Book Review: Start with Why

I started reading this right after Tim Sander’s book. It took me awhile to adjust with their different writing styles. However, it was really hard to put down the book once I hit the third chapter. The information in there is too good to be true. There are a lot of things that just finally “make sense” to me. I have been observing some patterns on business-es and clients behaviours but could not quite put my fingers on what actually is happening. Simon helped me to see it in a different perspective and it was so needed! Not to mention that the examples he gave throughout the book really helped too. This is one of the books that I needed a notebook to read with just so that I had enough space to write down the key points and how they were related to my life/business. Such a great book! Even if you are not running your own business, I still think you need to read this book and change the world. Yes, I did say it: change the world.

Here are a few points that I think are take-aways (and to convince you that this book is worth it :)):
-In this day and age, information can be found online. There is a trend that we have to overeducate ourselves before purchasing a product, investing in certain companies/areas, making any decision. Decisions, decisions, decisions. But you can still make the wrong decision from the wrong assumptions you make (from the collected information).

-When you make a decision to purchase a product from a certain brand, you were either manipulated or inspired by the company. Manipulations are achieved through pricing, promotions, fear, aspirations, peer pressure and novelty. However, manipulations never lead to customer loyalty. To make sure there is enough/continuing transactions, the company has to keep manipulating their customers into buying their products and not their competitors’. It is very costly in the long run and will run your company to the ground at the end.

-There is a solution to this (ie. not running your company to the ground). Look at the golden circle (what, how, why) and work your business model from the inside out and not the other way around. People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. Simon gave the example of how Apple started their company by the vision of giving each and every individual sitting at home to have the same power of any company in owning a computer. And they repeat this same pattern in everything that they say and do.

– When you go with WHY instead of WHAT, you are not obsessed in one single detail/outcome/operation in your company. You are not thinking that this is the only way to do it, it’s just one way to do it.

-More often than not, we are so focused on the details: on the WHAT and HOW. While it is necessary to deliver the WHAT and HOW, we forget about the WHY and get off track.

-When you know WHY you do WHAT you do, people you hire will work for you serving the same vision and purpose you believe in. They believe in you. The same with clients/customers who buy from you.

-The former secretary of state Colin Powell once said, “I can make a decision with 30 percent of the information. Anything more than 80 percent is too much.” When we are forced to make decisions based on our rational part of the brain, we tend to “overthink” it and these decisions can often be of lower quality. However, decisions made by our gut, or limbic brain, tend to be faster and of higher quality. Does this remind you of your instructor/professor’s tips on answering multiple choice questions?

Again, I will say that this is a great book to read and to pass on. Will I read it again? Maybe not, my personal note is enough to go through again and I found that on some parts, the author goes too lengthy on the same points. But I do enjoy the fact that Simon is not trying to fix a problem by writing this book. He simply pointed out what has worked in some industries and what similarities these successful companies had done. The major take-away, I personally think, is to be true to ourselves and to our calling and the rest will follow if they like what they see and hear. I will stop here so that I am not giving away too much and end the post with the TED video of Simon.

~Jenn

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