I am a big
fan of well-written business books. The book must be well researched and have
something worth reading. Something that
can be applied to leadership and life.
So I enjoy learning new information that can prove valuable in my life
and that I can pass on to others.
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek is just such a book. Sinek
gets the title from the idea that in the Marines leaders care enough to show
the troops that they are important by allowing them to eat first. In return the
troops show their loyalty to their leaders by following them into harm’s way. In
contrast, many of today’s business leaders sacrifice their employees in order “to
make their numbers.” In other words they sacrifice the lives of their employees
often to fatten their own already considerable pay packages. In return the CEO
receives zero employee loyalty. They
will follow him/her nowhere because they do not trust their leaders.
Sinek talks
about the “circle of care” that exists in some organizations, where the leaders
do care and protect the employees and let them be creative and do their
jobs. Often the results are
remarkable -- vastly exceeding industry
standards
Sinek
observes that the unbalanced focus of many CEOs on short term results not only
negatively impacts the employees, but the society at large. “When we struggle to
find happiness or a sense of belonging at work, we take that struggle home.
“Everything
about being a leader is like being a parent.
It is about committing to the well-being of those in our care and having
a willingness to make sacrifices to see their interests advanced so that they
may carry our banner long after we’re gone.”
Sinek uses
the image of a snowmobile in the desert as an example of how many companies do
business. As ludicrous as it seems, companies are busy enabling the snowmobile
to run faster instead of asking what the real problem is. The people are fine. It’s the environment
that is wrong. Often what is lacking is trust. “To a social animal, trust is
like lubrication. It reduces friction and creates conditions much more
conducive to performance, just like putting the snowmobile back in the snow. It’s
not how smart the people in the organization are; it’s how well they work
together that is the true indicator of future success or the ability to manage
through struggle.”
How to build
trust? Sinek says simply, “Building trust requires nothing more than telling
the truth.”
Too often
today, business leaders care only about Wall Street’s opinion. Quoting the CEO
of Costco James Sinegel who said, “Wall Street is in the business of making
money between now and next Tuesday. We’re in the business of building an
organization that we hope will be here 50 years from now.”
The author
concludes that successful companies, like successful families and successful
organizations, need an important element: leadership. “Leadership is not a
license to do less; it is a responsibility to do more. And that’s the trouble. Leadership takes work. It takes time and energy. The effects are not
always easily measured and they are not always immediate. Leadership is always a commitment to human
beings.”
“Let us all
be the leaders we wish we had.”
