In this episode, leadership speaker and Start With Why facilitator Stephen Shedletzky helps us understand how to apply the Start With Why concept to our role to help our organizations work on the right things and deliver value to customers.  He’ll also share his thoughts on how to inspire others to take action.

After listening to this episode, you will understand:

  • Why starting with ‘why’ is critical to your organization
  • How to apply the Start With Why approach to your projects
  • How to inspire others to take action
  • How the 12th step of Alcoholics Anonymous can help you.

Stephen Shedletzky helps leaders and their teams accomplish remarkable things. Inspired by–and in partnership with–Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” movement, Stephen speaks, leads workshops, consults, and coaches organizations to help them discover and articulate their driving purpose and, in doing so, become  more sustainable and successful than ever.

 

Key Takeaways

How can we apply the principles of Start With Why to our projects?

When you ask questions that begin with “why”, it becomes trigger an emotional response and people may become defensive.  You can ask any “why” question in a way that is more open ended that begins with “what” or “how”.  Instead of asking ‘Why do you want the button there?’ ask ‘What’s the importance of putting the button there?’.  Now you can get to the root cause (why) and allows us to recommend different alternatives or approaches.

Before you can begin using the Start With Why concepts in your one life, first you must get clear on what’s important to you.  Get clear on your values and beliefs and why.  What impact do you want to have on others?

Use ‘Start With Why’ to network and build your influence

Once you are clear on your ‘Why’, you can attract people who also believe in having the same impact or who are inspired by the contribution and impact that you intent do make on others and the world around you.  Together you can accomplish more.

When you know your ‘Why’ and start with why and we are consistent with how we bring that ‘Why’ to life through our words and actions, we can more easily find those with a similar purpose and build relationships.  We can come together in ways that inspire us and have a greater impact on your organization and the world.  It can inspire others to take action.

“Relationship is the foundation of accomplishment” – Peter Docker

Anytime we can increase the depth and breadth of our relationships, we can accomplish more.

You can apply these principles by creating a genuine, inspiring vision on our projects of what we’re trying to achieve and why.  Create a sense of purpose that aligns to other people’s values.  Share your story of how your project or initiative inspires you.

“Progress is made when people come together around a common cause and contribute their gifts toward accomplishing it.”

What can you do today to get positive results?

Trust is the human currency.  It takes time to build and an instant to break.  We develop trust when we feel that someone else has our best interest in mind – that they are there to serve us instead of their own self-service.   So what can we do to increase trust?

Show up to serve.  If you want to feel more engaged in the projects that you’re working on, figure out how you can help the people around you feel more engaged.  In turn, you will feel more engaged.  Above all, don’t forget to show up to commit and serve others.

Links mentioned in this episode

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