Want Success? Ask yourself “Why”
People around me say I keep “banging on” about how the world is changing and how we must all “gear-up” if we want to be able to keep pace with the tsunami of daily information let alone ride that wave. Also, that meaning and purpose in life, provide both an anchor in the storm and a star to guide us. I do “go on” about this but understand, I am passionate about what I do and it would be fair to say, that I am a woman with a mission.
Recently I was asked what my plan was for moving online to a larger customer base and if I was courting the corporate world? The question was almost amusing to me. Honestly, I have never been a position where I had to do work I hated. This makes me incredibly fortunate I know. The truth is, I do what I like, and I like what I do. I believe that it is my passion for my work, and my interest in people, that puts me in this fortunate position. Let me explain.
As part of learning about and training in leadership skills I found myself exploring Simon Sinek’s body of work. Simon (author, motivational speaker and marketing expert) asks one big question of himself and everyone else and I am going to ask it of you.
Why?
Any counselor will tell you that this is the trickiest of all the questions you can ask a person. Most of us know what we do and how we do it but the “why” of our lives alludes many of us.
Why do you get up and spend your days doing what you do? If the answer is, “To keep my manager off my back”. or “To please my parents” or “To make a profit”, then perhaps you need to look carefully at your life’s purpose.
“Stop living your life by accident and start living on purpose.” Simon Sinek
I do the work I do because I love it. My mission is to make the world a better place, one person at a time and to grow their capacity to help others to do the same. No issue is too small and no person, is the wrong person.
The Science Bit.
Neuroscience now tells us that decision-making is not driven by our neo cortex, (the new homo-sapien outer layer of our brain which deals with logic and analysis and language) but by our much older limbic brain (which deals with feelings and decisions and does not compute language). We must therefore factor into our planning and communications the realisation that all the logic and stats in the world, will only ever serve to rationlise the decision we have already made in our limbic brain. You know this as a “gut decision”, the one that just “feels right” In fairness for millennia our survival has depended upon these “gut instincts” and as we increasingly must move faster to survive, we will rely more and more upon our limbic brain and emotional intelligence.
Welcome to the V.U.C.A world we must now all learn to navigate (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). In this brave new world, in both our business and our personal lives; it is important but not sufficient to, set out our stall, present well and be generous. The world is becoming amazingly well-informed and knowledgeable, the competition is increasingly fierce and the daily information flow is growing and confusing. I am not suggesting that in the VUCA world sound business practice and life experience is unimportant. I am suggesting that given the choice, most people will want to work and play with those they know they can trust, and who exhibit values and a vision they can subscribe and aspire to.
People deserve to be understood, supported and challenged by those who understand them. People deserve to create a vision and purpose for themselves and to be equipped with the resources and the resilience to pursue that vision. Success in life is born out of a passion and a purpose that in turn drives beliefs and behavior. It ain’t just what you do or the way that you do it, that gets results.
If you want to succeed you must know your WHY.
If you want to create your own personal vision or to work with others to build a vision everyone can subscribe to ,get in touch
Read Simon Sinek’s Book - Start With Why.