QUOTE OF THE DAY CHALLENGE - Simon Sinek on Leadership
Before I found Simon Sinek I was a firm believer of Objectivism of Ayn Rand. One of the foundations of her philosophy is that no man should live for others. It is the pursuit of his own happiness that is the only moral purpose of your life.
This egotistical view that what I want to happen is the only right thing to do and taking the Machiavellian view of the end justifies the means a whole step further.
The corporate world embraces this sentiment of greed and numbers as the only basis that is of worth so setting rigid rules and goals that needs to be hit at whatever it takes. Most companies train for bosses, not leaders. In an endless assembly line of hiring, training, onboarding, working and firing.
Bosses are expected to be given the numbers needed to hit and deliver. Failure is not tolerated and people continually assessed, given orders on what to do and hit it if not then manage the person out and hire another person. The churn in the workforce was high but people did not care because there were 10 more people waiting to get that spot.
I was good in this and dubbed as "The Terminator" and my favorite "motivational phrase" is Shape up or Ship out.
Whatever I was doing was only yielding fear, short-term improvement and the hate of people that I was handling. The numbers showed that I was doing well but the engagement and trust rating really low.
I experienced a paradigm shift when I discovered Simon Sinek's Leaders Eat Last and the Start with Why books. It was as if a light bulb in my head suddenly turned on my head and understood how things are.
I stopped looking at employees as mere headcount but as people who have lives, problems, issues that will affect their performance. They will get demotivated, they will fail, they will have bad days that nothing seems to go right and instead of telling them this is what you did wrong and don't do it again or you get a warning. Instead, I asked what is wrong and how can I help.
This changed in leadership philosophy made me care about people. Empathy is caring and sharing other people's feelings and understanding them. When you start caring for people you have empathy. You share in their triumphs and celebrate it. Comfort them in their failures and say lets us do it again and stand up.
When people see that you care about them they work harder because they feel safe. When a person feels safe they can be more and be the best version of themselves.
When they feel safe then engagement and trust is easy to have because they will do it without prompt because it is what they want to do.
I have moved from management to Human Resources and this is the message that I try to guide leaders to have. Some people who don't know it and realize, as I have that afternoon when I started reading Simon Sinek, that there is another way of doing things.
I offer a choice and if they think it is not right for them then people can disregard the message and do leadership their way.
I just love this quote and the whole philosophy of Simon Sinek that together we are better.
Thank you to @eaglespirit for nominating me on this challenge.
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Ayn Rand had quite a few things right, but sadly two very important things wrong, or at least highly disputable. My way is the right way is definitely one of them. The issue though she was combating in Atlas Shrugged was essentially a government take over of industry, with subsidies and price fixing and unions and all of it combining to produce inferior service and products. The individualist had to be tough to survive.
However, as you point out about a more of we're in it together attitude, even her characters needed love, and the two main characters ended up needing each other in more ways than one. While they didn't give hand outs, they certainly helped each other stay in business.
I learned about Simon Sinek when I went back to college a couple of years ago in one of my Social Media Marketing classes. He's brilliant. I like the way he talks even. He's really convincing. And the why Ted Talk I think it was I saw, is just amazing. There is so much truth in it, it's hard to believe no one else has really ever stated it like he does, but somehow, the companies he cites managed to just implement it anyway.
Leadership is about caring for others, giving the tools they need, then getting out of the way and let them do their work. There may be people who won't respond to that, or who just don't want to be there. So, deciding how you handle those folks is probably the biggest test of leadership, where you're weighing what's best for them versus what's best for the company or the product/service being provided. Those two needs should find balance.
Indeed it was a flaw in Ayn Rand's philosophy that her way is the only right way and everyone else be damned. A lot of controversy has been attributed to her philosophy espousing hate and a superiority complex which looking back now I do see and chaff at having one.
I have now taken a more caring attitude and it has translated in all facets of my facet from my family to even in how I conduct myself in Steemit. Maybe one of the reasons why I can't get into curie hahahhaa because I am moved by certain pieces of work.
You on the other hand I believe is good for Curie.so you should try that.
It was picking the book leaders eat last and having a step dad that was in the military that it made sense and after that I as just hooked with Simon Sinek! His Start with why and the Golden circle method in that Ted video was such an inspiration that I wondered as well why have people not thought of this before!! Or not practicing it.
The world would be a better place if we are more caring.
Or even if we could see the benefits of caring. Apple was one of his examples, and while I'm sure they believe in what they do, if they're not making money, they're not able to care about what they do. So, it's a symbiotic relationship that has to inspire and produce both ways.
