

This concept can expand past retail into basic leadership as well. Leaders who can explain the why in the work have a higher success rate vs. those who just tell people to get their work done. Which is something I think we all can relate too.

Key Takeaways:

My 5 top takeaways from “Start with Why” are:

The Golden Circle

In Chapter 3, we learn about The Golden Circle. A simple circular diagram has Why, How and What within three circles. Each representing:

Why: This is the core belief of a company. The overall purpose of a person or organization. It is the reason why they exist, it is what they do.

How: This makes this person or organization unique – How they can deliver their Why.

What: This is the products and/or services delivered – the What you buy.

Examples of Starting With Why - Successes and Failures

Simon details people or companies succeeding with their “Why” – Apple and Martin Luther King Jr. were great examples within the book.

He also talks about the people or companies that fail because no one knows their “Why” – TiVo and Dell are two great examples

Clarity, Discipline, and Consistency

Chapter 5 goes into these concepts of Clarity, Discipline, and Consistency

“Clarity of Why” (pg. 65) – Every organization needs to clarity in their “Why” to be successful – everyone needs to know the purpose, cause, and belief that drives the organization to success.

“Discipline of How” (pg. 66) – Once you know your Why, it is the How that describes the actions and values of how you get to your Why.

“Consistency of What” (pg. 67) – Everything you do, all the work, the emails, and the products provided, needs to show that you consistently keep up with the What that builds the Why.

Authenticity

Simon stresses the importance of authenticity. To be authentic, people and organizations need to believe in their Why. It needs to be their driver in how they work.

We all love authentic people and organizations – and this drives that point. If someone is faking, or worse, lying about their product – authenticity is lost, and so is your faith in them.

The Celery Test

Every day, we make decisions – Simon describes going to the grocery store when you want to eat healthy. Your choice comes between a nice, sweet like M&M’s or some celery.

Choosing the celery = healthy = making a decision that aligns with your why, being healthy.

Having clarity in our why, we can make these decisions that align with our “Why.”

In the end, think about the Celery Test when making a decision. If the answer to your decision aligns with your “Why,” go with it – if not, think about different options.

This book is full of concepts that can easily help any leader or organization grow. Whether they are just starting off or experienced, they can benefit from examining themselves to ensure that they are working against their “Why.”

You can see a lot of the “WHY” I am here in my intro blog about myself.

What I Enjoyed About The Book:

There is a reason this book has over a million copies sold. It is a blueprint for people and their organizations to understand what can easily bring them success – all through explaining their “Why” with their work.

I liked the easy flow of how Simon Sinek presented the material of this book. All the material aligns directly to the books title – showing how to reach that “Why”.

I liked the simplicity behind The Golden Circle. Something that can easily be hung up by someone’s desk, on the wall, or even on the fridge – a reminder to live by their why – and not always by their what.

Overall, it is a great book that you can easily read in just a few days – or over a weekend. But I’d recommend not reading it too fast. This is one you’ll want to enjoy and take some notes.

This book is a helpful resource for developing into an effective leader. I recommend reading it, especially if you want to become an entrepreneur!

What I Didn’t Enjoy About The Book:

This might be just me – and probably was deliberate for people who needed to hear it. As stated above, concepts were reiterated and explained at points where I found myself skimming vs. reading.

The book didn’t have me captured – but it did have me intrigued. I haven’t read the second book, “Find Your Why” yet, but with a quick Google search, I found out that “Find Your Why” is longer.

Knowing the book is longer makes me think that it is the same. Will I get “Find Your Why”? Time will tell. I am sure I will get an itch for it eventually – but it will probably be the audiobook version if I do.

Overall Rating:

About the Author

Simon Sinek

Summarized Bio from his website:

Simon is an optimist who believes in a bright future. Known for his TED Talk on the concept of “WHY”, viewed over 60 million times, and his viral video on Millennials in the Workplace, Simon inspires many with his visionary thinking.

As a trained ethnographer, Simon studies organizations and has identified patterns in their behavior and communication. He shares his insights through bestselling books like “Start with WHY” and “Leaders Eat Last”, as well as his podcast A Bit of Optimism.

Simon founded The Optimism Company, a leadership development firm, and publishes inspiring works through Optimism Press. His innovative views on leadership have gained international attention, leading him to work with various industries, the US Armed Forces, and government agencies. In 2021, he founded The Curve, a group committed to reforming modern policing to ensure justice is administered with dignity, equity, and fairness.