Find your leadership 'why'

After reading the excellent ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek recently, I discovered a very simple yet intriguing concept:

‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’

This got me thinking about how this could really help organisations transform the way they think, communicate and act. A concept which encourages businesses to look beyond the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of their day to day operations, in order to discover the deeper meaning and purpose regarding their ‘Why’ is compelling. Finding the ‘Why’ for any business defines your purpose, your cause, your belief. It’s what inspires your business to do what it does.

It is an interesting train of thought. Finding the ‘why’ works at both a business and an individual level. Some of us are privileged to be in leadership positions in our organisations. But we seldom stop to think about why we have chosen to lead. For many of us, it was simply the next logical career progression. We know what we hope to get from a leadership role, but few of us give any considered thought to what we hope to give to a leadership role. Beginning to think more deeply about our own personal leadership ‘why’ is an important step therefore in order to become a truly inspirational leader of people.

Discovering your leadership ‘why’ and connecting with your purpose is much easier said than done. It is sometimes difficult to articulate our feelings regarding our ‘why’. We should not be discouraged by this, leadership begins with inner-self and the journey to personal growth and development is challenging, but so worthwhile.

Imagine the scenario, where an individual is questioned about why they chose to become a leader.

Q – So why did you choose to become a leader?
A – I wanted enhanced status, better pay and a new challenge.

A Leader in touch with their why would respond very differently however.

Q – So why did you choose to become a leader?

A – To inspire those around me, and because everyone deserves the chance to go home at the end of the day feeling fulfilled by the work they do.

Now what response are people going to be more inspired to follow?

We all know that leadership is demanding. It requires resilience and energy to overcome many different obstacles. And it also takes time, there is no magic quick fix formula here – becoming an effective leader takes the right blend of support and challenge, honing and refining your approach, learning from your mistakes and drawing on the examples of truly inspirational leaders around you.

This is so important because we are facing a global leadership crisis. We can see this across the economy, politics and also international conflicts. There has never been a more important time in human history for effective leaders to step up and help navigate through the volatile, complex, and uncertain world we all live in.

Mark Twain once said:
‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why’.

Tamar HR has helped many business leaders discover their ‘why’ through our enlightening and different approach to leadership development. We’d love to talk to you about your leadership why – as nothing excites us more than helping leaders to realise their true meaning and see them embark on this exciting journey.