Whydoyoudowhatyoudo?

Whydoyougetoutofbedinthemorning?

Andwhyshouldanyonecare?

Itisoneoflife’sgreatestjoystowakeupinthemorningEverymorning

withaclearsenseofwhythedaymattersWhyeverydaymatters.

ThisiswhatitmeanstofindyourWhy.

ItisthestartofaninspiringjourneyYourinspiringjourney.

PORTFOLIO/PENGUIN

FINDYOURWHY

SIMONSINEKisanoptimistwhobelievesinabrighterfutureforhumanity.HistalkonTED.comisthethirdmostwatchedtalkofalltime.LearnmoreabouthisworkandhowyoucaninspirethosearoundyouatStartWithWhy.com.

DAVIDMEADbeganasacorporatetrainer.In2009,hejoinedtheStartWithWhyteamtodevelopcontenttohelpSimonsharehispowerfulideas.Nowhespeaksandfacilitatesworkshopstohelpshiftpeople’sperceptionsaboutleadershipandculture.

PETERDOCKERisaformerseniorRoyalAirForceofficerandprofessionalpilot.SincejoiningtheStartWithWhyteamin2011,Peterhasworkedwithorganizationsaroundtheworldtohelpthemarticulatetheirpurpose,educatetheirleadersandtocreatecultureswhereeachindividualthrives.

ALSOBYSIMONSINEK

StartwithWhy:HowGreatLeadersInspireEveryonetoTakeAction

LeadersEatLast:WhySomeTeamsPullTogetherandOthersDon’t

TogetherIsBetter:ALittleBookofInspiration

(illustratedbyEthanM.Aldridge)

PORTFOLIO/PENGUINAnimprintofPenguinRandomHouseLLC

375HudsonStreetNewYork,NewYork10014penguin.com

Copyright©2017bySinekPartners,LLC.Penguinsupportscopyright.Copyrightfuelscreativity,encouragesdiversevoices,promotesfreespeech,andcreatesavibrantculture.Thankyouforbuyinganauthorizededitionofthisbookandforcomplyingwithcopyrightlawsbynotreproducing,scanning,ordistributinganypartofitinanyformwithoutpermission.YouaresupportingwritersandallowingPenguintocontinuetopublishbooksforeveryreader.

LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA

Names:Sinek,Simon,author.Title:Findyourwhy/SimonSinekwithDavidMeadandPeterDocker.Description:NewYork,NewYork:Portfolio/Penguin,animprintofPenguinRandomHouse,LLC,[2017]Identifiers:LCCN2017019047(print)|LCCN2017023567(ebook)|ISBN9781101992982(ebook)|ISBN9780143111726(pbk.)Subjects:LCSH:Attitude(Psychology)|Optimism.|Conductoflife.Classification:LCCBF327(ebook)|LCCBF327.S562017(print)|DDC152.4—dc23LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017019047

WhiletheauthorshavemadeeveryefforttoprovideaccurateInternetaddressesandothercontactinformationatthetimeofpublication,neitherthepublishernortheauthorsassumeanyresponsibilityforerrorsorforchangesthatoccurafterpublication.Further,thepublisherdoesnothaveanycontroloveranddoesnotassumeanyresponsibilityforauthororthird-partywebsitesortheircontent.

Version_1

CONTENTS

EPIGRAPH

ABOUTTHEAUTHORS

ALSOBYSIMONSINEK

TITLEPAGE

COPYRIGHT

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER1StartwithWhy:APrimer

CHAPTER2DiscoverYourWHY:AnOverview

CHAPTER3WhyDiscoveryforIndividuals

CHAPTER4WhyDiscoveryforGroupsPart1:TheTribeApproach

CHAPTER5WhyDiscoveryforGroupsPart2:TalkingtotheTribe

CHAPTER6StateYourHOWs

CHAPTER7TakeaStand:DotheThingsYouSayYouBelieve

APPENDIX1FrequentlyAskedQuestionsAPPENDIX2PartnerTipsforIndividualWhyDiscoveryAPPENDIX3FacilitatorTipsforTribeWhyDiscovery

TRIBEWHYDISCOVERYWORKSHOP

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

bySimonSinek

Fulfillmentisarightandnotaprivilege.Everysingleoneofusisentitledtofeelfulfilledbytheworkwedo,towakeupfeelinginspiredtogotowork,tofeelsafewhenwe’rethereandtoreturnhomewithasensethatwecontributedtosomethinglargerthanourselves.Fulfillmentisnotalottery.Itisnotafeelingreservedforaluckyfewwhogettosay,“IlovewhatIdo.”

Forthosewhoholdaleadershipposition,creatinganenvironmentinwhichthepeopleinyourchargefeelliketheyareapartofsomethingbiggerthanthemselvesisyourresponsibilityasaleader.Forthosewhoworkforanorganizationthatdoesnotleaveyoufeelinginspiredatthebeginningandendofeveryday,youmustbecometheleaderyouwishyouhad.Regardlessofourrankintheorganization,everysingleoneofushasatleastonecolleague,clientorvendorforwhomwecantakesomeresponsibilityforhowtheyfeelwhentheyworkwithus.Thegoalisnottofocusonwhat’sstandinginyourway;itistotakestepsthatwillhaveapositiveandlastingeffectoneveryonearoundus.

TheconceptofWHYisadeeplypersonaljourneybornoutofpain.IdiscoveredtheideaatatimewhenIhadlostanypassionformywork.Theadvicepeoplegavemewasn’thelpfuleither:“Dowhatyoulove,”“Findyourbliss,”“Bepassionate.”Allaccurate—buttotallyun-actionable.Iagreedwithalltheadviceintheory,butIdidn’tknowwhattochange.Ididn’tknowwhattododifferentlyonMonday.Andthat’sthereasontheWHYhasbeenandcontinuestobesuchaprofoundforceinmylife.NotonlydiddiscoveringmyWHYrenewmypassion,itgavemeafiltertomakebetterdecisions.ItofferedmeanewlensthroughwhichIwouldseetheworlddifferently.Anditwasthroughthislens—toinspirepeopletodowhatinspiresthemsothattogethereachofuscanchangeourworld—thatIstartedpreachingtheconceptofWHYandtheGoldenCircle.And

peoplelistened.Infact,peopledidmorethanlisten,theyjoinedmeinpreachingthismessage,sharingthevision.Andourmovementwasborn.

TheTEDTalkIgavein2009helpedspreadtheideatomorepeople,andmyfirstbook,StartwithWhy,madethecaseforWHYinmuchgreaterdepth.PeopleandorganizationswhoknowtheirWHYenjoygreater,long-termsuccess,commandgreatertrustandloyaltyamongemployeesandcustomersandaremoreforward-thinkingandinnovativethantheircompetition.TheconceptofWHYandtheGoldenCirclebecameahugepieceofthepuzzletoadvancethisworldIimagined.Buttherewasaproblem.

ThoughIwasabletomakethecasefortheexistenceandthepowerofWHY,andthoughIcouldhelpsomepeopleandorganizationsdiscovertheirWHY,Iwasn’tabletogettoorhelpasmanypeopleasweneededtoifwearetohaveanimpactinlotsofpeople’slives.MyteambuiltuponwhatIstarted.Theymademyprocessevenbetter.Theystartedhelpingpeople.TheyevendevelopedanonlinecoursetohelppeoplediscovertheirWHY.Buteventhatwasn’tenough.

That’sthereasonthisbookexists.IfStartwithWhymakesthecasefortheWHY,FindYourWhyprovidesthestepstoshowpeoplehowtoactuallydoit.AndjustasStartwithWhyillustrates,thoughImaybetheguywiththeidea,Idon’tknowhowtobringittolifeatscale.That’swhereDavidandPetercomein.

PeterDockerandDavidMeadjoinedmeonthisjourneybecausetheywereinspiredbytheworldIimagined.Bothhaveauniqueskillsettohelpbringmyvision—ourvision—toreality.ImayhavefiguredouthowtohelponepersonlearntheirWHY,butitwasDavidandPeterthatfiguredouthowtohelparoomofsixtypeople,forexample,findtheirWHY.

Davidknowshowtomakethingswork.Yearsago,inspiredbyoneofmytalks,hestarteddevelopingworkbooksandbuildingtrainingprogramstohelpthepeopleathisthen-company.Hedidthiswithouteveraskingmeoranyoneelseforhelp.OnceIgotwindofwhathehaddone,Iwasblownawaybyhowdeeplyheunderstoodmyideasandhisabilitytoputthemintopractice.

PeterretiredfromtheRoyalAirForceandwantedtocontinuealifeofserviceintheprivatesector.Hediscoveredmyworkandreachedouttosimplysayhowmuchitinspiredhim.Hehascombinedmyideaswithworkhewasalreadydoingtoamplifyitsimpact.Soonafterwemet,hestartedmentoringfolksonourteamjustoutofthegoodnessofhisownheart.Hisworkwassogoodthatwestartedusingmanyofhisideastohelpbuildourcompanyandgrowourmovement.

Botheventuallyjoinedourteamandadeepfriendshipformedbetweenthetwoofthem.Theircollectivegeniushastakenmyworkandmadeitevenbetter.Sowhentheopportunitycametowriteafollow-upguidetoStartwithWhy,IturnedtoDavidandPetertohelp.Theseguysarethe“how”tomy“why.”AndIlovethatourmovementhasgiventhemtheabilitytosharetheirexpertisewithsomanymorepeople.

Thisbookhasbeenyearsinthemaking.PeterandDavidhavetraveledtheworldtotalkabouttheWHYandworkcloselywithindividualsandorganizationstohelpthemunderstand,discoverandusetheconcepts.Theyhaveheardthequestions,discoveredtheroadblocksandfoundbetterandbetterwaystoadvancethevision.Andthat’swhereyoucomein.

Ifwearetoprofoundlychangethewayinwhichthebusinessworldworks,ifwehelporganizationscreateculturesinwhichtrustandcooperationarethenormratherthantheexception,ifwearetobuildtheworldweimagine,wewillneedhelp.Lotsofit.Thoughtheworkmyteamisdoingismakingadent,wealonewillbeunabletocreatethekindofchangenecessary.Itwilltakeanarmy.

DavidandPeterwrotethisbooktobeapracticalguide.Acompleteself-containedhandbookthatgivesanypersonthepiecestheyneedtodiscoverandarticulatetheirWHY.Wedesignedthebookwithlotsofspaceinthemarginssothatyoucantakenotesalongtheway.Fillintheblanks,dog-earthepages,highlightasyougo.Don’tbepreciousaboutit.

FindYourWhyisajourney.Thoughallthehow-tostepsmaybeinthebook,it’sgoingtotakeworkandpatiencetoreallygetit.Remember,thisbookisaguide.Followthesteps,learntheconceptsandabsolutelytweakasyougotomaketheprocessyourown.Ifyoufindsomethingthatworksbetterforyou,doit!

Thinkofthisbookasthegunthatfiresatthebeginningoftherace.Thatbangfillsyouwithexcitementandenergyasyousetoff.Butitisthelessonsyouwilllearnasyouruntherace—asyoulearntoliveyourWHY—thatwillinspireyouandshowyouwhatyouarecapableof.Andrememberthemostimportantlesson.Thegoalisnotsimplyforyoutocrossthefinishline,buttoseehowmanypeopleyoucaninspiretorunwithyou.

Thereisanentiresectioninthebookshopcalled“self-help,”butthereisnosectioncalled“help-others.”Thisiswhatwearealldoingtogether—wearepioneeringthehelp-othersindustry.ForallofthepeoplewhowanttolearntheirWHY,whowanttheircompaniestostartwithWHY,whowanttohelpothersfindtheirWHY...forallofthepeoplewhowanttohelpbuildaworldinwhichthevastmajorityofpeoplewakeupinspiredtogotowork,tofeelsafewhentheyarethereandtoreturnhomefulfilledbytheworktheydo...Isaywelcome.Themoreofuswhoraiseourhandsandsay,“Countmein,”thegreaterthechancethatwewillbuildtheworldweimagine.Youin?

INTRODUCTION

Wetravelalotforbusiness,butsometimesourbusinessjustwon’twait—itclimbsrightontotheplaneandfindsus.That’swhathappenedtoPeteroneday,onaflightfromMiamitoSt.Louis.Here’sthestoryasPetertellsit:

Iwasexhausted.AllIwantedtodowasgettowhereIwasgoing.Anotherflight.Anotherstrangertositnextto.Iprayedtotheairlinegodsforaseatmatewhowouldn’tinvademyspace,physicallyorverbally.Ijustwantedtobeleftalone.Butasitturnedout,myneighborwasgoingtobeoneofthosepeopleandthiswasgoingtobeoneofthoseflights.

Iwassettlinginforthefour-hourtripwhenStevesatdownandintroducedhimself.Aftersomechitchat,hestartedtellingmewhathedoesforaliving.Ifyou’vebeeninthissituation,youalreadyknowthatStevewasnot,say,abodyguardforHollywoodstars,eagertosharebehind-the-scenesstoriesabouttheirlovelivesandrecreationaldruguse.Nosalaciousstoriesorgossiptoentertainmefortheflight.No.Fortwenty-threeyears,Stevehadbeensellingsteel.Yup,steel.Riveting.

Itturnsout,however,thesteelStevesellsisnotjusttherun-of-the-millvariety.Hiscompany,basedinSweden,producesaparticularlypureformofsteelthatenablesmachinestorunmoreefficientlybecausetheirparts—forexample,acar’stransmission—arelighter.Anengineerhimself,Stevecouldpersonallyattesttohisproduct’ssuperiorityoverotheroptionsonthemarket.

Ashewrappedup,Stevelookedatmeexpectantly,obviouslylongingforafollow-upquestionthatwouldlethimtalkmoreaboutsteel.Troublewas,Ididn’tmuchcarewhatStevedid.It’snotthatI’malooforunsociableoronlyinterestedingossip.I’mnoneoftheabove.Whatdrawsmeinisnotwhatpeople

doforalivingbutwhytheydoit.SoinsteadofaskingStevehowmuchhissteelcostsandwhohisbestclientsare,Iturnedtohimandsaid,“Sowhat?”

“Well,er,”Stevefaltered,notunderstandingthequestion.SoIputitanotherway:“Igetthatthesteelyousellisverypure.Igetthatitallowsforlightercomponents,whichmakesmachinesmoreefficient.Butsowhat?”

Stevestammeredabitmore,thenblurtedout,“Well,notsomuchmaterialneedstobeused.”

Gettingcloser.Ipushedalittlemore.

“Andwhatdifferencedoesthatmake?”ForamomentStevelookedasifhemightcrumble.Allhe’dwantedwastomakesmalltalk.Nowhewasstuckwithmyweirdquestionsforthenextthreehours(thetableshadturned).ButwekepttalkingandIhelpedhimfindhisanswers.

Asitturnsout,suchpuresteelmeansthatpartsbuiltwithlessmaterialstillremainstrong.Usinglessmaterialmeansneedingtodolesssmelting(theprocessofextractingmetalfromitsore),solessenergyisusedinthesteelproductionprocessandthuslesspollutioniscreated.Andwhenthesteelisusedtoproduceamachinesuchasacar,thoseadvantagesarerepeated:thecarislighter,soituseslessfuelandthereforeproduceslesspollution.Andasifthatweren’tenough,purersteeliseasiertorecyclethanothervarieties.Thiswasactuallyinteresting...butwestillhadn’tgottentowhyStevewassoenthusiasticabouthisjob.

“Savingfuelandreducingpollutionisgreat,”Isaid,“buttheremustbesomethingmoretothisbusinessthat’skeptyougoingfortwenty-threeyears.”That’salongtimetodosomethingandstillbepassionateaboutit.“Theremustbesomethingmoreatstake,somethingyoutrulybelievein,”Iproddedhim.Andthenithappened.Forthefirsttimeinourconversation,IsawSteve’seyeslightup.Andhisfeelingspouredout.

Steveiscommittedtokeepingtheplanethealthyforhischildrenandfuturegenerations,andonewaytodothatistobemoreresponsibleinthewayweuseourplanet’srichresources.Forallthetimehe’dbeentalkingtomeaboutsteel,

heneveroncementionedthis,yetitwastheverythingthatinspiredhimtostarttellingastrangeronaplaneallaboutpuresteel.

IaskedSteveforpermissiontorephrasehissalespitch.“Insimpleterms,”Ibegan,speakingasifIwereSteve,“Ibelieveinusingnaturalresourcesforthebenefitofhumankind.AndIalsobelievethatweshoulddosoresponsibly,leavingtheplanetsafeandhealthyforourchildren.Thisiswhatledmetobecomeanengineerandtojoinmycurrentorganization.Ourcompany,basedinSweden—acountrycommittedtosustainability—hasdevelopedawaytohelpengineerscreatelighter,moreefficient,greenerproducts.Andourparticularpathtosustainabilityhappenstobelightweightsteel.”

“Thankyou,”Stevesaid,beaming.“You’vejustputintowordsthereasonIlovewhatIdo.”

Simplybystartingmyversionofthepitchwithwhyheloveshisjob,IhelpedSteveseethatit’snotwhathedoesthathaskepthimfulfilledformorethantwodecades.Whatinspireshimiswhyhedoesit.Byconnectinghisworktohissenseofpurpose,StevehaddiscoveredhisWHY.

*

Yourvisionisonlyactionableifyousayitoutloud.Ifyoukeepittoyourself,itwillremainafigmentofyourimagination.

EveryoneofushasaWHY,adeep-seatedpurpose,causeorbeliefthatisthesourceofourpassionandinspiration.Youmaynotyetknowwhatyoursisorhowtoexpressitinwords.Butweguarantee,youhaveone.Ifyou’dliketounderstandyourWHY,andwouldrathernotwaituntilPetersitsnexttoyouonaflight,thisbookcanhelp.WebelievethatallofusdeservetoliveasStevedoes:

wakingupinspiredtogotoworkandcominghome,attheendoftheday,feelingfulfilledbytheworkwedo.

Fulfillmentisn’tanotherwordforhappiness.Allkindsofthingsmakeushappyatwork:hittingagoal,gettingapromotion,landinganewclient,completingaproject—thelistgoeson.Buthappinessistemporary;thefeelingdoesn’tlast.Nobodywalksaroundenergizedbythememoryofagoalhittwelvemonthsago.Thatintensitypasseswithtime.

Fulfillmentisdeeper.Fulfillmentlasts.Thedifferencebetweenhappinessandfulfillmentisthedifferencebetweenlikingsomethingandlovingsomething.Wedon’tnecessarilylikeourkidsallthetime,forexample,butwedolovethemallthetime.Wedon’tnecessarilyfindhappinessinourjobseveryday,butwecanfeelfulfilledbyourworkeverydayifitmakesusfeelpartofsomethingbiggerthanourselves.(That’sthereasonwecanfeelunfulfilledevenifwe’resuccessfulbystandardmeasureslikecompensationandstatus.FulfillmentcomeswhenourjobconnectsdirectlytoourWHY.)Steve,ourmanofsteel,findshappinesswhenheclosesadealbutfindsfulfillmentknowingthatheiscontributingtoahighercausewithlargerimplications.Happinesscomesfromwhatwedo.Fulfillmentcomesfromwhywedoit.

Steveisaluckyman.Thoughhecouldn’tarticulatehisWHYuntilhemetandtalkedwithPeter,hehadbeenlivinghisWHYfordecadesandasaresultfeltinspiredandfulfilled.ButwhatifthecompanyinSwedenhadbeenacquiredbyalargercompanythatdownsizedSteve?Whatifhe’dhadtolookforanewjobwithoutknowinghisWHY?Givenhisdecadesofexperience,he’dmostlikelyhavetriedforanotherjobsellingsteel.Butifthenewcompanywasn’tdedicatedtosustainability,hissenseofpurposewouldhavevanishedalongwithhisenthusiasmwhentalkingtostrangersonplanes.Andhemightneverhaveconnectedthepiecesandseenthathispassionforhisworkactuallyhadnothingtodowithsteelinthefirstplace.

