Author Simon Sinek speaks up on NY Brand Lab Radio

This morning on NY Brand Lab Radio, Simon Sinek came on the show as my special guest and what an inspiration he is. Right now, a few hours later, I believe he’s on a plane headed for Toronto so here’s wishing him safe travels!

In about 48 hours, however, you can download the approx 40-minute interview with Simon on my site: http://zingyourbrand.com/radio. Check it out, it’s certainly (clearly) worth hearing him walk the talk.

FYI Here are some notes, in my own words, from the interview. Hope this inspires you to visit his site which is very cool, informed and mindful: http://startwithwhy.com and also pick up his book. A terrific read.

OK.Here goes. One thing before I start: I usually ask my guests at the end of the interview to DARE our listeners to do something out of their comfort zone. Or to DARE them to do something differently in their business. But this week, I decided to do something different, and so I asked Simon at the start of the interview, to DARE listeners….

1. Simon took up the challenge brilliantly and his dare? Do things your way. And the reason why most people have a problem with this? Doubt creeps in. You realize you’re doing things because that’s what someone told you to do or it’s for the wrong reasons and you’re struggling. The more you struggle, the worse you feel. As soon as you start doing things your way, things will turn around very quickly. That’s what happened to Simon. (You’ll have to listen to the interview to hear Simon share a little about how he had to transform his thinking and way of doings things.) I’m not trying to tease you. I just couldn’t possibly do justice to Simon’s remarkable story and journey.

2. Simon goes on to say: At the end of the day, every company (no matter how large or small) has to function on three levels to succeed. They have to:
a.) Know what they do.
b.) Know how they do it.
c.) Know why they do it.

3. If you can’t work out your WHY for being in business — your true purpose and set of beliefs — why should anyone else care?
What’s more, if you don’t know the answers to 1 – 3 (above), you’re going to be out of balance. And that doesn’t feel good, right?

4. Simon figured out his WHY. It’s all about teaching others how to inspire so they can inspire others. That’s his bottom line, his benchmark. Anything or everything that comes his way, all he has to do is ask the question: “Does this inspire?” If the answer is no, it’s easy. The answer is no, thanks.

5. The irony here? When you tell people HOW and WHAT you do, it’s not always that helpful to your business. People’s eyes glaze over. But when you start talking about WHY you do what you do, and what you BELIEVE in, things start to change pretty quickly. That’s what happened to Simon.

6. It takes huge courage to live your WHY.

7. The courage to live this way, and live out your WHY, is partly about surrender. The best entrepreneurs have to admit and accept they can fail. After all, to succeed means taking risks, taking huge leaps of faith, and the need for acceptance — whatever happens. The other thing? You need to be take full responsibility. You need to be accountable.

8. Did you know 90% of entrepreneurs fail? It takes a special mentality to be an entrepreneur. Just listen to the language of being an entrepreneur. You have to be willing to ‘take the plunge.’ Willing to ‘take a huge leap into the unknown.’ These metaphors have clear and inherent messages that suggest this is risky business. (You can hear that, right?!)

9. Never forget what inspired you when you first set out as an entrepreneur. In fact, write that reason down somewhere. Keep it handy. Keep reminding yourself WHY you’re doing what you do.

10. If it helps, use visual images and stick them up all around your workplace. Remind yourself constantly. For Simon, the image of the airplane is what inspires him. The notion of flight and defying gravity. And capturing the imagination. So make your beliefs tangible. They’re what you stand for, remember. Write it down. Surround yourself with visual symbols and images.

11. Your beliefs are the center of all emotional connections. It’s what makes people resonate with you.

12. Trust and loyalty. They’re feelings, too and they make for creating (hugely) powerful emotional connections.

13. Life is short. Don’t forget that.

14. So are you having fun doing what YOU do? Are you doing things you never imagined doing? (Like Simon?)

OK. Those were just a few notes I jotted down this morning. The important take away here? Tap into your WHY. If you are having difficulties knowing where to start, go to Simon’s site and check out all that he is doing. Here’s that link again:
http://startwithwhy.com

Let me know how you’re doing with your WHY. It’s quite the journey:)