Start With Why

I read this great book. Okay, let's be serious - I listened to a great book in the car on my way to work.

It is called Start With Why by Simon Sinek.  Highly recommend!  He explores a lot about what makes some companies and teams work well (often against all odds) and why others fail (often with more resources and money, etc.).  My favorite vignette was about the invention of the airplane.  He talked about a man named Samuel Pierpont Langley, who no one has ever heard of.  I had to go look up his name for this post because in my head - he's just the guy who didn't invent the plane.

He had $50K from the War Department, the best minds of the time and even the New York Times following him around and he got beat.  He got beat by uneducated, penniless brothers from Dayton, Ohio.  Sinek's explanation was that to Langley this was a job.  He was motivated by the pressure.  He was motivated by his reputation.  He was motivated by the fear of failure.  The Wright Brothers wanted to fly. They were trying in between their day jobs, with a curiousity and ingenuity and passion (and just the right amount of crazy) to do something no one had ever done. And Sinek would say they were successful because they had a clear and well defined why. They wanted to fly.

Simon also goes on to say that the power of this why goes beyond the team that builds it (though that is important) and extends to the customers that buy it.  They don't buy your widget or your solution, they buy your why.

Okay - Awesome - What's My Why?

It should be clear, crisp, visceral.  It should be bigger than what I'm doing and how I'm doing it and gives both of those actions purpose.

Well - I always wanted to be part of making something (other than money).  I wanted it to be tangible but about halfway through my career to date,  I found I wanted more than that.  I wanted this product that I was making to be special,  to be different,  to make things better.

My Why is about bringing innovation to market.  Making things better than they have ever been - maybe better than those industries thought possible.  It's hard - of course it's hard - otherwise it's not interesting. It fails. A lot.  The Wright Brothers brought 5 sets of parts ever time they went out and after 5 crashes they went home for dinner.  That's a lot of broken parts on the way to flying.  But it doesn't make the crashes any less hard or disappointing.

When I sat down to think about this,  my Why felt clear but here's the part that feels tricky - I don't feel like that is what I do most days.  Some days for sure but not most.  And I suspect that is also true of my co-workers, maybe even my customers.  Right - okay, so we'll have to work on that!

Sometimes the Same Feels True at Home. 

My Why is to help my kids have amazing lives.  Not perfect, not pain-free but complete and fulfilling, generally happy, challenging, interesting - I could go on.  It seems like such a clear Why.  But what takes up mindshare is the how and the what of getting them from a perfect tiny blob to a whole person in one piece.

Who's doing pick up today?
"Don't run in the parking lot. Too scary."
What activities are scheduled?  
"Let me get dinner going and I'll come outside."
What bills are due? 
"We've got to get your homework done."
Are we saving enough for college?
"Who needs a lunch for tomorrow?"
Are we saving enough in general?
"Try not to get your shoes wet in the snow."
Do they make kids shoes that are truly indestructible?
"We are out of (blank). Put it on the list."
Can I order a new one online or do we have to go to the store?

But there are moments.  Well, we'll start with Why and go from there.

Thanks for reading!