Ifwewanttofeelanundyingpassionforourwork,ifwewanttofeelwearecontributingtosomethingbiggerthanourselves,weallneedtoknowourWHY.Andthat’sthereasonwewrotethisbook.

*

FindYourWhyisadistillationofwhatourteamhaslearnedfromovertwenty-fiveyearsofcollectiveexperienceconductingWhyDiscoveries.Wehavehelpedallkindsofpeople—includingentrepreneurs,individualemployees,smallbusinessesandteamswithinlargebusinesses—tofindtheirWHY.Thisbookwasdesignedtohelpyoufindyours.

Belowisanoutlineofthesevenchapters.Thefirsttwocontaininformationthat’sfundamentaltofindingyourWHY,andweurgeeveryonetoreadthem.Afterthat,youcanmoveontoeitherchapter3orchapter4,dependingonwhetheryou’rediscoveringyourWHYasanindividualorasateamorgroupmember.Finally,werecommendthatallreadersreviewchapters5,6and7.Attheendofthebook,weofferassortedbitsofadditionalinformationthatmayhelpyouasquestionsarise.

Chapter1isahighlycondensedrecapofStartwithWhy,thebookwrittenbySimonSinek,whopopularizedtheconceptofWHY.ThissectiondiscussessomeofthebenefitsofknowingyourWHY.

Chapter2providesanoverviewoftheprocessofdiscoveringyourWHY.Thisisimportanttoreadwhetheryou’redoingthisonyourownorwithateam.

Chapter3isthestep-by-stepprocessforindividuals—entrepreneursoremployees—tofindtheirpersonalWHY.IfyouareusingthisbooktohelpyourteamororganizationfinditsWHY,thoughnotimperative,completingthissectionandlearningyourownWHYcanhelpyouleadyourgroupthroughthediscoveryprocess.

Chapter4explainswhatyouneedtodotoprepareforaWhyDiscoveryforateam,organizationorany“tribe”inwhichpeoplearebroughttogethertowork.

Chapter5picksupwherechapter4leavesoffandexplainshowtotakeatribethroughtheWhyDiscoveryprocess.

TheWHYisthedestinationandHOWsaretheroutewetaketogetthere.Chapter6isallabouttheHOWs,theactionswetaketobringourWHYtolife.

Chapter7explainshowtoshareyourWHYwithothers,andhowtobegintoliveyourWHYandputitintopractice.

Theappendixesprovideanswerstothequestionswereceivemostofteninourworkshopsand“cheatsheets”forwhenyou(oranotherfacilitator)areconductingtheworkshops.

OneofthehardestthingstopredictaboutfindingyourWHYishowlongitwilltake.Inchapters3through5,weoutlinetheprocessforindividualsandtribes,andestimate,basedonourexperience,approximatelyhowmuchtimeeachstepwilltake.Butthesenumbersareonlyaverages.Forsome,theprocessgoesmorequickly,andforothers,moreslowly.Thereisno“right”amountoftime.What’simportantistostickwitheachsectionorstepuntilyoufeelconfidentaboutmovingontothenextone.

Tobehonest,knowingyou’reabouttoturnthepagetochapter1,wefeelalittlejealous.WelovehelpingpeoplefindtheirWHY.Forus—PeterandDavid—wewishwecouldbetherepersonallywitheachoneofyou.ButourvisionistobringtheWHYtolifeforasmanypeopleaspossible.Andsowewillbeyourvirtualguidesasyousetoffonyouradventure.Inspireon!

CHAPTER1

StartwithWhy

APrimer

Sometimesaprojectthatlookslikeaneasywinforusturnsintoadisappointmentorevenadisaster.Moreimportantly,sometimeswe,oracompetitor,succeedbrilliantlywhenalltheusualbusinessassumptionssayweshouldhaveflopped.Theseoutcomescanseemmysterious,butthey’renotiflookedatinaframeworkthatstartswithWHY.

Inhisbook,StartwithWhy,SimonSinekusesamodelthathecallstheGoldenCircletoexplainhowlegendaryleaderssuchasSteveJobs,MartinLutherKingJr.andtheWrightbrotherswereabletoachievewhatotherswhowerejustassmartandhardworking,andsometimesbetterfunded,werenot.

Ifyou’vereadSimon’sbookorseenhimtalkaboutWHYonTED.com(http://bit.ly/GoldenCircleTalk),you’realreadyfamiliarwiththeGoldenCircle;thischapterwillservetoremindyouofthemostimportantpoints.IftheGoldenCircleisnewforyou,whatfollowsistheheartofthematter—andisessentialpreparationforyourownsearchforWHY.

Everyorganization—andeveryperson’scareer—operatesonthreelevels,asshownintheillustrationonthenextpage:Whatwedo,howwedoit,andwhywedoit.Weallknowwhatwedo:theproductswesell,theservicesweofferorthejobswedo.Someofusknowhowwedoit:thethingsthatwethinkmakeusdifferentorstandoutfromthecrowd.Butveryfewofuscanclearlyarticulatewhywedowhatwedo.

“Holdon,”youmightsay.“Let’sbehonesthere—aren’tmostpeopleworkingtoearnmoney?That’stheobvious‘why.’”First,moneyisaresult.Thoughitisapartofthepicture,it’snotwhatinspiresanyoneofustogetoutofbedinthemorning.Andforthecynicsouttherewhothinktheyorothersreallydogetoutofbedforthemoney,thequestionweaskis,whatisthereasontheywantthemoney.Isitforfreedom?Totravel?Toprovidealifestylefortheirkidsthattheydidn’thave?Isittokeepscoreandshowtheyhavedonemorethanothers?Thepointis,moneyisn’tthethingthatdrivespeople.WHYgoesmuchdeepertounderstandingwhatmotivatesandinspiresus.Itisthepurpose,causeorbeliefthatdriveseveryorganizationandeveryperson’sindividualcareer.Whydoesyourcompanyexist?Whydidyougetoutofbedthismorning?Andwhyshouldanyonecare?

Whenwemeetnewcustomersorclients,thefirstthingmostofustellthemiswhatwedo.Thenweexplainhowwedoitorhowwearedifferent.This,wethink,willbeenoughtowintheirbusiness,swaytheirpointofvieworconvincethemtotakeaparticularaction.Thefollowingpitchfollowsthattemplate:

Wesellpaper.Weofferthehighestqualityproductatthebestpossibleprice.Lowerthananyofourcompetitors.Wannabuysome?

Thisisaveryrationalpitch.Itstatesclearlywhatthecompanydoesandattemptstopersuadepotentialbuyerstochooseitsproductoverothers’onthebasisoffeaturesandbenefits.Thoughthisapproachmayworknowandthen,atbestitwillresultinafewrecurringtransactions.Assoonasthebuyerfindsabetterdeal,theywillbegone,becausethepitchdoesn’tdifferentiatethisspecificvendorfromothercompaniesinanywaythattrulymatters.Loyaltyisnotbuiltonfeaturesandbenefits.Featuresandbenefitsdonotinspire.Loyaltyandlong-lastingrelationshipsarebasedonsomethingdeeper.

Let’strythepitchagain.Let’sstartwithWHY:

Whatgoodisanideaifitcan’tbeshared?Ourcompanywasfoundedtohelpspreadideas.Themoreideasthatareshared,thegreaterthelikelihoodthoseideaswillhaveanimpactintheworld.Therearemanywaystoshareideas;oneisthewrittenword.That’swherewecomein.Wemakepaperforthosewords.Wemakepaperforbigideas.Wannabuysome?

Totallydifferent,right?StartingwithWHYjustmadepapersoundreallygood.Andifitcandothatforacommodity,imaginewhatitcandoforaproductthatreallycanstandout.Thispitchisnotbasedonfactsandfigures,featuresandbenefits.Thosethingshavevaluebutnotfirst.LeadingwithWHYhasadeeper,moreemotionalandultimatelymoreinfluentialvalue.Whenweusethesecondpitch,we’renolongertalkingaboutpaper.We’retalkingaboutwhoourcompanyisandwhatwestandfor.Ofcourse,you’llalwaysgetthosepeoplewhojustwantareamofpaper.Andyet,ifyourcustomers’personalbeliefsandvaluesalignwiththoseexpressedinyourpitch—i.e.,iftheybelieveinthespreadofideas—thentheyaremuchmorelikelytowanttodobusinesswithyou,notjustonetime,butoverandoverandoveragain.Infact,theyaremorelikelytostayloyalevenifanothervendoroffersabetterprice.Itsayssomethingaboutthemwhentheydobusinesswithacompanythatreflectstheirbeliefs.

Companiesthatinspire,companiesthatcommandtrustandloyaltyoverthelongterm,aretheonesthatmakeusfeelwe’reaccomplishingsomethingbiggerthanjustsavingabuck.Thatfeelingofalliancewithsomethingbiggeristhereasonwekeepwearingthejerseyofourhometownsportsteameventhoughthey’vemissedtheplayoffsfortenyearsandcounting.It’swhysomeofuswillalwaysbuyAppleproductsoverotherbrands,evenifAppleisn’talwaysthemostaffordablechoice.Whetherweliketoadmititornot,wearenotentirelyrational

beings.Ifwewere,noonewouldeverfallinloveandnoonewouldeverstartabusiness.Facedwithanoverwhelmingchanceoffailure,norationalpersonwouldevertakeeitherofthoserisks.Butwedo.Everyday.Becausehowwefeelaboutsomethingorsomeoneismorepowerfulthanwhatwethinkaboutitorthem.

There’sjustoneproblemwithfeelings.Theycanbetremendouslydifficulttoexpressinwords.That’sthereasonwesooftenresorttometaphorsandanalogies,like“Ourrelationshipfeelslikeatrainheadingathighspeedtowardaricketybridge.”“WhenIgettotheoffice,Ifeellikealittlekidontheplaygroundagain.”Eventhoughcommunicatingourfeelingsishard,thepayoffisbig.Whenwealignemotionallywithourcustomersandclients,ourconnectionismuchstrongerandmoremeaningfulthananyaffiliationbasedonfeaturesandbenefits.That’swhatstartingwithWHYisallabout.

Andhere’sthebestpart:Thisisnotouropinion.ThiswholeconceptofWHYisgroundedinthetenetsofbiologyofhumandecisionmaking.HowtheGoldenCircleworksmapsperfectlywithhowourbrainworks.

TheoutersectionoftheGoldenCircle—theWHAT—correspondstotheoutersectionofthebrain—theneocortex.Thisisthepartofthebrainresponsibleforrationalandanalyticalthought.Ithelpsusunderstandfactsandfigures,featuresandbenefits.Theneocortexisalsoresponsibleforlanguage.

ThemiddletwosectionsoftheGoldenCircle—theWHYandHOW—correspondtothemiddlesectionofthebrain,thelimbicsystem.Thisisthepartofthebrainresponsibleforallourbehavioranddecisionmaking.It’salsoresponsibleforallourfeelings,liketrustandloyalty.Butunliketheneocortex,thelimbicsystemhasnocapacityforlanguage.Thisiswhere“gutfeelings”comefrom.It’snotourstomach.It’safeelingwegetaboutadecisionwehavetomakethatwestruggletoexplain.

Thatseparationofpowersisthebiologicalreasonwesometimesfinditdifficulttoputourfeelingsintowords(“Iloveyoumorethanwordscansay”),explainouractions(“Thedevilmademedoit!”)orjustifyourdecisions(“Idon’tknow...itjustfeltright”).

Wecanlearn,however,toputwordstothosefeelings.Andthosewhodoaretheoneswhoarebetterabletoinspireactioninthemselves,amongtheircolleaguesandwiththeircustomers.Wewrotethisbooktohelpyoufindthosewords.

OnceyouunderstandyourWHY,you’llbeabletoclearlyarticulatewhatmakesyoufeelfulfilledandtobetterunderstandwhatdrivesyourbehaviorwhenyou’reatyournaturalbest.Whenyoucandothat,you’llhaveapointofreferenceforeverythingyoudogoingforward.You’llbeabletomakemoreintentionalchoicesforyourbusiness,yourcareerandyourlife.You’llbeabletoinspireotherstobuyfromyou,workwithyouandjoinyourcause.Neveragainshouldyouhavetoplaythelotteryandactongutdecisionsthataremadeforreasonsyoudon’treallyunderstand.Fromnowon,youwillworkwithpurpose,onpurpose.Fromnowon,you’llstartwithWHY.

Theopportunityisnottodiscovertheperfectcompanyforourselves.Theopportunityistobuildtheperfectcompanyforeachother.

WhatWHYLooksLikeinAction

TheHRdirector,dressedinacrisp,graybusinesssuit,lookedupatEmilyandbarkedhisstandardopeningquestion:“So,whatcanyoubringtoourcompany?”

Afewmonthsbeforeshegraduatedfromcollege,Emilyappliedforapositionatalargeglobalcorporation.Astraight-Astudentwhohadgonetouniversityonafullscholarship,sheeasilymadeitthroughthefirstcutandnowfoundherselfinapanelinterview,whereshesatacrossthetablefromtheHRdirectorandthreeotherexecutives.Theycouldseefromherapplicationthatshewasbright,buttheyworriedaboutherlackofreal-worldexperience.Moreimportant,theywantedtofindoutifshewouldfittheircultureandhowshewouldcopeunderpressure.

Themaningrayelaborated:“Wehavealotofhighlyqualifiedapplicantsforthisposition.Telluswhatyouhavethattheydon’t.”

Aconscientiousstudent,Emilyhadpreparedfortheinterviewbylearningeverythingshecouldaboutthecompany.Buteveryothercandidatehadaccesstothesameinformation.SoEmilywentastepfurther.EmilyunleashedherWHY.

“BeforeItalkaboutwhatImightbeabletobringtoyourcompany,”shecalmlytoldtheHRdirector,“letmefirstgivethereasonIgetoutofbedeveryday.

“Istrivetohelppeoplebethebestversionofthemselves.That’swhatinspiresme.Basedonyourwebsite,Isensethatthisispreciselywhatyoubelieveintoo.So,whywouldn’tIapplytobepartofyourorganization?”

Thatcaughttheirattention.

Theinterviewersstoppedshufflingtheirpapersandlookedherintheface.Emilythenseguedtoamoretraditionalpitchaboutherskillsandstrengths,butthebattlewasalreadywon.Thatfirstexchange,whichlastedlessthanthirtyseconds,hadalreadypersuadedtheinterviewerstohireher.BystartingwithherWHY,Emilyhadspokendirectlytothelimbic,decision-makingcentersoftheirbrains.Byshowingwhoshewas,notjustwhatshecoulddo,sheformedaninstantandgenuineconnection.That’sallittook.Theyknewintheirgutthattheywantedherontheirteam.

ItwasrelativelystraightforwardforEmilytoo.Insteadofusingpreptimetocomeupwithcleveranswerstoahostofhypotheticalquestions,she’dfocusedonbeingcomfortablewithcommunicatingherWHY.Onceshefacedthepanel,allshehadtodowasspeak“fromherheart”(i.e.,herlimbicbrain)aboutwhatinspiredhertowanttoworkthere.Therestoftheinterviewfeltmuchmorelikeaconversationthananinquisitionandallheranswersvalidatedthepanelists’intuition.Afterward,hercellphonerangbeforesheevengothome.ItwastheHRdirectorofferingherthejob.

Toolscanbeusedformanypurposes.Withahammer,forexample,wecansimplyhangapictureorwecanbuildawholehouse.OurWHYisanequallyversatiletool,withapplicationsbothnarrowandbroad.Wecanuseittoaceanintervieworinspireourteam.Anentrepreneurcanuseittoguideasinglenew

ventureortodirecttheirentireorganization.Acompanycanuseittoinspireamarketingcampaignortotransformitscorporateculture.Onetool,manyuses.

AnotherwaytothinkoftheWHYisasapieceofajigsawpuzzle.Whenyouknowwhatyourpiecelookslike,it’smucheasiertoseewhereitfitsordoesn’tfit.Decisionscanbemademorequicklyandwithgreatercertainty.Andwhenotherscanseeyourpiece,theycanseewhetheritfitswiththeirs.Ifitdoes,that’swhentheimagestartstotakeshape.Intherealworld,thatlookslikeateamcomingtogethertoadvanceacommonvision(or,likethepeoplewhohiredEmily,knowingwhotoinvitetojointheirteam).

Therearetwowaystobuildacareerorabusiness.Wecangothroughlifehuntingandpecking,lookingforopportunitiesorcustomers,hopingthatsomethingconnects.Orwecangothroughlifewithintention,knowingwhatourpiecelookslike,knowingourWHY,andgoingstraighttotheplaceswefit.

FindingtheRightFit

ItwasbreaktimeforagroupofseniorTVexecsgoingthroughtheWhyDiscoveryprocessfortheircompany.Aseveryoneelsemadeabeelineforthecoffee,Susan,theHRdirector,walkedovertohercolleagueJim.“Idon’tthinkweshouldhirehim,”shesaid.

Forseveralweeks,SusanandJimhadbeendebatingwhetherornottohireacandidateforacriticalposition.Theyhadconductedawidesearchandnarroweddowntheirshortlisttojustoneperson.Onpaper,helookedgreat.Hehadalltheboxeschecked.Butsomethingjustdidn’tfeelright.

“Ididn’tknowwhattheproblemwasbefore,”Susansaid.“Butnowit’ssoclear.”

Jimfinishedherthought.“Hedoesn’tbelievewhatwebelieve.”

ThankstotheWhyDiscoveryprocess,SusanandJimhadexperiencedthesameepiphany.Thecandidateinquestionhadalltherightqualifications,buthewasmissingsomethingincrediblyimportant.Hecouldn’tchampiontheirWHY.Hewasupforakeyroleandleavingthepositionemptyforanotherfewmonthswouldabsolutelyhurtthecompany.Buttheyresolvedthenandthere,rightnexttothesnacktable,thatregardlessofanyshort-termpaintheymightsuffer,they

TheWHYexistsonamacrolevelandamicrolevel.AcompanyhasaWHY,eachdivisionorteamhasaWHY,andeveryindividualhasaWHY.Theopportunityistomakesuretherightpeopleareworkingintherightplacesintherightcompany.We’llcovermoreaboutthisidea,calledNestedWHYs,inchapter4.

wouldkeeplookinguntiltheyfoundsomeonewhocoulddothejobandwouldbetherightfitfortheircompany.

It’seasiertohiresomeonebasedontheirrésumé.It’shardertohiresomeonefortheirculturalfit.Thereasonisprettyobvious.Weusuallyhirebecausewehaveajobthatneedstobedone.Welookattherésumétoseeifthecandidatehastheskillsandexperiencetodothatjob.Factsareinvolved.Forbetterorforworse,hiringforculturalfitisusuallylessaboutfactsandmoreabouthowitfeels.Irresponsibleexecutiveswillignorethatfeeling(a.k.a.theirgut)whereasgoodexecutiveswilllistentoit.Theproblemis,it’sstillafeeling.

InthecaseoftheTVexecutives,theirgutfeelingthatthecandidatewaswrongfortheircompany,eventhoughhisskillswereright,wasstrongenoughtocausethemconcern.Buttheirinabilitytoarticulatethereasontheyfelthewaswrongkeptthemfromusingtheirgutfeelingasthebasisformakingthedecision.Thishappenstothebestofus—whenallsignssay“go,”yetourgutistellingustoholdback.It’sbecauseweareabouttomakeadecisionthat’soutofalignmentwithourvaluesandbeliefs.Assoonasacompany’sWHYisputintowords,theculturebecomesalittlemoretangibleandtherightdecisionbecomesclearimmediately.