This is the second time someone has said I should get into Curie. Maybe you?! Maybe I will. I need to study it more closely, though, and since I am here primarily to write, I would like to be able to do as much of that as I can. So, maybe. Need to know more.
I can't really fault Ayn Rand for her outlook. When you see people believing they deserve every little thing, or that their contributions should be rewarded like everyone else's or when you see people wanting hand outs rather than hand ups, it grates. There is much to be said for being independent, motivated, strong willed and determined to succeed.
However, there is much to be said for discernment, too. Not everyone who needs help will become the first of generations on welfare. Some people just have hit the bottom and the only way to get up is if someone helps. The rest maybe do need a swift kick in the pants.
I can't imagine trying to be a female exec during the period of time the book is set in either, so a lot of the way the main female protagonist acts reflects a cutthroat, male dominated world, where you basically have to act like a man in order to survive. And Rand's own early life went from comfort to poverty, too, if I'm not mistaken. Can't remember all of the details, but if I'm remembering correctly, it didn't leave a whole lot of time for being helpless or feeling sorry for yourself, even if you were a girl and weren't expected to be much more than a wife and mother, provided for by a man.
Oh, how times have changed, and how so many like to remind us of the past. Move on, people! Move on!
I love Simon Sinek. One of my favorites to use with my team is his talk about Why. Why we do what we do. Great stuff! Works in every facet of life.
I know and I use him for all sorts of situations and he seems to have the best answers that is human and caring.
It was quite a paradigm shift of philosophy as I was a bit of an asshole before. Well I still am but a little bit less hahaha
Oh cool. Leadership is so underrated. People think they don't need to be trained to be a leader. Hah.
That's why I'm not leading anyone anymore. Charrr. Haha
I also watch Simon Sinek vids and other motivational videos on YouTube. 😁 Good thing those are there and free to watch.
Oh it is a very important thing as not everyone has the capacity and temperament to be a leader. Anyone could be a boss though especially the slave driver kind.
Oh yeah I love his videos
I understand. I once was a fan of Ayn Rand, and still find value in many of her view points. However, I believe she was missing the mark, was skewed in her thinking. I have not read Sinek but will look him up. There is a heart component in our lives that we must engage and use. Frankly it's our only hope.
I love that sentence
Too many of us engaged in business and work forget about this key component as we see people as pieces that needs to be used.
You should definitely look him up and the Golden circle philosophy is one of the best for me.
I've begun using the term "cooperative abundance"... I think you've commented on it. This is a practice we are experiencing, at least in our little corner of Steemit, where by lifting others we ourselves are lifted up.
It is important that the leaders would show their care to the people below him/her because that's the only and best way that they'll follow them wholeheartedly.
I agree and that should be the case that leaders should care.
I wasn't like this before and saw churn as a necessary step to have the best people but in doing that I kept making the mistake that people were the problem when in fact it was me and my methods which were wrong.
A philosophy that probably has the better long term effect. Metrics are good too, but only if they are meaningful and not at the risk of high turnover. I suppose those costs all get factored into the decision making though.
Hmm imagine if you were driving people like that on steemit ;). Where's that daily! No breaks! You're fired!
Indeed Eon as it has a higher retention rate as well as organic change for a person to be the best version.
Oh man I had to laugh at imagining if Steemit is run like that of a slave driver business you don't eat if you don't post (wait a minute that is true for some)
A great quote and a true one at that. And I see that it's been applied to the way you do things on Steemit as well, like when you offered to be someone's sugar red fish. I can definitely see you as a leader. I see that sometimes you encourage people and lose sight of yourself once in a while, and all your followers gather up to remind you of how great you are. A true leader :)
I know FS and it is amazing when people do that. When I thought I was the foundation for some people they turn and be mine in my hour if need and it just feels amazing.
We all need to care for one another in our journey of life.
Some bosses tend to be managers over their employees but in a bad way it seems. They can micromanage which is way more counterproductive in the long-run, more so than it intends to be. Some employers lead instead of manage. So, this goes with what you were saying. Leaders can motivate, delegate, inspire, people to do what they really want to do assuming you have good employees that are committed to working hard or at least hard enough.
Yeah the natural tendency of some people is micromanage because in a way they know how to do the job better than you because they were there in the same position sometime ago.
Yet when they do it in the wrong way it comes out as commanding instead of leading and leaving the person demotivated.
Inspiration is such a powerful thing that a leader must have in order to guide his team to greater heights.
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