Start with Why
Author | Simon Sinek |
---|---|
Publication date | 2009 |
ISBN | 978-1-59184-280-4 |
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, is a book by Simon Sinek[1] that appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.[2]
Overview
The book starts with a comparison of the two main ways to influence human behaviour: manipulation and inspiration. Sinek argues that inspiration is the more powerful and sustainable of the two.
The golden circle

Sinek says that people are inspired by a sense of purpose (or "Why"), and that this should come first when communicating, before "How" and "What". Sinek calls this triad the golden circle, a diagram of a bullseye (or concentric circles) with "Why" in the innermost circle (representing people's motives or purposes), surrounded by a ring labeled "How" (representing people's processes or methods), enclosed in a ring labeled "What" (representing results or outcomes). He goes on to speculate about the biological factors behind this structure, such as the limbic system.
See also
- Reflective practice § Borton 1970 – In the 1970s Terry Borton popularized the triad "What?", "So what?", and "Now what?"
References
- ^ Keith Rogers (Feb 26, 2011). "Air Force helping hone new corps of leaders: Training to help hone new corps of leaders". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ Maxwell, Chris (Jan 6, 2017). "Simon Sinek: To grow your business, let go". Director. Retrieved Jan 14, 2017.
External links