Itwouldbeniceifbusinesswaspurelyscience,butitisn’t.Whilesomepartsofabusinessarepredictable,tangibleandeasytomeasure(thinkprofit,revenuesandexpenses),thefactis,therearehugepartsofabusinessthatareunpredictable,intangibleandhardtomeasure(thinkvision,inspiration,trust...andhiringsomeonetofittheculture).It’snotthatwedon’tunderstandthevalueoftheintangibles;it’sthatwehavetroubleexplainingwhatthatvalueis.Sometimestheintangiblevaluesareabandonedbecausetheinternalorexternalpressureto“makethenumbers”overwhelmsconcernsaboutthecompany’slong-termwell-being.Orsometimesintangiblesgetignoredbecausewelacktheabilitytofullygrasporexplainthem,tohavethepatiencetonurturethemortoknowwhichyardstickwouldaccuratelymeasurethem.Ifwehadtherighttoolstomanagetheintangibles,we’dprobablygivethemmoreattention.

Toolshelpuskeeptrackofinventoryinsideacompany,butwhattoolcanhelpusgaugetheculturalfitofapotentialemployee?Wecaneasilycalculateprofitbydeductingourexpensesfromourincome,buthowdoweaccuratelymeasurethediscretionaryeffortofourworkforce?Wecanknowacustomer’spurchasehistory,buthowdoweknowiftheytrustthecompany?Havingnoanswerstothesequestionsisthereasontoomanycompanieshireforskillsbeforefit,talkaboutculturebutdon’tknowhowtobuilditandfailtocreatedeep,humanconnectionswiththeiremployeesandcustomers.

TheWHYisatoolthatcanbringclaritytothatwhichisfuzzyandmaketangiblethatwhichisabstract.Usedproperly,itcanbeusedtohire,todevelopstrategiesandtocommunicatemoreclearly(internallyandexternally).TheWHYcanhelpsetavisiontoinspirepeople.TheWHYcanguideustoactwithpurpose,onpurpose.

Inthenextfewchapters,wewillexplainhowtofindyourWHYandputitintowords.

CHAPTER2

DiscoverYourWHY

AnOverview

Theworkworldistough:Wakeup,gotowork,dealwiththeboss(orifyouaretheboss,dealwitheveryone),makemoney(ideallytomakemorethisyearthanlastyear),comehome,managepersonallife,gotobed,wakeup,repeat.That’splentytodealwitheveryday.Whygetfancy(andwastetime)bytryingtoalsounderstandwhyyoudowhatyoudo?Theanswertothatquestionisn’tfancy;it’ssimple.Whetheryou’rereadingthisasanentrepreneur,anemployee,asaleaderofateamoradivisionoryouwanttotackletheWHYofyourentireorganization,discoveringtheWHYinjectspassionintoourwork.Thisisnotaformulaforsuccess.Therearemanywaystobesuccessful(bytraditionalmetrics);however,theGoldenCircleisatooltohelpusachievelong-term,fulfillingsuccess.

Ifyou’reanentrepreneur,discoveryourWHYsoyoucancommunicatewhatissingularaboutyourcompanytoyouremployeesandclientsorcustomers.Forexample,Applemaynotalwaysselltheverybestproducts—ahem,batterylife—butifyou’resomeonewhowantsto“ThinkDifferent,”youprobablyswearbyAppleonanemotionallevelyou’dneverexperiencewith,say,Dell.AndknowingyourWHYmakesiteasiertohiretherightpeople.Everyentrepreneurwantsastaffoftruebelievers,buthowcanyoufindthosepeopleifyouaren’tclearonwhat,beyondhardwork,youneedthemtobelievein?IfyouknowyourWHY,youcanhirepeoplewhobelievewhatyoubelieve,whichisamuchstrongermotivatorthanmoney.KnowingyourWHYisthesecrettohiringfor“fit.”

Ifyou’reanindividualemployee,likeSteve,thelight-steelsalesmanwhosatnexttoPeter,knowingyourWHYrefreshesorrenewsyourpassionandconnectsyoutoyourcompany’sWHY.Andshouldyouandthatcompanyeverpartways,clearlyunderstandingyourownWHYwillbeaninvaluabletooltohelpchooseyournextjob:acompanywhereyou’remorelikelyto“fit,”succeedandfeelfulfilled.

Ifyoubelongtoateamordivisionwithinanorganization,itwilllikelyhaveitsownsubculture.Insomecases,articulatingthatteam’sWHY,theuniquecontributiontheteammakestotheorganization,canbeverypowerful.Itcan

helpconnectthosepeopleontheteaminadeeperandmoremeaningfulwaytothedifferencetheorganizationmakesintheworld.

IfyouwanttodiscovertheWHYoftheentireorganizationitwillcomefromoneoftwosources:Thefirstisfromthefounder’sWHY,whichdrawsfromtheoriginstory.Ifthefounderisnolongeravailable,wehaveamethodthatengagespeopleintheorganizationtoidentifytheWHYbasedonthebestelementsoftheexistingculture.

We’vedividedourapproachestoWhyDiscoveryintothreechaptersthataddressthesecategoriesabove.Whetheryou’reafounder,entrepreneuroranemployee,you’reonepersonandyouwillusetheIndividualWhyDiscoveryprocess,coveredinchapter3.Ifyouarepartofateam,groupordivisionwithinalargercompanyusetheTribeApproachcoveredinchapters4and5.TheTribeApproachisalsothemethodyoushoulduseifyouwanttodiscovertheWHYoftheentireorganizationandthefounderisnolongeractivelyinvolved.

Butbeforeyouseparateintoindividualsandtribes,let’sjumpintotheheartoftheprocess,thebasicstepseveryonefollows.

Step1:GatherStoriesandShareThemEachofushasonlyoneWHY.It’snotastatementaboutwhoweaspiretobe;itexpresseswhowearewhenweareatournaturalbest.If,likeStevethesteelsalesman,you’realreadyunconsciouslylivingyourWHY,thenspellingitoutforyourselfwillturnitintoanevenmorepowerfultool.Andifyou’restrugglingtoliveyourWHY,thenfinallyunderstandingyourpurpose,causeorbeliefcanhelpyouchangecourseandrealignwithanewperspective,anewroleorperhapsevenanewcompanytohelpyoufindthefeelingoffulfillmentthatmayhaveeludedyouthusfar.

Atitscore,theWHYisanoriginstory.Bylookingtoourpastandteasingoutthemostsignificantthreads—theexperienceswe’vehad,thepeoplewe’vebeeninfluencedby,theliveswe’vetouchedandthehighsandlowswe’vefaced—wecanidentifypatterns.Forindividuals,ourWHYisfullyformedbyourlateteens.

TouncoverourWHYwemustbringtogetherourstandoutmemories—ourdefiningmoments—andexaminethemtofindtheconnections.Fortribes,theWHYalsocomesfromthepast—eithertheoriginstoryofhowthecompanywasfoundedorfromspecificstoriessharedbyothermembersofthetribethatrepresentwhatmakesthemproudtobeapartofthetribe.Eitherway,discoveringyourWHYislikepanningforgoldintheriverofthepast:thegoldisthere,lostinthedebrisoftheriver,hiddenbyrushingwater.Onlywhenyoutakethetimetopanforthesignificantmomentsofthepast,retrievingthemnuggetbynugget,willtheyturnintotreasure.

Leadersaretheoneswhohavethecouragetogofirstandopenapathforotherstofollow.

Themorespecificthememories,thebetter.“Ourfamilytookadrivingvacationeverysummer”—nope,that’stoogeneraltobehelpful.“Ourfamilyalwaystookdrivingvacations.Oneyearthecarbrokedowninthedesert,andwehadtohitchhiketoAlbuquerque.Iwasseriouslyscared,butIrememberthinkingthatIneededtobestrongsothatmyyoungersisterwouldn’tbescaredaswell,soImadeupagametoentertainus”—thisisthekindofspecificdetailyou’llneed!Rediscoveringthedetails,thefeelings,theconversations,thelessonslearnedwilloffercluestowhoyouareandwhatyourWHYis.Themorestoriesyoucanrecoverandshare,themoredatayou’llcompile.Andthemoredatayoucandrawon,themoreeasilyyou’llbegintoseetherecurringideasorthemes.

Whetheryouareanindividualoratribe,pressyourmemoryforthestoriesthathavemadethebiggestdifferenceinyourlife.Someoccasionsyourecallmaybemomentous,butmanywon’tbe.What’simportantisthequalityofthememory,thespecificdetailsyourememberandthestrongemotionyoufeelasyoutellthestorytosomeoneelse.Becauseitisverydifficulttobeobjectiveandseethegoldenthreadthatconnectsourstories,wesuggest,whetheryoufollowtheindividualorthetribeprocess,thatyouworkwithapartnerorwithafacilitator,respectively.

Areyouwondering,“Umm,willthistakeaslongasFreudiantherapy?”Relax,there’snocouchrequired.You’llcomeupwithasmanyspecific,impactfulmemoriesasyoucan—atleastten.Onceyou’vegotthemalldown,you’llchooseaboutfiveorsixthatmadethebiggestdifferenceinyourlifeandsharetheminasmuchdetailasyoucan.

Step2:IdentifyThemesDidyouevercomehomefromapartyandrealizethatyouhadareallygoodtime—mostlybecauseyoumetsomeonewhogotyoutalkingaboutyourlifegrowinguporyourexperiencesinyourbusiness?Partofthefunthatnight(besidesthejoyofhearingyourselftalk)mayhavebeenthat,inhearingthestories,yourlistenerdevelopedanideaofwhoyouare,onethatyoumayhavefoundstartling.Insteadofbeingjustthemiddlechild,forexample,youemergedasthegluethatheldyoursiblingstogether.Insteadofbeingonlyoneofmanyemployees,youturnedouttobethenewhirewhowalkedinthedoorandstartedeveryoneinafreshdirectionbysaying,“Whydoyouguysalwaysdoitthatway?”

ReconnectingwithyourpasttodiscoveryourWHYcanbefuninthatsamekindofway.Asyoupanforyourstoriesandsharethem,themeswillstarttoemerge,insightsaboutyourselforyourteamthatyoumayneverhaveexpressedbefore.Astheprocessunfolds,oneortwoofthosenuggetswillseemtoshinebrighterthanalltheothers.Theywillfeelbigger,moreimportant.Theywillshinesobrightlythatyou’llpointtothemandsay,“That’sme—that’swhoIam,”or“That’sus—that’sourteam.”ThesethemesbecomethefoundationofyourWhyStatement.

Step3:DraftandRefineaWhyStatementWithoneortwoshinynuggetsinhand,you’rereadytotakeacrackatyourWhyStatement.Trytomakeyours:

simpleandclearactionablefocusedontheeffectyou’llhaveonothers,andexpressedinaffirmativelanguagethatresonateswithyou.

Eventually,youwillputyourWhyStatementintothisformat:

TOSOTHAT.

Yup,that’sallitis.Notfifteenparagraphs.Justonesentence.Ofcourse,simpledoesn’tnecessarilymeaneasy.Inonesentence,it’shardertohedgeorsidesteporhidebehindgobbledygook.Onesentenceistheabsolutelowestcommondenominator.Onesentenceisusuallymorehonest.AndifyoucanwrestleyourWHYintoonesentence,you’remuchmorelikelytorememberit—andtoactonit.

Thoughwewillgetintomoredetailinlaterchapters,let’sbreakitdownalittlebitnow.Thefirstblankrepresentsthecontributionyoumaketothelivesofothers.Thesecondblankrepresentstheimpactofyourcontribution.So,couldyourWhyStatementbe,“Tofinisheveryprojectaheadofscheduleandunderbudget,sothatIcanbepromotedandearnenoughtosavecollegemoneyformykids”?No.Evenifyouseethatasthetruthrightnow,yourWhyStatementwillgodeeperthanthat.Itiseverlastingandmustberelevantinbothyourpersonalandprofessionallife.Itisastatementofyourvalueatworkasmuchasitisthereasonyourfriendsloveyou.Wedon’thaveaprofessionalWHYandpersonalWHY.Wearewhowearewhereverweare.Yourcontributionisnotaproductoraservice.It’sthethingaroundwhicheverythingyoudo—thedecisionsyoumake,thetasksyouperform,theproductsyousell—alignstobringabouttheimpactyouenvision.

Let’scomeatthisfromanotheranglebyanalyzingarealperson’sWhyStatement.Here’showSimonSinekexpresseshisWHY:Toinspirepeopletodothethingsthatinspirethemsothat,together,wecanchangeourworld.TheimpactSimonseeksisforeachofustochangeourworld,inbigandsmallways,forthebetter.Fantastic!Butthisgoalistoobroadandabstractonitsown.It’shiscontribution,whatheactuallydoesonMondaymorningtomakechangehappen,thatgivesdirectiontohisdesiredimpact.Thecontributionpart—toinspireothers—givesSimonthefocusheneeds.Thebookshewrites,thetalks

hegives,theworkshopsheconductsareWHAThedoes—alloftheminfusedwithhiscause—toinspirepeople.Andthemoreeffectivelyheinspiresothers,themorelikelyeverypersonwhoisdrawntohisworkwillmakeachangetoourworldforthebetter.

The“TOSOTHAT”formatworksforeveryone.It’sthesimplestwaytocodifyourcalling.WhetherourWHYisindividualortribal,whenweworkwithaclearWHYinmind,weshowupeverysingledaywiththefeelingthatwearepartofsomethingbiggerthanourselves.

*

ManyofusarelikeSteve,themanofsteel:evenifwe’relivingourWHY,wemayfindithardtoarticulateourcontributionandimpactinspecificwords.TheWhyDiscoveryprocess—individualortribe—isdesignedtohelpyouputallthosegutfeelings,allthosethingsthatinspireyou,intowords.Forthisprocessyouwillneed:

Agoodpartnerorfacilitator.Choosesomeonewho’llpushyoutothinkbeyondthesurface,togooutofyourcomfortzoneanduncoverthememoriesandexperiencesthatarethesourceofyourWHY.Verylikely,it’syourpartnerorfacilitatorratherthanyouwhowillbeabletolookdownfromtheperspectiveoffiftythousandfeetandseethethemesinyourstories.

Enoughtime.Howlongisenough?Hardtosay.Mostlikely,morethansixminutesandlessthansixhours.

Wewillmapoutallthenecessarydetailsinthechapterstocome.Allweask,fornow,isthatyoutrusttheprocess.Itworks.

CHAPTER3

WhyDiscoveryforIndividuals

ThissectionisforanyindividualwhowantstolearntheirpersonalWHY.Whetheryou’reanentrepreneur,workatacompany,areastudentorastayathomeparent,theprocessisthesame.IfyouwanttofindtheWHYofateamoragroup,headovertothenextchapter,whichexplainstheTribeApproach.

Likemostthings,theWhyDiscoveryprocessismostefficientandeffectivewhenyou’refullyprepared.Seethediagrambelowtogetanunderstandingoftheprocessthatyouwillbegoingthrough.Next,we’llwalkthroughthesesevenstepsonebyone.

FINDYOURPARTNER

GETYOURPARTNERUPTOSPEED

PICKATIMEANDAPLACE

GATHERYOURSTORIES

SHAREYOURSTORIES

IDENTIFYYOURTHEMES

DRAFTYOURWHY

FindYourPartner

Thebestpartnersareinnatelycurious,whichmakesthemgreatatlisteningandgreatataskingfollow-upquestions.Someonetryingtogettoknowyoualittlebetterwillalmostalwaysaskmoreprobing,unexpectedandthoughtfulquestionsthansomeonewhothinkstheyalreadyknoweverythingaboutyou.

Remember,tofindyourWHYyouneedtopanforgoldintheriverofyourpast,recallingstoriesofyourlifeandcareerfromwhichyoursignificantthemescanemerge.Onlyyoucanretrievethosestoriesfromyourmemory,butwhenitcomestointerpretingthem,asecondsetofeyesandears—apartner—isinvaluable.Listeningtoyourstories,yourpartnercanofferaperspectivethatisnearlyimpossibletoseeforyourself.Findingtherightpartnerisanimportantpartoftheprocess.Thatdoesn’tmeanyoumustfindatrainedpsychologistorcoach,justsomeonewhogenuinelywantstohelpyoufindyourWHY(the“PartnerSection”herewillteachthemhowtodotherest).Theroleofthepartnerwillbetotakenotesasyoushareyourstoriesandtoaskquestionsthatwillhelpyoufinddeepermeaningandsignificanceinthem.Thepartneristheretohelpidentifythegoldenthread,therecurringthemesandideasthatarethebasisforyourWHY.

Youdon’thavetoknowyourpartnerwell,butwerecommendthatit’ssomeonewithwhomyoufeelcomfortablesharingpersonalinformationandfeelings.Thoughcounterintuitive,wedon’trecommendselectingapartnerwhoknowsyoutoowell.Inourexperience,spouses,closerelativesandbestfriendshaveahardtimebeingobjective.Youdon’twantsomeonewhomaybetemptedtoeithertellyourstoriesforyouorcorrecttheonesyoutell.Thebestpartnerswillbehearingyourstoriesforthefirsttime.Theywillbesomeonewhowilllistenandtakenotesasyourecallyourstories.Again,theyaresomeonewhogenuinelywantstohelpyoudiscoveryourWHY.

GetYourPartnerUptoSpeedOncethepersonyou’vechosenhasacceptedyourinvitationtohelp,wehighlyrecommendthatyoustartbyshowingthemSimon’stalksotheycanunderstandthebasicconceptoftheGoldenCircle.Tosupportyourpartner,we’veincludedthatvideoandthecontentfromthe“PartnerSection”belowonlineathttp://bit.ly/FYWresources.Haveyourpartnerreadthissectionbeforeyougetstartedsotheycanbepreparedfortheirroleintheprocess.

*

PARTNERSECTIONWelcome

ThankyouforagreeingtohelpsomeonediscoverandbegintoarticulatetheirWHY—thepurpose,causeorbeliefthatdrivesthem.Forus(PeterandDavid),helpingsomeonefindtheirWHYisoneofthemostinspiringthingswedoinourjobs.WelovetheopportunitytopartnerwithsomeoneandseethemlightupwhentheyarefinallyabletoputtheirWHYintoclearterms.Eventhoughwe’vedonehundredsofthese,itisalwaysinspiring.Nowyougettobethepartner(we’dbelyingifwesaidweweren’talittlejealous).Sohavefunandenjoythegiftyouareabouttogivesomeone.

Attheendofyourtimetogether,thegoalistohaveadraftversionoftheirWhyStatementinhand.Thiswillserveasafilterforthedecisionstheymakesothattheycanfindasmuchjoyandfulfillmentintheirworkandcareeraspossible.

Thissectionisdesignedtogiveyouthetipsandtoolsyouneedtosupportthem.Don’tworry—youdon’tneedtobeatherapistorcoachtobeagreatpartner.YoujustneedtohaveadesiretohelpyourcompanionfindtheirWHY.We’llbeheretoguideyoustep-by-stepthroughtheprocess.InAppendix2ofthisbookhere,we’vealsoincludedasummaryofallthetipsandquestionsyou’llneedsothatyoudon’thavetoreferbacktothischapterduringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess.

Atitscore,theWHYisanoriginstory.Whoweareisthesumtotalofalltheexperienceswe’vehadgrowingup—thelessonswelearned,theteacherswehadandthethingswedid.InordertohelpyourcompaniondiscovertheirWHY,you’llneedtolistentostoriesfromtheirpast.TheirWHYrepresentswhotheyareattheirnaturalbestandwillberevealedthroughspecificstoriesandexperiencesthataffectedtheirlifeandshapedwhotheyare.

YourRoleYourmainroleistolistentothestoriesthenaskthoughtfulquestionsthatwillhelpthemdigdeepertofindtheunderlyingmeaningofeachmemory.Asyoulisten,you’lltakenotes,identifyingthemes,ideas,wordsorphrasesthatrecurinthestories;thesethemeswillweavetogetherintoagoldenthreadtodefinewhotheyareattheirnaturalbest.

Duringthisprocess,it’sessentialthatyouputasideyourownbiases.Don’tallowwhatyouknowabouttheperson,orevenwhatyouthinkyoumayknow,tocloudyourobjectivity.What’smostimportantisthatyoubefullypresent,meaningyouwillavoiddistractionsandstaycompletelyfocusedonthetaskathand.TheWhyDiscoveryprocessisnotatherapysessionoramentoring

moment;it’snotatimeforyoutoofferyouropinionsandadviceortosolveproblems.Yourjobistobeanactivelistener.

