As a young person in the industry, the one thing I’ve often struggled with is the concept of leadership and how to actively engage colleagues and coworkers on a level that commands leadership without being overconfident or cocky.  It’s often hard to identify the most strategic way to approach building a team, an audience, or an organization that truly understands who it is, why it works, and what it wants from the those around it.  A presentation from Simon Sineck at a 2009 TED conference commands a new way of thinking, proposing that the most effective way to lead and inspire action comes from not thinking of what you want, rather why you’re doing it.  

The concept, titled “the Golden Circle,”  looks a little something like this:

OLD MODEL

Traditionally companies, organizations, and people try to inspire action from the outside in.  They focus on what they have rather than why they have it.  Look at a company like Dell.  Their golden circle would look something like this “We make cheap computers that can be customized to fit your needs.  We even have colorful laptops because the kids like colors.  Want to buy one?”  They’re saying what they do and why we should buy into it  That’s the old model.

Now look at a company like Apple.   Their golden circle would go something like this:  Everything we do, we do because we believe in challenging the status quo.  We believe in thinking differently.  The way we do this is by designing beautiful simple machines, that innovate and inspire creativity.  If you share this mindset, we have a product for you.  

NEW MODEL

This same principle can be applied across the board from a corporation to an organization to an individual person.  For example, I’ve been applying this principle to my blog recently.  In the past, I posted videos, pictures, short snippets of information that I thought other people would want to see.  I didn’t believe in it, but I wanted to drive some organic traffic through the site.  I was focusing on the “what”, not on the “why”.  I’ve now determined that I blog because I want to challenge those around me to think about the capabilities that digital media has allowed us access.  I believe that the future of advertising/marketing lies in the hands of those who understand the changes taking place in the industry. I show my passion by writing, researching, and sharing information that I find relevant.  If you believe in this, you’ll read my blog, if not, you’ll find another place to spend your time.   

The hardest thing to deal with in regards to this concept is the fact that it’s inherently transparent, meaning you can’t spend too much time on getting others to understand why you do what you do, or else you’re falling into the trap of the old model.  Two of the most famous examples of this are the Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King.  Martin Luther King didn’t say “I have a plan,”  he said “I have a dream.”  He didn’t go around telling people what needed to be changed.  He talked about what he believed.  The Wright Brothers had no money, no education, and no resources.  What they had was passion.  They brought five sets of parts with them each time they took off because that’s how many times they’d crash each day.  They worked for the why not the what, and it paid off greatly.  

In the end, every organization, corporation, or individual needs to understand why it is they do what they do.  There are leaders and there are those that lead.  Leaders hold a position of power or authority.  We follow them because we have to.  Those who lead inspire us.  We follow them because we want to.  In the age of the Internet, we all have the technology to be one of those who lead.  

If you understand why you do what you do, others will take notice.   If you continue working at your why, others will start to follow.  If you lead your life with why, others will become inspired.  If you never forget your why, you’ll go further than you ever thought possible. The future’s rooted in “why.”  Will you be the next Apple? 

For CEOs, creativity is now the most important leadership quality for success in business, outweighing even integrity and global thinking, according to a new study by IBM. The study is the largest known sample of one-on-one CEO interviews, with over 1,500 corporate heads and public sector leaders across 60 nations and 33 industries polled on what drives them in managing their companies in today's world.

About 60% of CEOs polled cited creativity as the most important leadership quality, compared with 52% for integrity and 35% for global thinking. Creative leaders are also more prepared to break with the status quo of industry, enterprise and revenue models, and they are 81% more likely to rate innovation as a "crucial capability."

For most, this probably comes as a pretty alarming statistic, but really it isn’t all that surprising.  True leaders place a great deal of emphasis on culture and shared values. They realize that business involves human beings and that profitable growth results from fruitful relationships.  These relationships are no longer built through one-on-one business transactions, rather they’re carefully crafted through relevant, creative online interactions.

Creativity is much more than the ideation behind a BIG idea. Creativity, big and small, is needed in every aspect of an organization. It is defined so many different ways. Essentially, it's the ability to produce new and useful insights. In terms of leadership, to put it concisely, is the ability to think, act and enable others to think creatively and solve complex challenges.

The next step?  Finding individuals who not only carry the “creative fire” but individuals who can extend the reach of their insights along to the customer, adapt easily to changes in the industry, and utilize intelligence to cater to a new type of consumer. 

Information provided via @fastcompany

Some days I wonder why people like Chris Brogan, Steve Jobs, and Tony Hsieh are considered such great leaders.  Sure they have done some amazing things with some really big brands, but why are they held in such high-esteem by tribes and tribes of loyal fans and followers?  I don’t think it’s their education.  I don’t think it’s their personalities.  I don’t think it’s the way they dress, the cars they drive, or the people they hang around.  I think it’s the way they execute.  The way they hone in on a single idea and a singular approach to business: do things the right way, at the right time, all the time.  

In the video below, you’ll see Mark Parker, current CEO of Nike as he talks about a recent conversation he had with Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple.  The conversation may surprise you a bit.

I’m not sure about you, but I’d venture to say that the majority of business leaders would praise Parker for what he’s done with his brand.  Nike is on top of the world, an industry leader, an innovator, a world-class business, and the embodiment of all things athletic.  To Steve Jobs, Nike is a great brand with a lot of great products.  To him, that’s not good enough.  Nike needs to be a great brand with only great products.  It’s that slight difference (“a lot of” vs. “only”) that differentiates Steve Jobs from other CEO’s and industry execs.  It’s that difference that separates a success from a failure.  It’s that difference that separates the good from the best.  It's that difference that has led businesses like Apple and Zappos to the top and it is that difference that we should strive for everyday in our professional lives.

Inaki Escuderdo, Creative Director at GlobalWorks and one of the most creative and inspiring minds in the business says on his blog, “I’d like to be part of some conversations... Steve Jobs talking to Mark Parker is one of them.”  The amount of information we could learn is almost endless.