What's With a WHY?

 WHY is a hot topic these days, and those who know me also know I’m a big Simon Sinek fan. He has authored several books including, “Find Your Why.”
 
What’s sad is that way too many business leaders quickly dismiss this important concept as fluffy...something for the “marketing team” to figure out.
 
But as one CEO who was recently brought to light on this subject, told me, “I now see that everything starts with your WHY. If you don’t know your WHY, it’s like planning a wedding before you know who you’re going to marry.” I guess I never thought of it  that way.
 
What it comes down to is this: We all have people, causes and organizations that we are drawn to because there’s a connection. There’s a fit. We get them and they get us. Our personal WHY aligns with the organizational WHY. And boom…that’s when the magic happens.
 
This explains a lot when it comes to understanding why some teams work and others don’t. It’s why some teams and organizations excel and some fall flat. The law of attraction is at work.
 
So if a company, nonprofit, or other organization has never taken the time to articulate its WHY, how can they possibly know how to attract and connect people to successfully carry out their mission or cause? And vice versa, how can anyone identify or support an organization with gusto and vigor if they don’t understand what, exactly, they’re connecting to?
 
Trying to be all things to all people is exhausting. And it’s not sustainable. That’s why teams burnout and individuals get frustrated. Either the individual WHY doesn’t align with the tribal WHY, or in the absence of an articulated WHY, people naturally start looking out for their own self interests. There’s another term for that, I just can’t write it here. Hint: It rhymes with Hit Show. ;)
 
Do yourself a favor. Take time to discover your WHY. It’s a journey worth taking.