HowtoBeanActiveListenerActivelisteningisabouthearingmorethanthewordsthataresaid.It’saboutunderstandingthemeaning,motivationoremotionbehindthosewords.Someofthetechniquesofactivelisteningaresimple:Makeeyecontact;acknowledgeverballyandnonverballywhattheotherpersonsays(e.g.,offeraffirmationlike,“goon,”ornodyourheadasyouunderstandthings);invitethemtosaymoreaboutwhathappenedorhowtheyfeelaboutit.Payparticularattentiontononverbalcues.Facialexpressions,bodylanguageandevenlongpausesallserveascluesastohowthestorymakesthemfeel.

Thestoriesyouwillheararesomeofthemostmeaningfuloftheirlife,andtheymayevokestrongfeelings.Pride,love,fulfillment,fear,belonging,loneliness—alltheseandmoremightshowupindifferentways.Somepeoplegetmoreanimated—usetheirhandsmore,sitontheedgeoftheirseats,raisetheirvoices—othersmaygetchokeduporbecomesoft-spokenandreflective.Youwon’tbeabletowritedowneverythingtheysay.However,besuretotakenotesofwhattheyaresayingwhenyouseeavisualoremotionalcue—thesemaybeimportantdetailsasyoustarttofindthecommonthreadlateron.

HowtoDigDeeperWeoftenfindthatpeoplebegintheirstorieswithstraightforwardfacts—whathappened,whenithappenedandwhowasthere.It’swhatwenaturallydowhenwetellstories.Whilethesedetailsareimportanttosetcontexttowhatwillbesharednext,theywon’thelpyougettotheWHY,becausetheWHYisconnectedtofeelings.Sharingfeelingsisaveryimportantpartoftheprocess.Thegoalistohelpthemexpressthefeelingsandemotionstheyfeltatthetime.It’sreallyhardtoconnectwithafeelingwhenwespeakingeneralities.Wecan’tstressenoughthatthestoriesyourcompanionsharesneedtobeveryspecific.Forexample,theymightatfirstsay,“Iusedtovisitmygrandparentseverysummerduringschoolbreak.Itwasalotoffun.”Asapartner,youwon’tgetmuchjuicefromthat.Youwantthepersontoconnectwithaspecificsummer,aspecificeventorinteraction.Ifthefirstpassatthestoryisunemotional,trydiggingdeeperwithsomethinglike,“Ofallthesummersyouspentwithyourgrandparents,tellmeabouttheonethatstandsoutthemost.”Thegoalisthattheythenactuallygetspecific,whichmightsoundsomethinglike,“IrememberthesummerwhenIwasthirteen.IjusthadmybirthdayandIwasofficiallyateenager.Ifeltreallygrown-upandwantedtodogrown-upthings.Irememberworkingintheyardwithmygrandpa.HeletmeusethelawnmowerandIfeltlikehetrustedmewithsomethingimportant.Itgavemeasenseofconfidence.”There’salotmoretoexploreinthatversionofthestory.

PARTNERTIP

Ifyounoticethatyourcompanionstartsspeakingingeneralitiesorrespondswithageneralstorywhenyouaskforsomethingspecific,don’tletthemoffthehookjusttobenice.ItwillmakeitmoredifficulttofindtheirWHYandmuchmoredifficulttotietheirthemesbacktotheirstories,whichisreallyimportant.Remember,theWHYisnotwhoweaspiretobe,it’swhowetrulyare.Thestoriesaretangibleproofofwhotheytrulyare.

Iftheytellyourightoffthebathowtheexperiencemadethemfeel,don’ttakewhattheysayatfacevalue;askclarifyingquestions.Often,theexpressionoffeelingsindicatesanunderlyingandsignificantlessonoraparticularrelationshipthatembodieswhotheytrulyaretoday.Ifemotionsaretheproverbialsmoke,theunderlyingmeaningisthefire.Andwherethereissmoke,thereisfire.

It’syourjobtoaskfollow-upquestionsuntilyouuncoverthereasonthisspecificstoryissignificant.Hereareafewquestionsthatmaycomeinhandy(youcanfindasummaryofallthetipsandquestionsinAppendix2here).

Howdidthatmakeyoufeel?

Whatisitaboutthisexperiencethatyouabsolutelyloved?

You’veprobablyfeltthissamefeelingbefore.Whatisitaboutthisstorythatmakesitspecial?(E.g.,iftheysaythey“feltproud,”youcanaskthemwhataboutthispridewasdifferentfromothertimestheyfeltit.)

Howdidthisexperienceaffectyouandwhoyou’vebecome?

Whatwasthelessonfromthatexperiencethatyoustillcarrywithyoutoday?

Ofallthestoriesyoucouldhavesharedwithme,whatmakesthisspecificonesospecialthatyouchosetotellit?

Ifsomeoneelsefeaturesprominentlyinthestory,askthemhowthatpersonmadeadifferenceintheirlivesorwhattheyloveoradmireaboutthatperson.

You’llknowyou’regettingsomewherewhentheybegintalkinglessaboutwhathappenedandmoreabouthowtheyfeltaboutwhathappened.Itmightsoundsomethinglike,“Itjustreallyfilledmeuptobeapartofthat,”or“ItwasprettydisappointingtoknowthatIletmyparentsdown.”Statementslikethesearewhereyouwanttostartdigging.Forexample,whatdotheymeanby“filledup”or“disappointed”?Youmayassumeyouknow,buttheirdefinitionmaybedifferentfromyours.Soaskaquestionthatwillelicitmorespecifics,suchas:

Tellmewhatyoumeantwhenyousaid,“Itreallyfilledmeup.”

You’veprobablyfeltdisappointedbefore.Describehowthisparticularfeelingofdisappointmentwassodifferentthatitstillcomestomindalltheseyearslater.

Youmayhearstoriesthatarenotparticularlywarmorhappy.That’snormal.Thereislotstolearnaboutsomeonefromtheirpositiveandnegativeexperiences.Yourjobasthepartneristohelp

“see”thelessonsoreventhesilverliningsinthosedifficultmomentstoo.Forexample,wedidaWhyDiscoverywithsomeonewho,whenaskedaboutahappyexperiencefromherchildhoodrepliedthatshehadahorriblechildhood.Shethenwentontorecountstoriesofanextremelyphysicallyabusivefather.Whatweheard,however,wasthatineverystory,shealwaysmentionedhowsheprotectedhersisterfromherfather.Sheneverrealizedthatpatternexisted.Assoonaswepointedoutthesilverlining,thepositiveglimmerinsuchadarkexperience,sheimmediatelystartedcrying.Sheiswhosheistodaybecauseshe’slearnedtoprotectthosewhocouldnotprotectthemselves.Happymemoriesandsadmemories,talesofopportunityandhardship,allofferachancetolearnaboutwhosomeoneisandhowtheybecamewhotheyare.AllroadsleadtoWHY.

Thebetteryoucapturethethemesofhowtheyfelt,theeasieritwillbetoputtogethertheWhyStatementthatfeelsreallyauthentictothem.

Inadditiontotherecurringthemesthatyou’lllistenforineachstory,therearetwoothermaincomponentstolookfor:contributionandimpact.ThesearethebuildingblocksofthefinalWhyStatement—thecontributionthepersonmakestothelivesofothersandtheimpactofthatcontributionovertime.Wewriteitinthisformat:

TOSOTHAT.

Thecontributionisthefirstblankandtheimpactisthesecondblank.Forexample,SimonSinek,theauthorofStartwithWhy,expresseshisownWHYinthesewords:Toinspirepeopletodothethingsthatinspirethemsothat,together,wecanchangeourworld.Simon’scontributioniswhatheactivelydoesforothers(seekingtoinspirethem)andtheimpactiswhathappenswhenthatcontributionismade(alotofpeopleworkingtogethertochangeourworld).

Withthatinmind,dowhatyoucantofindoutwhatyourcompanionisgivingsomeoneelseorreceivingineachstory(thecontribution)andwhatdifferenceitmayhavemadetothemorothers(theimpact).You’llbegintoseeapatternthatwillhelpyouunderstandthecontributionandimpactoftheirWHY.Thereisalmostalwayssomesortofemotionalcue,verbalornonverbal,whentheytouchononeorbothofthesethemes.

SomeTipsforAskingGreatQuestions:Askopen-endedquestions.Thebestquestionsarethosethatcan’tbeansweredwithayesorno.Theyrequirethepersontogivemoreinformation.Ofteninourworkshopswehearpeopleaskquestionslike“Thatmadeyouangry,didn’tit?”Thisquestionisunhelpfulforthreereasons:itcanbeansweredwithyesorno,itassumesyouknowhowthepersonwillrespondandit“leadsthewitness.”Theymayagreewithyou,thoughtheymayhaveanswereddifferentlyiflefttoansweranopen-endedquestionwithoutyourhelp.Remember,thisprocessreliesongettingtotheheartofwhotheyare,notwhoyouthinktheyare.Insteadofleadingthewitness,trysomethinglike,“Helpmeunderstandhowthatmadeyoufeel.”

Avoidquestionsthatstartwith“why.”Thismaysoundcounterintuitive,sinceyouaredoingaWhyDiscovery.Butthere’saproblemwithquestionsthatstartwith“why.”Ironically,theyare

actuallyhardertoanswer.“Whydoesthatstorymattertoyou?”forexample,triggersthepartofourbrainthatisnotresponsibleforlanguage.It’seasiertoansweraquestionthatstartswith“what.”Forexample,“Whatisitaboutthatstorythatreallymatterstoyou?”It’sbasicallythesamequestionbutframedinawaythatiseasierforsomeonetoanswer.Itanswersthe“why”questionbyallowingthepersontotalkmorespecificallyaboutthecomponentsofthestorythatweremeaningful.Tryboth;you’llseewhatwemeaninpractice.

Sitinsilence.Ifyouaskaquestionandfeeltheyarestrugglingtoanswer,letthemstruggle.Thoughyourinclinationmaybetohelpfillinthesilence,don’t.Resistthetemptationtofillthesilencewithanotherquestionorasuggestedanswer.Instead,justwait.Emotionsaredifficulttoarticulateanditmaytakethepersonalittletimetoformulatetherightwords.Sometimessilenceisthebesttoolyouhavetogetthemtotellyoumore.Masterit.

HowtoTakeNotes(PS:Thisisthelastsection—you’realmostdone!)

Surprisinglyenough,theformatyouusetojotdownyournotescanbereallyhelpfulwhenitcomestimetohelpyourcompaniontieeverythingtogether.Youcantakenoteshoweveryou’dlike,ofcourse,butwe’vefoundthisformatespeciallyuseful;maybeyouwilltoo.

Drawaverticallinefromthetopofyournotespagetothebottom(anexamplehasbeenincludedforyouintheappendix).Ontheleftsideofthelinejotdownthefactualdetailsofthestory(e.g.,collegegraduation).Ontherightsidefocusontheirfeelings,emotionsorinterpretationsofthemeaningofthestory(e.g.,caredthathemadehisgrandfatherproud).Ontherightsideyoucanalsowritedownanywords,phrases,verbalornonverbalcuesthatcomeupmorethanonce.SeparatingyournotesinthiswaymakesiteasiertoreviewthemattheendandidentifytheelementsthataremostimportanttotheWhyDiscoveryprocess(hint:alltheessentialstuffwillbeintheright-handcolumn).

Asyoutakenotesonmultiplestories,you’llbegintonoticewhichthemes,words,phrasesorideasrecurmostoften.Underline,circle,highlightorputacheckmarknexttoeachofthosewordsorphrases.ThiscanhelpyouquicklyidentifythethemesthatwillleadtotheWHYlateron.Also,foreachstorywrite“contribution”and/or“impact”intheright-handcolumntoremindyounottomoveontothenextstoryuntilyouareclearonwhattheygaveorreceived(thecontribution)andwhateffectithadonthemorothers(theimpact).

We’vegivenyoualotofdetailsthatwehopewillhelpyoubethebestpartnerpossible.Remember,thisreallymatterstoyourcompanionandtheyaskedyoutohelpthem.That’sanhonor.Whatmattersmostisthatyoushowupwithagenuinecuriosityaswellasadesiretohelpthepersonyou’reworkingwith.Whoknows—maybe,whenit’sallover,you’llbeinspiredtolookforyourownWHY.

*

PickaTimeandaPlaceHowabouttheStarbucksthat’sequidistantbetweenyourofficeandyourpartner’s?Definitelynot.You’reabouttohaveanintimateconversation.Noiseanddistractionwillonlymakeitmoredifficult,evenifthereisaSmokedButterscotchFrappuccinotobehad.Plus,you’llbeexposingalotofpersonalinformation—whydoitinaspotwhereallthosepeoplepretendingtoworkontheirscreenplayscanoverhearyou?Chooseaplacewhereyoucanconcentrateandwhereyoufeelfreetosharepersonalstoriesoutloud.

Whileaphonecallorvideoconferencewithyourpartnercanwork,westronglysuggestthatyoumeetinperson.Thatwayitiseasierforyourpartnertopickuponbodylanguage(notjustfacialexpressions)andothervisualcuesthatareonlyavailablewhenyou’reinthesameroom.Ifyoudohavetoworkremotely,settledowninaquiet,distraction-freelocationandencourageyourpartnertodothesame.

Andsetasideenoughtime—atleastthreehours.Yes,that’sabigcommitment,butthereisnoshortcuttodiscoveringyourWHY.Thinkofitasworkingout.Themoretimeyouputintoit,themoreyougetoutofit.It’snotthekindofthingyoucanracethrough.

Asyoulearnedinchapter2,therearethreestepstodiscoveringyourWHY(tellstories,identifythemes,drafttheWhyStatement).Itworksbestwhenyoucompleteallthreestepsinonesitting.Ifyoustopaftertwoorthreestories,forexample,andtrytoresumeafewdayslater,you’llhavetogetintostorytellingmodealloveragain.Infact,wehighlyrecommendthatyouworkthroughallthreestepswithoutinterruption(exceptforafewbreaksandlegstretches,ofcourse).Identifyingthemesrightaftertellingyourstoriesismucheasierthantryingtocomebacktothetasklater.Similarly,draftingyourWhyStatementwillbeeasierwhentherecurringthemesandpatternsthatemergedfromthestoriesarefreshinyourminds.

Turnoffyourphones,removeanydistractionsandenjoytheprocess.

GatherYourStoriesBeforemeetingwithyourpartner,youneedtodoalittleprepwork.YourWHYisbornfromyourpastexperiences;itisthesumtotalofthelessonsyoulearned,theexperiencesyouhadandthevaluesyouadoptedwhilegrowingup.You’relookingforstoriesthatbringtolightwhoyouareatyournaturalbest.Asyourecallstoriesthatfitthebill,jotdownnotesoneachsoyoucanquicklyrecallthemwhenyousitdownwithyourpartner.HereareafewguidelinesforgatheringthetypeofstoriesthatwillleadyoutoyourWHY.

Thinkofspecificexperiencesandpeopleinyourlifethathavereallyshapedwhoyouaretoday.Youmaychooseaneventthatwasobviouslyimportant,suchasthedayyoucameupwiththeideaforyourcompany,oraneventthat’slessobvious,likeadefiningmomentyouhadwithyouroldboss.Iftheeventmeantsomethingtoyou,helpedyoubecomewhoyouare,taughtyousomethingormadeyouproud,writeitdown.Asyouthinkofthepeoplewhohavebeenthemostinfluentialinyourlife,trytorecallspecificsaboutwhattheysaidordidthatmadesuchadifferencetoyou.

SinceyourWHYcomesfromyourpast,whichistheperiodfromyourbirthuntilyesterday,youcandrawyourstoriesfromanytimeinbetweenthosemarkers.Thememoriesmaycomefromschool,home,workoranyotherareaofyourlife.Youmayrecalltimesoreventsthatyouwouldgladlyrevisit.Oryoumayretrievememoriesofpainfulepisodesthatyouwouldneverwanttorelive.Whatbothkindsofexperienceshaveincommonisthat,goodorbad,theyhelpedmakeyouwhoyouare.

Ourstrugglesaretheshort-termstepswemusttakeonourwaytolong-termsuccess.

Thegoalofthestory-gatheringexerciseistoendupwithatleastfivestoriesthatyouconsiderthemostimpactfulofyourlife.Themorestoriesyouhave,theeasieritwillbeforyourpartnertodetectthepatternsandthemesthatwillleadtoyourWHY.Rememberthateachstorymustbeaboutaspecifictime,placeormoment.Themorespecificyouare,themoreyou’llfeelanemotionalconnectiontothatmemory.Andit’sthisemotionalconnectionthatwillleadtoyourWHY.

Writedownyourstoriesastheycometoyou.Asyoubegin,keepinmindthatallroadswilleventuallyleadtoWHY.Sodon’toverthinkthisprocess.Youmaylistyourstorieschronologicallyoratrandom.Don’tworryaboutwritingdownallthedetails.Asimplelineortwoforeachissufficient.Thegoalissimplytohaveastartingpointforsharingthestorieswithyourpartner.Whenyoushareyourstorieswithyourpartner,youcanincludealltheparticularsandexploreanyadditionalmemoriesthatmaypopup.

Hereareacoupleofstory-gatheringmethodswe’vefoundhelpful;youcanuseone,bothorneither.

Method1:PeaksandValleys

Drawahorizontallineacrossthemiddleofapieceofpaper.Storiesyouputabovethelinearethoseyouconsiderhappymemories:momentsyou’denthusiasticallyrelive.Storiesbelowthelineareeventsthatyouwouldn’tnecessarilywanttorelivebutthatimpactedyourlifeandshapedwhoyouaretoday.Writeafewwordstoencapsulateeachstoryasyoufilloutthechart.Thehigheryouplotthestoriesabovetheline,themorefulfillingandpositivetheywere.Theloweryouplotthestoriesbelowtheline,themorechallengingordifficulttheywere.You’llprobablyendupwithstoriesatvariouslevels.

Whenitcomestimetochoosethestoriesyou’lltellyourpartner,choosethehighestofthehighsandthelowestofthelows.ThesearethestoriesthatcarrythemostemotionandthereforetheonesthatwillmostclearlyleadtoyourWHY.Youprobablywon’tshareallthestoriesyou’venotedonthepage;infact,youmayshareotherstoriesthatyouthinkofspontaneouslywhenyouarewithyourpartner.It’sallgood.Thisexerciseisjustastartingpointtogetthejuicesflowing.

Method2:TheMemoryPrompt

Ifyouhaveahardtimepickingstoriesoutofthinair,thismethodmaybeforyou.Justreadthepromptsbelowandseewhatmemoriestheyspark.Don’tworryaboutwritingdownallthedetails.Justwritealineortwoonapieceofpapertojogyourmemorywhenitcomestimetosharewithyourpartner.

Whoinyourlifehashelpedmakeyouthepersonyouaretoday(coach,mentor,teacher,familymember)?Writedownaspecifictimewhentheyexemplifiedwhatyouadmiremostaboutthem,whethertheywereinteractingwithyouorwithsomeoneelse.Howdidhearingtheirwordsorwatchingtheiractionsmakeyoufeel?Whoelsehelpedshapewhoyouaretoday?Repeatasmanytimesasyoulike.

Thinkofadayatworkwhen,asyouheadedhome,youmighthavesaidtoyourself,“Iwouldhavedonethatforfree.”Whathappenedthatdaytomakeyousaythat?

Thinkofyourworstdayatwork—thekindofdayyouhopenevertogothroughagain.Whathappened?

Whatistheearliest,specific,happychildhoodmemorythatcomestoyourmind?

Atschool,whatwasanexperienceyouloved?

Whathasbeenapivotalmomentinyourlife,onewhenyourealizednothingwouldeverbethesame?

Whathappenedthatchangedthewayyouthinkabouttheworldandyourroleinit?

