Sharing Our Message: Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last

Why do only a few people get to say, "I love my job"? It seems unfair that finding fulfillment at work is like winning the lottery; that only a few lucky ones get to feel valued by their organizations, to feel like they belong.

So reads the book jacket for Simon Sinek’s new release “Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t.”

Sinek is a leadership authority and bestselling author who made a name for himself with his first book "Start With Why," which offered the concept of the “golden circle” and a framework to develop inspirational leadership. Simon’s TED Talk about finding your why, with 13 million views, is the second most viewed TED video of all time.

Almost three years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Simon. Within moments, it became apparent that our vision of Truly Human Leadership was in alignment with Simon’s passion. In fact, it was he who first described our leadership as “truly human” after visiting our operations and witnessing in person the culture I had described.

Since that visit, Simon has continued a close association with Barry-Wehmiller. His experience with our culture and leadership model became a significant part of the inspiration for “Leaders Eat Last.”  The book explains how great leaders of successful organizations create environments — Circles of Safety, he calls them — in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. Barry-Wehmiller is one of the organizations he uses to illustrate how it can be done. We are honored that Simon is sharing our message.

Last week, I asked Simon his hopes for the book:

“The social impact of it cannot be measured immediately,” he said. “It will be measured over the course of time. Will it have an effect on the way people live their lives? Will people read it and give something they learned from it away? Will somebody pull out a napkin and draw a Circle of Safety on it to explain it? That is my hope.”

My hope is that you will take the time to read it. Simon is a masterful storyteller who uses his experiences with the Marines, the Air Force, Next Jump, Barry-Wehmiller and countless other organizations and people to create a thought-provoking statement about why “leadership that is truly human” is the only way to lead.