Editor’s Comments: This is a courageous book, by the author of another favorite book of mine “Start With Why”. The courage Sinek displays is that he takes some fairly unpopular concepts to make his points about leadership:
- Military models – Currently less popular but always interesting, Sinek uses military concepts and examples both positive (team building) and negative (old “command and control” model) to make his points
- Biology – he discusses the effects of naturally occurring human chemistry that affect behavior which of course always invites criticism of being soft.
- Myth breaking – I’ve heard few (though increasing) author historians describe Jack Welch as a short term leader. Sinek’s criticism however is precise. Sinek believes leadership empathy builds trust and long-term organizational progress while Welsh’s firing 10% of GE’s managers annually created the reverse.
Favorite Excerpt: “Trust is not simply a matter of shared opinions. Trust is a biological reaction to the belief that someone has our own well-being at heart”.