Whatwasatimewhenyougaveofyourselftohelpsomeoneelse,afterwhichyoufeltunbelievablygood—likeyouhaddonesomethingthatmattered?

Whathaveyouaccomplishedthatyou’rereallyproudof?(Besuretomakeamentalnoteofwhoelsewasinvolved.Forexample,whohelpedyou,whocheeredyouon,whowaswaitingforyouatthefinishline?)

Onceyouhaveyourchartorlistofstoriesinhand,you’rereadytosharethemwithyourpartner.Justawordofcaution.Again,don’toveranalyzeyourselectionofstoriesbeforeyoumeetwithyourpartner.Oneofthemainreasonsyouworkwithapartneristohavesomeonewhocanfindmeaningyoucan’tseeandofferobjective,open-mindedinsight.IfyoucometothestorytellingpartofyourWhyDiscoverywithpreconceivedideasabouthowyourmemoriesfittogether,yourisktellingtheminawaythatprovesyourtheory.Relaxandletyourpartneridentifythethemes.Youarethestoryteller.Yourpartneristheinterpreter.

SHARINGTIPOnelittletrickthatcanhelptheprocessistocirclethethreemostimpactfulstoriesyouhaveandtellthosetoyourpartnerfirst.Byfocusingonthemostimpactfulones,you’llavoidthetemptationtotellstoriesthatjustseemtotietogether.

It’stheLittleThingsThatCount

DavidconductedaWhyDiscoveryworkshopwithsomeonenamedTodd.ThefollowingisastoryToddtoldDavid;it’sthekindofstoryyoumighttell.ManypeoplethinktheyhavetotellbigstoriesofmajoreventstofindtheirWHY.What’sniceaboutthisexampleisthatalthoughitseemslikearelativelysmallstoryintheschemeofthings,DavidwasabletousethisstorytoassistwithfindingthegoldenthreadthathelpedToddarticulatehisWHY.

Priortothisstory,Toddsharedotherdetailsabouthislife.Howhewenttocollegeonafullbasketballscholarshipbutendeduplosingitduetodrugandalcoholaddiction.HehadaspiredtomakeittotheNBA,sothismorethanendedhiscollegecareer—italsoshatteredhisdreamsandhisself-identity.Hewasworkingatabar,stillbattlingdrugaddictionandalcoholismandcontemplatingsuicide,atthetimethisstorytookplace:

Todd:IhadgottenoffworkandwasdrivingupawindingroadonmywayhomeoneSaturdaymorning.Ipassedalittlegirlsellinglemonadeoutsideherhouse.Onanyotherday,Iwouldhavedrivenpast.Forsomereason,onthisday,Ihadaninexplicableurgetoturnaroundandgiveherallofmychange.

Ipulledmycaruptoherlemonadestandandaskedhowmuchacupoflemonadewas.“Twenty-fivecents,”shetoldme.SoIsaidIwouldtakeone.Shewalkedbacktothestandtogetmeacupoflemonade,andwhileshewasdoingthat,IscoopedoutallthequartersIhadinthecupholderinmycar.TheyhadbeenpilingupfromallthetipsIgetatwork.Iprobablyhadclosetofortydollarsinthere.Thegirlhandedmethecupoflemonade,andIputafistfulofquartersintoherlittlepalms.Andthenanotherscoop.Andthenanother.EachtimeIwatchedhereyeslightup.Sheturnedandranintothehousefullofexcitement.

Idroveawayfeelinggood,asyoumightexpect.ButthensomethinghappenedthatIdidn’texpect.Isuddenlybecameoverwhelmedwithemotion.Istartedcryinguncontrollably.IwascryingsomuchI

hadtopullmycarover.Itwasamazing.

David:Wow.Thatsoundsintense.I’msureyou’vedonethingsinthepastthatmadeyoucry.Ofallthestoriesyoucouldhavesharedwithme,whatspecificallyisitaboutthisonethatmadeyouchoosetoshareit?

Todd:ItwasthefirsttimeinmylifethatIfeltthatIhaddonesomethingforsomeoneelse.ItwasthefirsttimeinmylifeIhadn’tputmyselffirst.Thiswasahugewake-upcallforme.ItlitmysoulonfireandforthefirsttimeIfeltlikeImattered.Iwantedsomuchtohelpothersfeelliketheymatteredtoo.Iwantedtohelpothersfeeltheycoulddoandbemore.Fromthatmomenton,IwantedtosharewiththeworldwhatIhadfelt.

BytheendoftheWhyDiscovery,DavidfoundathreadofservicethatranthroughmanyofTodd’smostsignificantstories.Ashedidwiththelittlegirlsellinglemonade,Todd’sWHYistoignitepeople’simaginationsaboutwhat’spossiblesothattheycanfindthemotivationtodomorewiththeirlives.What’smagicalaboutTodd’sWHYisthatisexactlywhathappenedtohim.Hisimaginationwasignited,andhewasmotivatedtodomorewithhislife.

ShareYourStories(ThisIsWhereYourPartnerComesIn)

Yourpreparationiscomplete.Nowit’stimetositdownwithyourpartnerandfindyourWHY.Itcanfeeluncomfortabletosharethismuchaboutyourself,butyoudon’thavetoabandonyourcomfortzoneentirely—wejustwantyoutopushtheboundariesabit.Ifsomestoriesarejusttoopersonaltoreveal,thendon’ttellthem.Butfortheonesyoudochoosetoshare,knowthatthemoreyouopenup,theeasieritwillbeforyourpartnertoseethesignificantpatterns.Shareonlythestoriesyoufeelrightaboutsharing.Butwhenyoudoshare,allowyourselftobevulnerableenoughfortheprocesstowork.Youmaysurpriseyourselfwithhowopenyoucanbeastheprocessunfolds.

Specificityiskeytotheprocess.Wecan’temphasizethisenough.Whenyoumadeyourlistorchartofstories,wetoldyounottoworryaboutthedetails.Nowit’stimetodigin.Tellyourstoriesinasmuchdetailasyoucan.Keepinmindthatby“details”wedon’tmeanthetemperatureonagivendayortheoutfityouwerewearing(unlessthosewereparticularlysignificantdetailstothestory).Whilethiskindofinformationcanprovidecontext,theinformationwe’rereallyinterestedingoesfarbeneaththesurface.SincefeelingsareattheheartofyourWHY,itisvitalthatyouconnectviscerallytoyourmemoriesandthe

emotionsyouexperiencedatthetime.Specificstorieswillallowyoutodothisisinawaythatgeneralstatementswon’t.Thefollowingaresomeexamples:

GeneralStatement:Weusedtogotomygrandparents’houseeveryyearforChristmas.Itfeltsogoodtobesurroundedbylovingfamily.

SpecificStory:Weusedtogotomygrandparents’houseeveryyearforChristmas.TheyearthatreallysticksoutinmymindiswhenIwasnineyearsold.ThatwasthelastChristmasmygrandfatherwasalive.Hewasapowerfulforceinmylife,andI’mnotsureIrealizedhowpowerfuluntilhewasgone.Ihadagreatrelationshipwithhim,butonlynowdoIseehowherubbedoffonme.Hewasacrazy,eccentriccharacterwhomarchedtothebeatofhisowndrum.Peoplecalledhimstrangeorodd,buthealwaysseemedperfectlynormaltome.Iremembersittingwithhimonthecouch—justhimandme.Iwasalsoanoddkid,peoplecalledmeweirdoatschool.ButwithhimIfeltsafe.WithhimIfeltproudtobeme,proudtobedifferent.Thinkinghewasthecoolestpersonevergavemetheconfidencetobemyweirdself.Ifhewasoddandthatamazing—wellheck,IbettergetcomfortablebeingwhoIamifIwanttohavethesameimpactonmykidsorgrandkidsoneday.

GeneralStatement:WhenIwasakidIreallylovedgymnastics.Ipracticedeverydayforfourhours.Itwaschallenging,butIgotalotoutofit.

SpecificStory:WhenIwasakid,Ireallylovedgymnastics.Practiceswerelongandintense.IrememberonedaymyteamandIwereworkingonsometumblingwithmymostdemandingcoach.Thisguywasreallytoughtoplease.Hewassohardonme.Ineverfeltgoodenoughforthisguy.SometimesIfelthehaditoutforme,thathewasharderonmethantheothers.NomatterhowhardIworked,itwasneverenough.Tumbling,especiallyaerialworkliketwistingflips,wasn’tmystrongsuit.ButIkeptatitbecauseIwasdeterminedtoprovetothisguythatIwasgoodenough.Andthenithappened.Irememberitlikeitwasyesterday.IrememberafteronerunItook,mycoachkneeleddownnexttomeandsaidtotherestoftheteam,“That’showitshouldbedone!”Ineverfeltprouder.Irealizedatthatpointthathewasharderonmenotbecausehedidn’tlikeme,butbecausehebelievedinme.HepushedmebecauseheknewIhadtheworkethicandheknewIhaditinme.Insteadoftellingme,hewantedmetolearnthatIhaditinme.Irealizedatthatmomentthatdisciplineandhardwork,whichwere

ingrainedinmeathome,werereallyimportant.Ithinkthat’swhenIreallylearnedaboutgrit.Istillgetchillsthinkingaboutthatday.

GeneralStatement:Ilovemyjob.I’vetraveledtoalotofgreatplacesandsomenot-so-glamorousonestoo.What’sprettyconsistent,though,isthatI’malwaysmeetinginterestingandinspiringpeople.Thepayisn’tbadeither!

SpecificStory:Ilovemyjob.Igettogotosomewonderfulplaces,butevenwhenmydestinationisn’tglamorous,someofthemostinspiringthingshappen.IrememberaspecifictimeIwenttoacitythatIwasn’tlookingforwardtovisiting.Itwasasmall,ruralcommunityandIthought,“Well,winsome,losesome.”AttheeventIattendedthere,Imetafootballcoachfromanearbyuniversity.Thisguywasamazing.Aswetalked,hesharedthemostwonderfulstoryabouthowhedoesthingsdifferently.Herunshisfootballteamasahumandevelopmentandleadershipprogram.Mostcoachescareonlyaboutwinningandlosing.Thiscoachcaresaboutthegrowthofhisplayersfirst.Iftheywin,hedoesn’tletitgettotheirheads.Andiftheylose,heusesitasalearningopportunity.Here’sthebestpart:it’shavingahugeimpactonhisplayers.Notonlyaretheyperformingbetterasateam,butmostofthemaredoingbetterinschoolandevenhavingmoresuccesswithpersonalrelationships,likewiththeirfamilies,allthankstotheirfootballcoach.ItwasoneofthemostinspiringstoriesI’veeverheard.AndI’mnotevenasportsfan!

Thegeneralversionsofthesestoriessaymoreorlessthesamethingasthespecificversions.Butnoticethedepthofemotionexpressedinthemorespecificversions.Diggingdeeperbringsbackhowyoureallyfelt.

Asyoushareyourspecificstories,yourpartnershouldtakenotesaboutthesituationsandcircumstancesyoudescribeandalsothefeelingstheyevoke.Attheriskofbeatingadeadhorse,thesenoteswillbeinstrumentalinidentifyingthematerialandemotionallinksbetweenyourstories.Thegoalisnotsimplyforyoutodescribethingsyoudidbuttouncoverwhoyouare.

Spendasmuchtimeasyouneedtotelleachofyourstoriesfullyandtoventurebeyondyouroriginallist.Asyoushare,youmayrememberexperiencesthatyouhadforgotten.Tellthosestoriestoo.Remember,allroadsleadtoWHY.Therearenohardandfastrulestothestoriesyoutell.Whethertheyarefromyour

preparationorspontaneousmemories,anystoryofsignificance,canhelpsolidifythemesorintroducenewelementsforconsideration.Themorestoriesyoucansharewithyourpartner,themoredatayouwillbeabletocullfromtofindthegoldenthread.Andtheclearerthegoldenthread,themoreaccurateyourWhyStatementwillbe.

IdentifyYourThemesThenextstepinyourWhyDiscoveryistoidentifythemes:therecurringideas,words,phrasesandfeelingsthatemergedfromyourstories.Yourpartnershouldtaketheleadduringthispartoftheprocess.Remember,yourpartnerhasanobjectivitythatyoudon’thavesimplybecauseyou’retooclosetoseethepatterns.Whileyou’rebusydescribingtrees,yourpartnerhasabetterviewoftheforestemerging.

WeseethisallthetimeamongpeoplewhowanttolearntheirWHY.Theythinktheycanplaybothroles—storytellerandpartner.Theytrytoanalyzetheirownstoriesandidentifythethemesthemselves.Wehaveyettomeetasingleperson,however,whohassuccessfullydoneit.(Butwe’vemetplentywhoclaimedtheydidit,thentheyshowedusaWhyStatementthatwasabouttheirbusinessortheirfamilyorsomegoaltheywantedtoreach.Whenpressed,theirstatementsortheir“passion”fortheirstatementsfellapart.)EvenwhenSimondevelopedmanyofthesetechniquestodiscoverhisWHY,heaskedsomeonetohearhisstoriesandhelpfindthegoldenthreadforhim.

Again,yourpartnerisfocusedonlisteningandrecordingandhasthebenefitofobjectivity.Theyareoftenhearingthestoriesforthefirsttime,freeofcomplicatingfactorssuchaspersonalhistory,insecuritiesorego.That’sthereasonthethemestendtobemoreobvioustothem.

Justastherearenowrongstories,therearenowrongthemes.Ifsomethingcomesupmorethanonce,writeitdown.There’snolimittothenumberofthemesyourstoriesmayyield.Youmayendupwitheight,ten,fifteenormore.That’sokay.Thefirststepforyouandyourpartnerisgettingallthethemesdownonpaper.

Withyourthemesallinoneplace,takeacoupleofmomentstolookthemover.Insomecases,thethemewillbeineverystory.However,yourpartnershouldbeabletotieeachthemebacktoatleasttwoofthestoriesyoutold.Remember,anideabecomesathemebecauseitreoccursinatleasttwoseeminglyunconnectedstories.

Withallthethemeslisted,circleoneortwothatseembiggerthantherest—thosethatjumpoffthepage.Theonesthatinspireyouorseemtodefineyouandwhatyoucareaboutmost.Isthereoneyoulovemorethantheothers?Askyourpartnertoweighinonwhichofthethemesseemmoreimportant,basedonthestoriesyou’vetold.Together,chooseonethemethatfeelslikeyouruniquecontributionandonethemethatcapturestheimpact.Nowyou’rereadytodraftyourWhyStatement.

Waitasecond,youmaybethinking.IfthosetwothemesaretheonlyonesthatwillbeusedintheWhyStatement,thenwhydoesmypartnerhavetobotherwritingdownalltheotherthemesfrommystories?AndwhatifIreallylovethemesthatdidn’tendupinmyWhyStatement—doIhavetojustthrowthemaway?Don’tworry!There’sanimportantreasonyourpartnerwritesdownallofyourthemes,and,no,theydon’tgetthrownaway.Aswe’llseeinalaterchapter,thosethemeswillbecomeyourHOWs.

DraftYourWHYOnceyou’veidentifiedyouroverarchingthemes,it’stimetoturnthemintoadraftofyourWhyStatement.Aswenotedinthepreviouschapter,werecommendthatyourfirstdraftfollowthisformat:

Thisistheeasiestwaytoensurethatyourstatementissimple,actionableandfocusedonhowyoupositivelyaffectotherpeople.

Withyouroverarchingthemesinmindandthisformatinfrontofyou,takeafewminutesandwriteafirstdraftofyourWhyStatement.Yourpartner,workingseparately,shoulddothesame.ThevalueinwritingindependentlyatfirstisthatyourpartnermayarticulateyourWHYdifferentlythanyoudo.Beittheperfectwordorcatchyturnofphrase,wefindthathavingtwoslightlydifferenttakesonaWhyStatementisactuallyveryhelpful.It’sthesameprincipleastakingafriendshoppingwithyou.Theymightpickoutashirtthatyouwouldn’thavelookedattwice.Butthenyoutryitonandit’sthegreatestshirtever.

Spendaboutfiveminutesbothworkingonyourownstatements.Onlyfiveminutesbecausethereislittlevalueinoverthinkingatthisstage.Thenrejoinyourpartnerandshareyourrespectivedrafts.AfterconsideringbothWhyStatements,youmaychoosetogowithoneortheotherortocombinethem.

Remember,thegoalofthisdraftisnotperfection.Thegoalistogetitintheballpark,tocomeupwithsomethingthatfeelsright.Theactualwordscan,andlikelywill,changeasyoucontinuetospendtimewithyourWHY,reflectonitand,mostimportant,putitintoaction.Thisiswhatthefinalstepisallabout.

RefineYourWhyStatementAfteryouhaveadraft,thefinalstageoftheWhyDiscoveryprocessistestingandrefiningyourWhyStatement.Thereareafewwaystodothis.OnefunwaytovalidateyourWhyStatement,ortogetideasforhowtotweakit,istodowhatwecalltheFriendsExercise.Forthisexercise,makealistofyourclosestfriends—thepeoplewhoarealwaysthereforyou,theonesyoucancallat2:00A.M.ifyouneedthemandknowtheywillpickupthephone.Theoneswho,iftheycalledyouat2:00A.M.,you’dbethereforthemtoo.Thenfollowtheinstructionsbelow.YoucanalsodownloadtheFriendsExerciseasafreePDFathttp://bit.ly/FYWresources.

FriendsExercise

Theexerciseworksbestifdoneinperson,onefriendatatime.Besuretogiveyourfriendsomecontextabouttheprocessyou’vegonethrough,andtellthemthatyou’reaskingthemtohelpyouonyourjourney.KeepyourWHYtoyourselffornow.Youdon’twanttoinfluenceyourfriend’supcomingresponses.

First,askthem,“Whyareyoufriendswithme?”Don’tbesurprisedifyourpallooksatyouasifyou’vegrownthreeheads.It’snotaquestionmostfriendsaskeachother,andit’shardertoanswerthanwethink.Friendshipsarerootedinfeelingsand,asweknow,feelingsaredifficulttoputintowords.Forthisexercisetowork,youhavetokeepgoingevenifbothofyouarealittleuncomfortable.

Ironically,askingaquestionthatstartswith“why”doesn’tactuallygetustotheWHY.That’sbecausethequestion“why”isanemotionalquestion,andittendstoelicitvagueorreactiveanswers.Incontrast,askinga“what”questionelicitsa

morethoughtfulandexactanswer.Nowaskthesamequestionagain,thistimeframedwith“what”:“Whatisitaboutmethatmadeyouchoosetobefriendswithme?”Thistimeyourbuddymaysaysomethinglike,“Idon’tknow.Icareaboutyou.Icantrustyou.We’reintothesamestuff.Andwejustgetalongreallywell!”That’salogicalanswer,butofcourse,thosearethebasicelementsofalmostanyfriendship.Continuetoplaythedevil’sadvocate,alwaysframingyour“why”questionswith“what.”Forexample,ifyouwanttoask“why...,”insteadask“whatisitabout...”Followupwithsomethinglike,“Great,you’vejustdefinedwhatitmeanstobeafriend!Butwhatisitaboutmeinparticular?”

Yourfriendwillprobablystammerandstruggleforaminuteandmaybeevencomeupwithmoreattributesofanyfriend.Asthisgoeson,you’llfinditmoreandmoretemptingtoletthemoffthehook,butkeepatit.“Yeah,butwhatspecificallyisitaboutme?”Continuetopushthembeyondtherationalanswers.

Therearetwowaysyoucantellthatyou’regettingwhereyouwanttogointhisconversation.Thefirstiswhenyourfriendgoesquietandstartsstaringatthefloororceiling,seeminglyatatotallossforwords.What’sactuallyhappeningistheyareconnectingwiththeirfeelingsforyouandstrugglingtoputthemintowords.Ifyouattempttofillthesilencebythrowingoutanotherquestionorcomment,you’llinterruptthisveryimportantprocess.Instead,letyourfriendsitinthatsilenceandworkthroughit.Let’ssayyou’redoingthiswithoneofyourfriends.Atsomepoint,yourfriendwillmoveonfromgeneralities,suchas“Wehavethesamesenseofhumor,”tosomethingspecific,suchas“Youreallymakemelaugh...whichisfun,butwhichalsomakesmerealizethatweseetheworldthesameway.WhenItellyouwhatmybosssaidlastweek,andyoumakeajokeaboutit,Inotonlylaugh,butIalsofeelreassuredthatmybossisthecrazyone,notme.”

Andthatbringsupthesecondthingtowatchfor,whichisadistinctshiftinyourfriend’sfocus.Atsomepoint,theywillstopdescribingyouandseeminglystartdescribingthemselves.Intheexampleabove,whenyourfriendsays,“Ifeelreassuredthatmybossisthecrazyone,”theyarenottalkingaboutyourpersonalitybutabouthowyoumakethemfeelandthedifferenceyoumaketothem.Inotherwords,yourfriendisarticulatingyouruniquecontributiontotheirlife.Andyou’vegonedeepenoughwhenyouhaveanemotionalresponsetowhatevertheysay.Youmaygetgoosebumpsorgetchokedup.That’sbecausetheyhaveputintowordsthetruevalueyouhaveintheirlife.Theyhavestated

yourWHYintheirownwords,andbecausetheWHYexistsinthepartofthebrainthatcontrolsemotionsandnotlanguage,youhaveanemotionalresponse.Thisisanimportantturningpoint.It’sawonderfulwaytoseehowyou’vebeenlivingyourWHYwithoutevenrealizingit.

ChancesarethatthethemesandpatternsthatemergefromtheFriendsExercisewillbesimilarto,ifnotexactlylike,thoseyouandyourpartneruncoveredduringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess.Butmaybeyourfriendusedawordorphraseintalkingaboutyouthatyoulikebetter.Ifitfeelsright,goaheadandincorporatethosewordsintoyourWhyStatement.Ontheflipside,iftheFriendsExercisebroughtdifferentthemestolight,that’ssomethingtoconsidertoo.DoanyofthosethemessitbetterwithyouthantheonesyouidentifiedduringtheWhyDiscovery?Ifso,maybeyouandyourpartnerneedtodoalittlemoredigging.

InadditiontotheFriendsExercise,itcanalsobehelpfultojustletyourWhyStatementsitforafewdays.Thinkofitasacake.Whenyoupullacakeoutoftheoven,youcan’tcutasliceandeatitrightaway.It’stoohotanditwillfallapart.Thecakeneedstimetocoolandset.YourWHYisthesame.Giveitsometimetocoolandsetbeforeyoustarttouseit.

OftenthefirstdraftofaWhyStatementsoundsabitgeneric.WhileyouaresittingwithyourWHY,trytounpackthewordstofindlanguagethatismoreauthentictoyou,thatmorecompletelycapturesyourfeelings.WesometimesplayalittlegamewithpeopleandaskthemiftheylikethewordsintheirWhyStatementenoughtohavethemtattooedontheirbody.Iftheanswerisno,thenyouhaven’tfoundthewordsyou“love”andrelatetoyet.Youreallywanttolovethewords,especiallythewordsofyourcontribution.

AsyoureviseyourWhyStatement,referbacktoyourstories.Thiswillhelpensurethatanychangesyoumakewon’twaterdowntheaccuracyofthestatement.Intheend,thegoalofrefiningyourWhyStatementisn’ttomakeitsoundbetter;it’stomakeitfeelbetter.

HowmuchtimedoesittaketohoneyourWhyStatement?Wereallycan’tsaybecauseit’sdifferentforeveryone.FindingtheperfectwordsforyourWHYcouldtakeweeksormonths.Youmaygothroughoneiterationoradozen.That’sprovedtrueevenformembersoftheStartWithWhyteam.

TakeDavid,forexample.David’sWhyStatementusedtoread:

Topropelpositivechangesothatpeoplecanliveamorefulfilledlife.

Thisstatementwasintheballpark,butthephrase“fulfilledlife”didn’tfeelexactlyrighttoDavid.Itwastoobroadand,itseemedtohim,somewhatclichéd.Sohespentsometimediggingdeeper.Hehadtoanswerthequestions,“WhenI‘propelpositivechange,’whatamIactuallydoing?AndwhileI’matit,whatdoes‘afulfilledlife’mean?”HelivedwithhisWhyStatementandpracticedsayingitandimplementingit—allthetimemakinglittletweaksuntilthisgottosomethingthatfeltevenmorelikehimselfthanthepreviousversion.

TheanswerresultedinarevisionofhisoriginalWhyStatement:

Topropelpeopleforwardsothattheycanmaketheirmarkontheworld.

WhatDavidrealizedwhenhethoughtmoredeeplyabouthiswordchoicewasthat,forhim,topropelpeopletoliveafulfilledlifemeanthelpingthembealittlebetterthantheywerethedaybeforesotheycanhaveagreaterpositiveimpactonothers—andthatspecificdefinitionof“fulfillment”isspelledoutclearlyinthesecondversion.That’swhyDavid’scurrentWhyStatementisstrongerthanthefirst:becauseitisbothmorepreciseandmorepersonal.

RefiningyourWHYmightmakeitmorepowerfulforyou,asitdidforDavid.Butitwon’tmakeitmorevalidoractionable.Thewordsdon’tneedtobeperfectinorderforustobegintoputourstatementintopractice.AsformerSecretaryofStateColinPowellsaid,“Icanmakeadecisionwith30percentoftheinformation,anythingmorethan80percentistoomuch.”Infact,asyoulivewithyourWHYitwillbecomeeasiertofindtheperfectwords,becauseyou’llbemoreconsciousofyourgoalandhowyou’retryingtoreachit.SotakesometimetositwithyourWhyStatement,butdon’tsitfortoolong.ThereasontofindyourWHYissothatyoucanactonit.

WeenvisionaworldwhereeveryoneknowstheirWHY.Well,weknowthatreadingabookisnottheonlyway,oreventheidealwayforsome,todiscovertheirWHY.AswearededicatedtohavingaGoldenCircleoneverydesk,we’vecreatedmultiplewaystofindyourWHY.Ourteamconductsliveeventsand

workshopsandwehaveresourcesavailableonline.Learnmoreandfindtoolstoinspireatwww.StartWithWhy.com.

CHAPTER4

WhyDiscoveryforGroups

Part1:TheTribeApproach

Inthischapter,wewillhelpyoupreparefortheTribeApproachtotheWhyDiscoveryprocess;inchapter5,we’llleadyouthroughthespecificstepstoconducttheworkshop.TheTribeApproachisintendedforanygroupthatwantstoarticulatetheircommonpurpose,causeorbelief—toputintowordswhatanorganization’scultureislikewhenit’soperatingatitsnaturalbest,eveniftheorganizationisnotcurrentlyperformingatthatlevel.Wedefinea“tribe”asanygroupofpeoplewhocometogetheraroundacommonsetofvaluesandbeliefs.Atribecanbeanentireorganizationorasmallteam.Often,whereyousitwithintheorganizationdetermineswhoyouviewasyourtribe.IfyouaretheCEOofanorganization,everyonewhoworkswithintheorganizationisyourtribe.Ifyouarethedirectorofadivision,thepeoplewhoworkinyourdivisionarethemembersofyourtribe.Ifyouaretheleaderormemberofateam,theteamisyourtribe.Ifyourorganization’sstructureisn’tsoclearlydefined,relyonwhatfeelsright.It’spossiblethatateammembermayfitintomorethanonetribe.Thebottomlineisatribeistheplacewhereyoufeelyoubelong.

Atthispointyoumightbethinkingthisissoundinglikeoneofthosemathematicalwordproblemsyoudidingradeschool.ThepurposeofdoingaTribeWhyDiscoveryistosimplifythings,nottoaddcomplexity.Weuseaconceptcalled“NestedWHYs”tohelpexplaintheidea.NestedWHYsshouldonlybeusediftheygenuinelydeepenpeople’srelationshiptotheWHYoftheorganizationandtheparttheyplayinit.IftheoverarchingWHYisenoughtoinspirepeopleacrosstheorganization,stickwiththat.

ANestedWHYalwaysservesthecompany’soverarchingWHY;itnevercompeteswithit.

NestedWHYs:DefiningaPartoftheWholeAnorganizationhasaWHY.Andwithinanorganizationareteams—subculturesthatexistwithinthelargergroup.EachofthesepartswithinthewholewillhaveitsownWHY.WecallthataNestedWHY—thepurpose,causeorbeliefthatdefinesasubgroupwithinthelargerorganization.ThenwithineachofthoseteamsarepeoplewhoalsohavetheirownuniqueWHY—theirindividualWHY.Thegoalisforeachindividualtoworkforacompanyinwhichtheyfittheculture,sharethevalues,believeinthevisionandworkonateaminwhichtheyfeelliketheyarevaluedandvaluable.

ThereasontoarticulateaNestedWHYisthesamereasonanorganizationwouldwanttoarticulatethebigumbrellaWHY—becauseitgivespeopleasenseofidentityandbelonging.Itallowsteamsandgroupstoidentifywiththepeopletheyworkwitheveryday.Ithelpsthemunderstandtheiruniquecontributionasadistinctgrouptothelargervision.

Thinkoftheorganizationlikeatree.Itsrootsandtrunkrepresentitsoriginandfoundation.Inthattreearebranches—thosebranchesarethedivisionsanddepartmentsoftheorganization.Andonthosebranchessitnests—thosenestsarethesubculturesorteamsinthetree.Andwithineachnestisafamilyofbirdswhobelongtogether.ThegoalforusasindividualsistoknowourWHYsothatwecanmoreeasilyfindtherighttreeandtherightnest.ThegoalforanorganizationistoknowitsWHYinordertoattracttherightbirds.Andthegoalforeachteamwithinthecompanyistomakesurethattheyhavetherightbirdsineachnest—thosewhowillworktogethermosteffectivelytocontributetotheorganization’shigherpurposeandcause.

AmericahasaWHY—butsodoLosAngelesandNewYork.IwanttoliveinAmerica;thequestionisinwhichcityshouldIliveandwork?Itispossibleforsomeonetobeintherightcompanybutinthewrongnest.Thiscanhurttheirperformance,moraleandself-confidence.Helpingthemtoknowwhichcitytolivein,whichnesttojoin,orinwhichgroup,teamorsubculturetheybestfitispartofthejigsawpuzzleofbuildingathrivingorganization.Somecompanieshaveitdowntoasciencehowtoattractandhirethebestfitsforthecompany.However,theartisknowingwhereinthecompanytheywillworkattheirnaturalbest.Simplyhiringagoodfitforthecompanyisonlypartofthework.Knowingwhereinthecompanythatpersonwillworkattheirnaturalbestandfeelliketheyarecontributinginawaythatinspiresthemisalsoimportant.Infact,itcanactuallybemoreimportant.

WehaveworkedwithcompaniesthathaveaveryfuzzysenseofWHY.Leadershipisnotthatinterestedin“soft”stufflikepurpose,causeorbelief,sotheyignoreit.However,theleadersofsomeofthesubgroupsinthecompanywhodobelieveinthisstufftookthetimetoarticulatetheirgroup’sNestedWHY.

Asonewouldexpect,thosegroupstendtohavethehighestmorale,arethemostproductiveandinnovative,havethebestretentionratesandovertimearesome

ofthehighestperforminggroupsinthecompany.

*

SimonSinek,thefounderofourcompany,hasaWHY:toinspirepeopletodothethingsthatinspirethemsothat,together,wecanchangeourworld.HisWHYisalsoourcompany’sWHY,andweallbelieveinandembracethatWHY.Infact,thatWHYisthebasisofoursharedvision—tobuildaworldinwhichthevastmajorityofpeoplewakeupeverysinglemorninginspiredtogotowork,feelsafewhenthey’rethereandreturnhomefulfilledbytheworkthattheydo.However,insideourcompanywehaveteamsthatworktogetheronaregularbasis.Andovertime,subcultureshaveformed.Thegroupinwhichwe,PeterandDavid,workhasaNestedWHY:toshinealightonwhat’spossiblesothattogetherwecantransformourworld.Thisisourgroup’suniquecontributiontothecompany’shigherpurpose.Simon’sbooks,talksandworkshopsareveryinspirational.Thisbook,youwillfind,ismorefocusedonshininglightonhowtoactuallydothethingshetalksabout.Thisisnotanaccident.Thisisournestedpurpose—showingpeoplethewayiswhywecometoworkinthemorning.It’showwecontributetoourcompany’spurpose.

Let’stakeitastepfurther.OurwholeteamsharesthatNestedWHY.However,wearealsoindividualsinthatnest.EachofusmakesourownuniquecontributiontoourcollectiveWHY.Sowithintheteam,eachofushasanindividualWHYthat’sallourown.

EverythingPeterdoesisdesignedtoenablepeopletobeextraordinarysothattheycandoextraordinarythings.Davidgetsoutofbedeverymorningtopropelpeopleforwardsothattheycanmaketheirmarkontheworld.Webothcomplementourcompany’sWHY.WhereSimonlightsaspark,ourteamshinesalightandfanstheflamestoshowpeopleexactlyhowtobreathelifeintoourvision.EveryindividualinourcompanyknowstheirindividualWHY,theyknowtheNestedWHYfortheirteamandtheyknowthesharedvisionweareallworkingtoadvance.

*

Ifthereismorethanonefounder,choosethevisionary.Oftencompaniesarefoundedinpairs.Thereisavisionaryandabuilderorseveralbuilders.Seechapter12inStartwithWhytolearnmore.

Ifyou’dliketolearnmoreabout“waggingthedog,”SimonSinekcoversthetopicinchapter7ofhisbookStartwithWhy.

Hereareafewpointstoconsiderbeforesettingupyourtribe’sworkshopifyou’rediscoveringtheWHYoftheentireorganization:

Ifthefounderisstillpartoftheorganization,doingapersonalWhyDiscoverywiththefoundercanbeagreatplacetostart.FoundingtheirorganizationwasjustoneofthethingstheydidtobringtheirWHYtolife.ArticulatingtheirpersonalWHYwillgivecontextandwillbeintheballparkoftheWHYofthegreaterorganization.We’veconductedafewtestsinwhichwe’vefacilitatedbothapersonalWhyDiscoverywiththefounderandthenusedtheTribeApproachwithalargergroup.Whenthecultureisstrong,it’seeriehowsimilartheresultsare.

Ifthefounderofacompanyisnolongeraliveorisn’tavailableforconsultation,theTribeApproachisthebestwayforanorganizationtofindorrediscoveritsWHY.

HerearesomespecificsituationsinwhichasubgroupmightconsiderdoingaTribeWhyDiscoverytoarticulatetheirNestedWHY:

WhenaunitordivisionfeelsitwouldinspiretheirtribetodiscovertheirNestedWHYtobetterrelatetoandcomplementaclearlyarticulatedcompanyWHY.Remember,aNestedWHYisalwayssubordinatetotheorganization’sWHY.IfasubgrouptriestocomeupwithitsNestedWHYinavacuumwithoutconsideringthereasontheirgroupneedstoexistwithinthelargercompany,itmayendupworkingatcross-purposeswiththerestofthecompany.Thiscancauseconfusion.NestedWHYsshouldalwayscomplementtheWHYthatsitsabovethem.

Theexceptiontotheabovestatementiswhenaunit,divisionormiddlemanagerwithinanorganizationwantstofindtheWHYoftheirsubgroupbecausethoseatthetopofthehierarchyarenotinterestedinarticulatingthe

company’soverallWHY.Ifthelargerorganizationreallyhaslostitsway,isoperatingwithoutaclearsenseofWHYandtheseniorleadershiphasnointentionofgoingthroughaWhyDiscovery,anyleaderofateamormemberofateamcanbecometheleadertheywishtheyhad.Thoughnotideal,itisasolutionthatwe’veseeninspireothergroupstofollow,and,eventually,thetailwagsthedogandthelargercorporationcomesalong.

Anorganizationthat’shighlydysfunctional—perhapsastheresultofamerger,acquisitionorsomeotherdevelopment—isnotoperatingatitsnaturalbest.Itlikelyhasnounifiedsenseofpurpose,whichresultsinagroupofindividualsorsilostryingtoadvancetheirowninterests.Whendealingwiththissortofsituation,werecommendtakingtheTribeApproachwithasmallergroupwithintheorganization,onethathasmanagedtomaintainstrongleadershipandahealthyculture.HelpingthisgrouparticulateitsWHYcanbeafirststeptoward“waggingthedog.”

ThegreatthingaboutaWhyDiscoveryforasubgroupwithinanorganization(i.e.,aNestedWHY)isthatitcaninfluencethewholeorganizationtowanttofinditsWHY.Whenasingledivisionstartstothink,actandcommunicatebasedonitsWHY,goodthingshappen:performancetendstoimprove,innovationtendstorise,employeeturnovertendstodecline.Seniormanagementnoticesthesedevelopments.Employeesinotherdivisionsnotice,aswell,becausethepeopleintheWHYgrouptendtoenjoycomingtoworkmorethantheydidbefore.AfterwedidaTribeWhyDiscoveryforonesmalldivision,thephonestartedringingwithcallsfromemployeesinotherpartsofthecompany,askingiftherewereanypositionsavailable.Inthatway,thetailcanwagthedog,meaning,asmallgroupofinspiredandengagedemployeescanhaveapositiveimpactontheentireorganization.

However,theremaybetimeswhenthecultureissoweakthatnosuitablesubgroupexistsforaTribeWhyDiscovery.Inthesecases,theonlythingthatcanrighttheshipisstrong,visionaryleadership.Astrongleader,evenifthatpersonisn’tthefounder,cangiveaWHY-lesscompanyasenseofpurpose.

SupplyingaWHYwherenoneexistedbeforeisverydifferentfromchanginganexistingWHY.Acompany’sWHYismadeupofculturalnorms,commonvaluesandstrongrelationships,andanewleadercan’tsimplycomeinandchangethosethings.AleadershouldsupplyanewWHYwhenthecompany’soriginalpurposehasbeencompletelydestroyedbyyearsofmisuseandabuse.ThebestscenariointhissituationisfortheleadertocompleteanIndividualWhyDiscovery.TheycanthenleadthecompanybasedonthatWHY,andthoseinspiredbyitwillfollow.

Thoughit’srare,wehavecomeacrossafeworganizationsthatarecompletelydysfunctionalandbroken,wherefear,mistrust,paranoiaandself-interestrunrampant.Inacaselikethis,aWhyDiscoveryturnsintoaventsessioninwhichpeoplesimplyspillouttheirfrustrations,prejudicesandcomplaintsinwaysthatmovenothingforward.Whatwe’dadviseanorganizationlikethistodoistocallinathird-partyfacilitatororconsultantwhocanhelptheorganization’sleadersidentifytheunderlyingcauseofthemanyproblems.OnlyafterthisdeeperanalysisiscompletedwillclearspacebecreatedforaneffectiveWhyDiscovery.Withoutthisprework,aWhyDiscoveryisalmostcertaintofail—andoncethathappens,itisextremelydifficulttosucceedonasecondtry.It’smucheasiertosetyourselfupforsuccessfromthestartbydealingwithanydeep-seatedproblemsfirst.

StoriesEmbodytheWhy

PeterdidanorganizationalorTribeWhyDiscoveryforacompanycalledLaMarzocco.BeforetheworkshopPetertalkedwithafewmembersoftheleadershipteamtolearnabitaboutthecompany’shistorysincetheoriginalfounderswerenolongerthere.In1927,inFlorence,Italy,GiuseppeandBrunoBambifoundedLaMarzoccotobuildespressomachinesbyhand.Overthedecadesthatfollowed,thecompanyhasemployedadedicatedteamofcraftsmenwhohavebeenamodelofinnovationintheindustry.Itsmachinesarestillbuiltbyhand,eachsignedbyitsmaker,andareboughtbycoffeeaficionadosandspecialistcoffeehousesworldwide.

PeterusedtheTribeApproachintheworkshopandheardmanystoriesfromemployeestryingtoarticulatethepridetheyfeelforLaMarzoccoasanorganization.Heheardsomeonesay,“We’retheRolls-RoyceofcoffeemakersandhavedevelopedacultfollowingtorivalHarley-Davidson.”Theytalkedabouttheworkers’incredibleprideintheirproduct,toutinghowtheylavishasmuchattentionontheunseenpartsasonthehighlypolishedstainless-steelexteriors.Theytoldspecificstoriesabouttheircustomersbeingequallyenthusiastic.Theteamfromthecustomizationdepartmenttalkedaboutthemachinestheypaintedordecoratedtoeachindividualcustomer’staste.Astorywassharedofa

customerwhoevenhadatattooofthecompany’slogoontheirarm.ItwascleartoPeterthataroundtheworld,LaMarzoccostandsforsomethingmeaningfultocustomersandemployeesalike.Puttingthisfeelingintowordswasthetrickybit.

Peterpushedtheworkshopattendeestodigdeeper.Hesaid,“LaMarzoccomakescoffeemachines.That’sthecompany’sWHAT,butit’snotthewholestory.LaMarzoccoisn’taboutpressingabuttononadispenserandwatchingaplasticcupdropdown,thenwaitingforacomputerprogramtofillit.Ithinkwe’regettingcloserwhenwetalkaboutbaristasexplainingthechoiceofbeansanddifferentroasts.AndIfeelasurgeofenergywhenwetalkaboutmachineowners—individualsorbusinesses—whoinvestasmuchpassionandcareinusingthemachineastheworkersdidinfabricatingit.Thereissomethingmore,let’skeepgoing.”

AnemployeeraisedhishandtoshareastoryhefeltreallyembodiedwhatLaMarzoccostandsfor.Hetalkedaboutthecoffee-relatedeventsthecompanysponsorsaroundtopicssuchasleadership,communityandsustainability.HetoldaspecificstoryaboutaneventataMilanhotelwherethecompanyhostedaphotographyexhibitthatfeaturedacoffee-growingcommunityinTanzania.HesaidLaMarzoccodidn’tjustinviteitscustomersandpartners,italsowelcomedcompetitors.ADJwasflowninfromaSeattleradiostationbecausehismissionistofosterglobalcommunityviamusic.And,ofcourse,therewascoffee.Hesaidtheeventwaspowerfulbecausethereweresomanyopportunitiesforpeopletotalkandconnect.

Ontheheelsofthatstory,anotherteammatesaid,“LaMarzoccoisaboutsittingdownandengagingwithothersoveracupofcoffee.It’saboutbringingpeopletogethertosavorlife.”

Followingthatstatementwasaseriesofaudiblevalidations.Afewpeoplethrewtheirhandsintheair,someoneelseclapped.

Bytheendoftheworkshop,everythingjustdescribedaboutLaMarzoccomadesensewhentheyreadthecompany’sWhyStatement:tocultivaterelationshipssothatthelivesofothersareenriched.Yes,LaMarzoccomakescoffeemachines.That’sWHATtheydo.Butwhytheydoitismorehuman.Theyareobsessedwithbringingpeopletogether;thatistheircause,andcoffeemachineshappentobethebusinesstheyhavefoundtohelpthemadvanceit.

*

Nowthatwe’veclearlyidentifiedwhoyourtribeis,it’stimetoprepareyouforyourtribe’sWhyDiscoveryworkshop.Beforewegetintothedetails,here’saroadmaptohelpyouvisualizethestepsthatlieahead.

FINDYOURFACILITATOR

PREPAREFORYOURSESSION

INVITEPARTICIPANTS

Werecommendthatyoupreparebytakingthefollowingsteps.

FindYourFacilitatorTheTribeApproachrequiresafacilitator.Theidealpersonforthisroleissomeonetrustedbytheorganizationwhohasadesiretoserve,astrongnaturalcuriosityandanabilitytoaskprobingquestions.Whileaprofessionalfacilitatorcanbringconfidenceandexperiencetothejob,it’snotnecessaryfortheprocesstobesuccessful.Ifyou’renotaseasonedfacilitator,orifoneisnotavailable,don’tworry!Wewrotethisbooktohelpyoutakeonthejob.

Thefacilitatormustbeobjective,sothinkofsomeonewhohasalittledistanceandperspective—forexample,anoutsider,someonewhowasn’tpresentatthefoundingofthecompanyandisn’toneofitslong-standingexecutives.Thisensuresthatthefacilitatorwon’taccidentallybringpreconceptionsorbiasesto

theprocess.Inotherwords,sometimesknowinglessismore.Workingwithanobjectivefacilitatoralsomeanstheycanruntheprocessratherthanbepartofit.

Thatsaid,werealizeitmaynotbepossibleorpracticaltobringinsomeonefromtheoutside.Ifthisisthecase,youcanchooseoneofyourcolleaguestoactasfacilitatororchoosetodoityourself.Aslongasthefoundationoftheprocessisunderstood:thataWHYisdiscovered,notcreated,andthattheWhyDiscoveryprocessisnotaspirational.Norisitabrandingormarketingexercise.ApproachingtheprocessthatwaywouldcompletelyundermineeverythingthatmakesatrueWHYsocompelling.TheWHYisaboutwhoweare,notwhatwe’dlikethecompanytobecomesomeday.

Whomeveryouchoose,thefacilitatorwillleadagroupinaworkshopsetting.Thisrequiresitsownuniquesetofskills:theabilitiestomanagetimeandlogistics,tolistenactivelyandtodrawconnectionsfromvariouscontributors.Thefacilitatoralsoneedstocreatea“safe”environmentinwhichpeople,regardlessofrank,positionorpersonality,feelcomfortablesharingtheirthoughtsandstories.

Thislistofcapabilitiesandattributesmayseemdaunting,but,intruth,anyonewholovestolearnandiscomfortableworkingwithagroupshouldbeabletoleadaTribeWhyDiscovery.Ofcourse,themorepracticedtheyare,thebetter.Aboveall,theyneedtohaveastrongsenseofcuriosityandtobeexcitedabouttheideaofleadingthesession.Intheend,ifyoufeelcomfortablewiththeperson,it’slikelytheywillbeabletocreatetheenvironmentthatwillpromoteagreatWhyDiscovery.Thinkofitthisway:Therearelotsofequallywell-qualifieddoctorsoutthere,butgivenachoice,wewillselectoneoveranother.Why?Becausewelikehowthatdoctormakesusfeel.Applythesamethinkingwhenyouselectyourfacilitator,andyou’llbeinagoodpositiontomoveforward.

TheremainderofthischapterandtheentiretyofthenextchapterareaddressedtothefacilitatoroftheTribeWhyDiscovery.Basedonwhatyou’vereadsofar,ifyoufeelthatyouaren’ttherightfitforthatrole,choosesomeonewhoisandaskthemtoreadthenextsectionandtheotherchaptersitreferences.Ifyoudoplantofillthefacilitatorrole,keepreading.Therestofthischapterandchapter5areforthefacilitatortopreparetoruntheWhyDiscoveryprocessfortribes.

PrepareforYourSessionIt’sanhonortohavebeenaskedtotakeontheroleoffacilitatingaWhyDiscoveryworkshop.Werecommendafewthingstoensureyou’refullypreparedfortheworkshop.Inadditiontoreadingthischapter,youshouldalsolookatchapter3,whichexplainstheIndividualWhyDiscoveryprocess.Youwon’tfollowthestepsinthatchapterforthisspecificworkshop,butthemorefamiliaryouarewiththefoundationsofthediscoveryprocess,themoreequippedyouwillbetoleadthetribethroughit.Ifyouarewillingandtimepermits,beforeundertakingtheTribeWhyDiscovery,wesuggestyoupracticebytakingafewindividuals—colleagues,friendsoracquaintances—throughtheindividualprocess.

BeforeyougettotheWhyDiscoveryprocessitselfinchapter5,therearesomeimportanttasksthatyouasthefacilitator—orsomeoneassistingyoufromwithintheorganization—needtoperform:

InviteparticipantsScheduleenoughtimeFindtherightsettingSetuptheroominadvance

InviteParticipantsTheTribeApproachrequiresatleasttentofifteenparticipantsbutcanaccommodateasmanyasthirty.Ifyougoabovethatnumber,youneedaveryexperiencedfacilitator,someonewhoisskilledatkeepinglargegroupsontask;otherwise,theprocesscanbecomelong,unwieldyandmessy.Soifyou’renew(orevennewish)atfacilitatingthisprocess,limityourgrouptoamaximumofthirty.

Whynofewerthanten?It’sthejoboftheparticipantstogeneratestoriesthatareadiverserepresentationoftheorganizationasawhole.Remember,we’reattemptingtocaptureauniversalstatementthat,initsnature,willresonatewithallmembersoftheorganization.We’retryingtoarticulatetheWHY;thatis,if

werevisitthetreeanalogy,we’retryingtoestablishthefoundation(therootsandthetreetrunk)uponwhichallbranchesandnestssit.Ifweendupwithtoomanybirdsononebranchorononesideofthetree,it’slikelythatwewillaccidentallyarticulatetheWHYofasubcultureorofasinglebranchornest.Theendresultwillbethatwhentheyhearit,everybirdinthetreemaynotfeeltheybelong.Nomatterthesizeofyourorganization,makesuretohaveacrosssectionofallofitsparts.

Theexceptiontothe“minimumoften”ruleisanorganizationwithfewerthantenpeople.Inthiscase,thosetenpeoplerepresenttheentiretree.Everyoneintheorganizationisinvolvedinmultipleaspectsofthebusiness,andthegroupusuallyhasexactlywhattheyneedtoarticulatetheorganization’sWHY.

WefindthatTribeWhyDiscoverysessionsaremostsuccessfulwhenthemajorityofparticipantssharetwocharacteristics:zealfortheirjobsandreasonablylongtenureinthecompany.Participantswhohaveworkedatthecompanyforalongtimewillhavemorestoriesandexperiencestocallupon.Andifthey’vebeenaroundlongenough,theywillhaveseenthecompanygothroughgoodtimesandhardtimes,whenitwasoperatingatitsnaturalbestandwhenitfaceditsbiggestchallenges.

Eventhoughtheymayhavefewerstoriestoshare,youmaychoosetoinviteafewnewemployeestoparticipate.Hearingthestories,learningsomeofthefolkloreandgettingtoknowtheircolleaguesinamorepersonalwayoftencatalyzestheirsenseofbelongingandbooststheirprideinthenewjob.Theyhaveaspecialinsighttooffer:sincetheyrecentlyjoinedtheorganization,thereasontheychosetodosoispresumablystillfreshintheirminds.Newteammatescanalsoshareobjectiveinsightsthatmaybelessobvioustosomeonewhohasbeenworkingattheorganizationforyears.

Theotherkeyqualitytolookforinparticipantsispassionforthecompany.Youwantasmanyzealotsintheroomaspossible.Thesearen’tnecessarilythetopperformers,thoughsomeofthemmaybe.Thezealotsaretheoneswho“getit.”Theoneswhoregularlysacrificetheirtimeandenergytomaketheorganizationbetter.Theoneswhocaremostaboutthecompany.Thezealotsrepresentthecompanyatitsbest.

Ifforpoliticalorotherreasonsyoualsoneedtoinvitesomenonzealots,that’sokay.Theprocessisobjectiveandthesefew“misfits”willlikelynotbiastheresults.Infact,sometimestheyfitinbetterthanexpectedbecausetheworkshophelpsthemsharethereasonstheylovetheorganization.Butevenifitdoesn’t,aslongastheyareintheminority,theprocesswillworkasdesigned.

Finally,ifyouaredoingaTribeWhyDiscoveryforanentireorganization(asopposedtoasubgroup),werecommendthatyouchooseparticipantswhorepresentacrosssectionofthecompany—individualsofdifferentranksfromavarietyofdepartmentsordivisions.ThiswillensurethattheWHYyouuncoveristrulytheorganization’sWHYandnotaWHYnestedwithinit.

Inourexperience,theidealnumberofparticipantsforaTribeWhyDiscoveryistwentytothirty.AgroupthissizecangenerallydraftaWhyStatementwithinfourhours.Figuringoutjusthowmanypeopleyou’llneedintheworkshoptogetthebestresultsrequirestrustingyourgut.

Ateamisnotagroupofpeoplewhoworktogether.

Ateamisagroupofpeoplewhotrusteachother.

Sometimesanorganizationprefersthatalltheparticipantsbedrawnfromtheranksofseniorleaders.Thisapproachcanworkaslongastheleadersmeetthebasicrequirements:tenureandzeal.Themajorityofparticipants,regardlessofrank,shouldbepeoplewithsubstantialexperienceatthecompanywholoveworkingthereandcareaboutthepeopleandtheculture.AWhyDiscoverywithseniorstaffmustalsorepresentagoodcrosssectionofjobfunctions.Theprocesswillnotworkotherwise.Ifyouhaveanimbalancefromengineering,forexample,youaremorelikelytoendupfindingtheWHYoftheengineeringdepartment,nottheWHYofthewholecompany.Balanceiscritical.

ScheduleEnoughTimeATribeWhyDiscoverytakesatleastfourhours,butorganizationsmaytrytocompressthesessionintoashortertimeframe.Resist!Havingthefullfourhoursiscrucial.Havingfivehoursisevenbetter.It’slikecookingaturkey.Youcantrytospeedthingsupbyincreasingtheoventemperature,butevenifthebirdlooksbrownontheoutside,it’snotgoingtobecookedallthewaythrough.TofeelgoodabouttheirWhyStatementandtakeownershipofit,theparticipantshavetogothroughthefullintellectualandemotionaljourney.TheyhavetobringtheWHYtolifethroughthestoriestheyshare.Wehavedonemanydiscoverieswherewecouldhaveidentifiedanorganization’sWHYinunderanhour—butwewouldn’thavebroughtthegroupalongwithus,emotionally.Peopleneedtomakethediscoveryontheirown,and,foragroup,thattakestime.Itwon’tmatterhowwonderfultheWhyStatementsoundsifnooneintheorganizationfeelsownershipofitorisinspiredtobringittolifeintheirwork.

FindtheRightSettingWhyDiscoveryrequiresakindofthinkingthatcanbequitedifferentfromthekindmostpeopledoeveryday.Aspacethatinspirescreativity,fostersprivacyandminimizesdistractionsisideal.Theenvironmentyouchoose—whetherit’swithinthecompany’sofficesoratanoutsidelocation—shouldpromotethesethingsinthefollowingways:

Chooseaspacelargeenoughthatparticipantscanbreakintosmallgroups.Participantswillsometimesworkontheirown,sometimesingroups.Soinadditiontobeingwell-ventilatedandwell-lit,thespaceneedstobelargeenoughandflexibleenoughtoallowpeopletomovearoundand/ortorearrangethetablesandchairs.Youalsoneedroomforasnacks-and-drinkstable,whichwillhelpkeepeveryonefocusedforthefullsession.

Chooseaspacewherethegroupwon’tbeinterrupted.Ifaroomhasnoisyneighbors,containstheonlycopymachineemployeesneedtouseorislocatedonabusycorridorthatpeopleconstantlytraverseontheirwaytosomewhereelse,it’snotagoodchoice.

SetUptheRoominAdvanceThedynamicintheroomfromthemomenttheworkshopbeginsreallymatters,sowewilldiscusstheroom’sset-upindetail.Setuptheroominadvancetoavoidusingvaluableworkshoptimerearrangingtheroomaccordingtoourdirectionsbelow.Doingthiswillensurethatparticipantsexperiencetheintendedatmospherefromthemomenttheywalkin.

Arrangethefurniture:Thoughthere’snoonerightwaytodothis,wepreferthehorseshoe.Ifpossible,movetablesbacktothewallsandarrangethechairsintheshapeofahorseshoe.Thecirclehelpsgenerateopendiscussionbyeliminatinganysenseofhierarchy.

Chooseawayforgroupstocapturetheirideas:Wegenerallyprovideflipchartsoneaselsforeachgroup.(Forgroupsizeandhowtodeterminethenumberofgroups,seechapter5.)Largesheetsofpaperorwhiteboardscandothetrickaswell.Remembertoprovidepensormarkers,preferablyinseveralcolors,andmakesuretheywork.

Setupyourflipcharts:Positionthreeadditionalflipchartsoneaselsatthefrontoftheroom.Thoseareforyoutouse.(Weprefertouseflipcharts,ratherthanwhiteboards,becausetheyallowustoquicklyreferbacktosomethingwrittendownearlierinthesession.)

Setuptheprojectorandscreen:Ifyouchoosetouseaslidedeckorcomputer,makesurethattherequiredtechnologyisinplaceandfunctioningproperlyandthatparticipants’viewofthescreenisunimpeded.

Here’sasketchtohelpyoupicturetheidealroomset-up:

HereendsyourlogisticalpreparationforrunningtheTribeWhyDiscovery.

We’rereadytomoveontothenextchapter,wherewewalkyou,step-by-step,throughtheworkshop.

CHAPTER5

WhyDiscoveryforGroups

Part2:TalkingtotheTribe

FACILITATORSECTIONYoureadinchapter4thatthereweretwomaintasksforthefacilitator:toprepareforaTribeWhyDiscoveryandthentoleadtheworkshop.Wewalkedthroughthepreparatorystepsinchapter4.Nowwe’lltalkabouteverythingyouneedtodoinordertoguideyourgroupthroughthesession.Ifyou’renewtothisexperience,werecommendthatyoucloselyadheretotheguide.Thelessyouhavetoworryabouttheprocessitself,themoreyoucanputintolistening,questioning,analyzingandengaging.If,ontheotherhand,youareapracticedfacilitator,youwilllikelyputyourowntwistontheseinstructionsandcomeupwithsomeideasofyourowntomakeyourgroup’sdiscoveryevenmoresuccessful.

TheWhyDiscoveryworkshophasthreemainactions:

SetthecontextRuntheWhyDiscoveryProcessDraftaWhyStatement

Nowwe’llexplainthesestepsindetailandsuggestanapproximatetimeframeforeach.

SETTHECONTEXT

RUNTHEWHYDISCOVERYPROCESS

DRAFTAWHYSTATEMENT

SettheContext( 45–60MINUTES)

AgreatwaytobeginaTribeWhyDiscoveryistobringinaseniorleader,someonewhoisrespectedwithinthecompanyorgroupandisalready100percentonboardwiththeconceptofWHY,toexplainthereasonthesessionishappeninganddiscussitssignificance.Thatpersoncanalsoacknowledgehowmuchtimetheparticipantsareinvestingintheprocess.Whenweknowoursacrificeorallocationoftimeisappreciated,wegiveitmorewillingly.Theideaistoreassureparticipantsthattheyhavepermissiontofocusfullyonthesession.Thismayseemlikeanobviouspoint,butindividualsoftenholdbackwhentheyfeeltheyshouldbedoingsomeotherworkthatis“moreimportant”tothecompany.Wewantparticipantstoknowthatthisisimportantworkandtheyhavepermissiontofullyparticipate.

Havinganenthusiasticseniorleaderintroducethesessionwillalsoserveto“letyouin”asthefacilitator.Thisisespeciallyimportantifyourrelationshipwiththecompanyorgroupisnew.Byopeningupthesessionandgivingyouthefloor,theseniorleadereffectivelyannouncesthatthecompanytrustsyoutoguidethegroupthroughtheWhyDiscoveryprocessandaskstheparticipantstogiveyoutheirundividedattentionandcooperation.

Afteryouhavebeenintroducedandthefloorisyours,werecommendyoubeginbysharingashortWHYstory.SharingapersonalWHYexperiencecangoalongwaytowardforgingabondwithyouraudience.Ifyou’restrugglingtofindastoryyou’recomfortablesharing,youcanuseoneofthestorieswetellinthisbook(suchasSteve,the“manofsteel”intheintroductionorLaMarzoccoinchapter4)oranystoryyoufindappealingfromSimonSinek’sbookStartwithWhy.(HisdescriptionsofApple[Inc.]andSouthwestAirlinesascompanieswithpowerfulWHYsareveryclearandcompelling.)

Whateverstoryyouchoosetotell,itshouldilluminatewhat’spossiblewhenagroupofpeopleareunitedinservicetoahigherpurpose.ItshouldalsoillustratehowacommonWHYcaninspireloyaltyinatribe.Thestorywillfunctionbothasareal-lifelinktothereasonforthesession—tofindtheorganization’sWHY—andasevidenceoftherewardtobewonbythosewhostaypresentandengageintheprocess.

Bythispoint,youwillhavespokenforabouttenminutes,dependingonthelengthofyouropeningstory.That’splentyfornow.It’stimetogivethegrouptheopportunitytotalk.Inviteeveryoneto

pairupwiththepersonbesidethem(ifyouhaveanunevennumber,therecanalsobetrios)andcomeupwitharesponsetothisprompt:

Ifyouthinkbacktothetimewhenyoujoinedtheorganization,whatinspiredyoumost?Whatinspiresyoutokeepcomingback?

FACILITATORTIPParticipantsoftensitnexttopeopletheyalreadyknowandarecomfortablewith.Itisvaluabletomixuptheroomtohavepeopleengageinconversationwithsomeonetheydon’tknowaswell.

Givethepairsfourtosixminutestosharetheirthoughtswitheachother.Tellthemattheget-gothateachpersoninthepairgetstwotothreeminutesofspeakingtime.Toensurethatallvoicesareheardduringthistime,gentlyremindthegroup,whenthetimeishalfwayup,thattheideaisforbothpartnerstoshare.

Thissimpleexercisegeneratesgoodconversation,whichisjustwhatyouwant.Theprimarypurposeisforeveryonetoparticipateactively,ratherthansitbackandwatchtheworkshophappenaroundthem.Andbecausetellingstoriesoftenpromptsemotionalresponses,thisexerciseisalsoaperfectopportunitytopreparethegroupforwhatwillfollow.Whilethere’snoneedtohaveeveryonepresenttheirstorytothefullgroup,youmightinviteoneortwopeopletosharetheinspiringstorythattheirpartnertoldthem.Althoughtheparticipantsprobablywon’trealizeityet,thesestoriesarelikelyconnectedtotheorganization’sunderlyingWHY.

Nowthatthegroupisengaged,it’stimetolaythefoundationsfortherestofthesessionbyexplainingthecrucialconceptoftheGoldenCircle.

WeintroducedtheGoldenCircleinchapter1.If,asfacilitator,youhaveonlyreadtheTribeWhyDiscoverychapters,youmayfindithelpfultoreadchapter1now.

Limbicbrain:Seechapter4inStartwithWhyformoreonthistopic.

Onceyou’rereadytocommunicatetheGoldenCircletoyourgroup,aneasywaytobeginistoshowthemSimon’sTEDtalkvideo(http://bit.ly/GoldenCircleTalk).Alternatively,youcanreviewtheconceptwiththemyourself—freeslidesandnotesareavailableathttp://bit.ly/FYWresources.

YouraimistomakesureeveryoneunderstandstheseGoldenCirclefundamentals:

WHATsareproducts,servicesandjobfunctionsweperform.HOWsarevalues,guidingprinciplesandactionsthatmakeusstandout.TheWHYdefineswhattheorganizationstandsfor—itisthecollectivepurpose,causeorbelief.

It’shumannaturetogofromwhat’seasiesttounderstandtowhat’shardesttounderstand.IntermsoftheGoldenCircle,mostofusthink,actandcommunicatefromtheoutsidein(WHAT–HOW–WHY).Thosewiththecapacitytoinspiredoitdifferently.Theythink,actandcommunicatefromtheinsideout(WHY–HOW–WHAT).

TheWHATcorrespondstotheneo-cortex,the“newest”partofourbrain,whichisresponsibleforrational,analyticalthoughtandlanguage.

TheWHYcorrespondstothelimbicbrain,whichisresponsibleforourfeelings,suchastrustandloyalty.Thispartofthebraindrivesallhumanbehavioranddecisionmakingbuthasnocapacityforlanguage.Thisishowwearehardwired;it’sbiology,notpsychology.

Peopledon’tbuywhatyoudo,theybuywhyyoudoit.

WhenacompanyhasastrongWHY,itinspirestrustandloyaltyinitscustomers,clients,employeesandsupporters,allofwhomwillcheeryouoninyourcause.

Atsomepointearlyintheworkshop—before,duringorafteryouintroducetheGoldenCircleandtheconceptofWHY—it’sentirelypossiblethatyouwillbechallengedbyoneormoremembersofthegroup.Wecertainlyhavebeen.Peoplemaysay,“Thisallsoundsalittlebitfluffy,”or“Thisisnottherealityofbusiness.”Remember,youaretryingtogetpeopletothinkinanewway,someetthemwheretheyare.Respondasbestyoucan—we’veofferedsomeguidanceonhowweanswercommonquestionsinthe“FrequentlyAskedQuestions”appendixattheendofthisbook(here).Themostimportantthingistoaskthesemembersofthegrouptotrusttheprocessandkeepanopenmind.Again,theideaisnottoconvincesomeoneofthevalueorvalidityofhavingaWHY;theideaistocreateanenvironmentinwhichtheymaycometothoseconclusionsthemselvesandcancontributetofindingtheirgroup’sWHY.

Next,offerparticipantsabroadoverviewofwhattheyshouldexpectfromtherestoftheday,startingwithageneraltimeframe,includingbreaks.Explainthattheremainderofthesessionwillhavetwomainparts,eachwithitsowngoal:

StorySharing:Thegoalistocollectspecificstoriesthatrevealboththecontributiontheorganizationmakestothelivesofothersandtheimpactofthatcontributionovertime.

DraftingtheWhyStatement:Thegoalistotakethethemesthatemergefromtheparticipants’storiesandusethemtowritethefirstdraftofthetribe’sWhyStatement:itspurpose,causeorbelief.

Emphasizetheword“draft”inthefinalgoal.LetthegroupknowthattheaimistowriteaWhyStatementthatis75–80percentcomplete.ThisisduetotheWHYcomingfromourlimbicbrain.Explainthattheydon’tneedittobeperfect;theyneedittobeactionable.You’llcomebacktothereasonforthislater.

RuntheWhyDiscoveryProcess( 2–2.5HOURS)

SharingpersonalstoriesandidentifyingtheirthemesarecriticalpiecesoftheWhyDiscoveryprocessforindividualsandgroupsalike.IntheTribeApproach,weachievethisthroughwhatwecalltheThreeConversations.

TheThreeConversationsAnearlyApplesloganonceproclaimed,“Simplicityistheultimatesophistication.”Theseconversationsaresimple,butthatdoesn’tmeanthey’reeasy.Thetoughpartisthatparticipantsareforcedtofindlanguagetoexpresshowtheyfeel.Forafewpeople,thiswillbeeasyenough,butmostparticipantsfindthathavingtheseconversationstakesconsiderableenergy.

Therewilllikelybetimesduringthisprocesswheneverythingseemsmessy,whenyoudon’tseemtobegettingtheresponsesyouneedortobemovingclosertoWHY.Trusttheprocess.Remember,thisexerciseismoreaboutthefeelingthatisgeneratedintheroomthantheexactwordsthatcomeoutoftheconversation.

Thefirststepintheexerciseistodividethegroupintothreeteamsofroughlythesamesize.Theeasiestwaytodothisistosplittheroombetweenleft,rightandrear(seediagramabove).Ideallyeachteamwillbecomposedofindividualsofvaryingroles,positions,gendersandlengthoftimeattheorganization.Ifyoudon’tthinktheleft–right–rearapproachwillyieldenoughdiversitywithinteams,youcanbemoreintentionalinyourassignments.ThisisnottheNFLdraft.We’renotsuggestingyoulineeveryoneupandstudytheirCVsbeforeyouassignthemtoateam.Justuseyourbasicawarenessofthedemographicsintheroomandyou’lldofine.Themorediversetheexperiencesrepresentedoneachteam,themoredynamicandengagedtheconversations.And,asdiscussedearlier,wewantpeopletothinkdifferentlyinthisgroupthantheyusuallydo—workingwithnewandunfamiliarpeopletendstomakethathappen.

Oncetheteamsareestablished,eachgroupshouldgatheraroundaflipchartandeasel.Encourageteamstogetupandstandaroundtheirrespectiveflipcharts,ratherthanmovetheirchairscloser.Standingreleasesenergyandmakestheprocessmoreinteractive.

Youwillnowpresenttheteamswithastartingpointforeachofthethreeconversations.Werecommendthatyouprojecteachpromptontoascreenasyouintroduceit;thatwayyoucanbesurethateveryoneintheroomcaneasilyseeitandreferbacktoitasnecessary.Foreachprompt,youwillgivesomedirectiononhowtoengageintheconversationandthenallowtimeforteammemberstodiscussamongthemselves.

FACILITATORTIPIt’sbestifyoudon’tshareanyofthepromptswiththegroupinadvance.Youwantparticipantstosharethefirstthoughtsthatcometomind.Ifyougivethemthepromptsbeforehand,they’ll

probablyoverthinkthings,whichcouldnegativelyimpacttheprocess.

CONVERSATION1:THEHUMANDIFFERENCE( 20MINUTES)

Tellspecificstoriesofwhenyouhavefeltmostproudtoworkforthisorganization.

(Thisisn’taboutmoneyorothermetrics;it’saboutwhatyouhavegiven,notwhatyou’vereceived.Tellstoriesthatcapturewhatthisorganizationstandsforatitsbest.)

Ifamovementistohaveanimpactitmustbelongtothosewhojoinitnotjustthosewholeadit.

FACILITATORTIPYoucanchoosetoreplacetheword“organization”with“team,”“group,”“division”orwhatevernounisappropriate.Butthephrasingshouldnotbeotherwisemodified.We’vewrittenitthiswayforgoodreason.We’renotlookingfortheorganization’sfinancialaccomplishmentshere.We’relookingforsomethingmorehuman,somethingmoremeaningfulthatelicitsanemotion.

Beforetheteamsstarttodiscusstheirresponsestoconversation1,providethefollowingguidelines:

Eachteam’staskistowritedown,onitsflipchart,asentenceorphrasethatwillhelpteammembersrecalltheirstorieslater.

Generalizationsarenogood.Youwantstoriesaboutspecificpeopleandspecificmoments.Themorespecific,thebetter.“I’mproudofthequalityoftheworkwedo”istoogeneral.“IwassoproudthenightImetawomanataholidaypartyandshetoldmethatherchild’slifehadbeensavedbyacancerdrugwedeveloped.Idon’tevenworkinthatdivision,butitremindedmeoftheimportanceofourwork”isbetterbecauseit’smorespecificandemotional.

Theoutcomedescribedinthestoriescanbebigorsmall,affectingthousandsofpeopleorjustoneperson.Theimportantthingisforthestorytocauseavisceral,emotionalresponseinthepersontellingit.

Teamsshouldcomeupwithasmanyqualitystoriesastheycan(atleastthree)withintheallottedtime.

FACILITATORTIPInsomegroups,seniorpeopledominateadiscussiontotheextentthatequallyvalidideasfromothersdon’tgetheard.Ifyoufeelthisisbeginningtohappen,stepinandencouragethosewhohaven’tspokenyettocontributetheirstories.

Conversation1isnotthesortofthingpeopleareusedtohearing.Soyou’llprobablyseesomepuzzledfaces.That’sokay.Letthegroupsitwiththepromptforabit.Butonceteamsstarttotalk,bepreparedtohelpthemstayontrack.Togiveanideaofthesortofoutputyouarelookingfor,herearesomestoriestheLaMarzoccoteamsharedwhenPeterdidthisexercisewiththemandanexampleofhowtheteammighttakenotesontheirflipchart.

“In2009,weheldourfirstOutoftheBoxevent.Thisiswherewebroughttogetherourpartnersfromaroundtheworld—suppliers,roasters,baristasandotherloversofcoffee.Overtwoextraordinarydays,wesharedthoughtsandideasandreallyjustcelebratedlife.Itwasmeanttobeaone-off,butthefeedbackwereceivedwassowonderfulit’snowabiennialevent.”(Ontheflipchart:OutofBoxEvent—celebratedlife.)

“Welovebringingpeopletogether.Recently,wesponsoredanexhibitionshowingphotographsofpeoplewhoworkonacoffeefarminTanzania.Thephotosareimmenselyevocativeandreallyhelpusfeelconnectedtotheoriginofthebeansandthosewhoproducethem.Whilethethemeiscoffee,itgoesdeeperthanthat;it’saboutrelationship.Someoftheproceedsfromtheexhibitionarebeingusedtosupportthecoffee-farmcommunity.”(Ontheflipchart:TanzaniaPhotoExhibition—supportingthefarmcommunityandbuildingrelationships.)

“WeworkwithacoffeeroasterinMexico,inaregionwherenotmanypeoplehaveaccesstoformalhighereducation.Ourcompanyhasapolicyofhiringpeoplebasedonwhotheyareandthepassiontheyhave—notonthecertificatestheyhold.Thishasbeenahugesuccess,withmanyofthosehiredrisingtoseniorpositions.”(Ontheflipchart:OurHiringPolicy—passionversuscertificates.)

“Inanairport,ImetsomeonewhohasownedthesameLaMarzoccomachinefortwentyyears,anditstillworksperfectly.Ifeltsoproudthatinadisposableworldmycompanystandsforexcellence,traditionandvalue.”(Ontheflipchart:LoyalCustomer—excellence,traditionandvalue.)

ReportingOut:SharingtheStories( 25–35minutes)

Whentimeisup,eachteamwillreporttotherestoftheroom,sharingitstoptwoorthreestories.By“top”wemeanthosethatresonatedmostwiththeteammembers—thestoriesthatcausedthegreatestvisceralresponse.Peoplewillexpresshowtheyfeelindifferentways;they’llgetgoosebumps,animated,excitedorevenchokedup.Emotionalreactionsarecuesforyou,asthefacilitator,todigdeeper.Askthestorytellertosaymoreabouttheirfeelingsorwhatitwasaboutthatparticularstorythatevokedsuchanintensereaction.ReturningtotheexamplesfromLa

Marzocco,hereareacoupleofprobingquestionsPetercouldhaveaskedtoheightenthestoryteller’semotionalconnectiontotheorganization’scontribution:

“SaymoreaboutthefeedbackfromthefirstOutoftheBoxevent.Whatdidpeopleenjoysomuch?Whatweresomeoftheircomments?”

“Tellusaboutthephotographsintheexhibition.Didanyinparticularstandoutforyou?Whatwasitaboutthoseparticularphotos?Whathaschangedinthelivesofthosecoffeeworkers?Canyougiveusaspecificexample?”

FACILITATORTIPTheroutetoWHYisthroughWHAT.Insteadofaskingquestionsthatstartwith“why”—forexample,“Whydidyoulikethoseparticularphotos?”—ask“Whatwasitaboutthoseparticularphotos?”Peoplefinditeasiertoanswerquestionsstartingwith“what”or“how”ratherthan“why.”

Weusuallyallowtwentyminutesforsharingstories,butbepreparedtolettheconversationgolonger.Thisisanimmenselyvaluablepartoftheprocessbecauseit’srarethattheygettogetherinagrouptothinkbeyondthenumbersandreflectonwhattheirorganizationcontributestoothers.ThisisthereasonyoushouldallowfourtofivehoursforaTribeWhyDiscovery—youwanttohavetheflexibilitytolettheconversationflow.Onceallteamshavesharedtheirstories,they’llbereadytotacklethesecondconversation.

CONVERSATION2:WHAT’SYOURCONTRIBUTION?( 10MINUTES)

Ineachofyourstories,whatwasthespecificcontributionyourorganizationmadetothelivesofothers?

Expressitintheformofabasicverb/actionphrase:“to(verb).”

Workinginthesamethreeteams,participantsshouldstartafreshflip-chartpageandwritedowntheverbsoractionphrasesthatcapturetheessenceofthecontributionsimpliedorexpressedinthestoriesaboutwhatmadethemproud.Beforetheteamsbegin,clarifythegoalsofthisparticularexercisebyexplainingthat:

VerbsareimportantbecauseourultimateaimistodiscoveraWHYthatisactionable,notmerelydescriptive.

Theverbs/actionphrasesshouldnotbeaspirational.Thisisaboutwhatpeopleinthecompanyhavedone,notwhattheyhopetodoorbe.

Theverbs/actionphrasesmustbedirectlylinkedtooneormoreofthestoriestheteamidentifiedearlier.Thislinkisvital.Ifitismissing,thereistheriskthatthetaskwillturnintothetypeofbrandingormarketingexerciseinwhichwordsarechosenbecausethey“soundgood.”Tellthegrouptheymustsupporttheiractionphrasewithastorythatclearlydemonstratestheconnection.

FACILITATORTIPAgoodwaytokeeppeopleontherighttrackistohavethemtrytocompletethephrase“Inthisstoryweshowedupandweed.”Tellthemtheblankmustbefilledbyaverb.(Forexample,seehere—“MoreTribeExamples.”)

Sincetheteamswillconsiderstoriesthatoccurredinthepast,theactionphraseswilllikelybeinthepasttense.However,wewanttousetheinfinitiveformoftheverb—“to”—sincethatwillhelpuslaterintheprocess.

Eachteamshouldcomeupwithatleasttenverbs/actionphrasesandnomorethanwillfillasingleflip-chartsheet.

Youwillgenerallyfindthatpeopleareabletoengageinandcompletethisconversationquitequickly.Tenminutesisusuallyampletime.

HerearesomeoftheverbsandactionphrasesthatappearedonLaMarzocco’slistwhenPeterdidthecompany’sWhyDiscovery:

toengagetoenrichtobuildtoconnecttobringtogethertoinspiretotrusttoenjoylifetolove

ReportingOut:GatheringtheThemes( 10–15MINUTES)

Onceeachteamhascompleteditslistofverbsandactionphrases,it’stimeforthemtosharewiththelargergroup.Askamemberfromeachteamtocallouttheirwords.Nowit’stimetouseyourflipchart.Writeeachverborphraseononeoftheflipchartsatthefrontoftheroom.Evenbetter,haveavolunteerdothewritingsoyoucanconcentrateonregulatingthepaceatwhichwordsarecalledout.Whenyoumoveontothenextteam,donotstartanotherflip-chartpage.Capturealltheverbsandactionphrasesofferedupbythevariousteamsonasinglepage.Thatpagewillbeveryimportantlateron.

Makesureteamscalloutalltheirverbsoractionphrases,evenifsomearethesameasorsimilartowhatanotherteamhasalreadysaid.Ifateamdoessupplyaverborphrasethathasalready

beenwrittenontheflipchart,don’twriteitdownasecondtime.Instead,addanasterisktotheverborphraseeverytimeitisrepeated.Sometimestwoteamswillcomeupwithphrasesthataresimilarbutnotidentical.Forexample,onemightsay,“Tofostercreativity,”andanothermightsay,“Topromotefreedomofthought.”Thefactthattheyarethinkingalongthesamelinesisagoodthing.Itmeansthattheirstoriesillustrateaconsistentthemewithintheorganization.Ifyoucan,havethetwoteamsagreeonaconsolidatedversionasyougoalong.Recordthatversionontheflipchartandmarkitwithanasterisk.Inall,thisreportingprocessusuallytakestenminutes.

Youshouldnowhaveasingleflip-chartpageatthefrontoftheroomshowingalltheverbsandactionphrasesthathavebeencalledout,withasterisksmarkinghowoftenaspecificideahasbeenrepeated.Ifyoustandbackandlookatthelist,youshouldbegintoseeanumberofthemes.OnLaMarzocco’sflipchart,forexample,athemeemergedaround“toengage,”“toconnect”and“tobringtogether.”There’sperhapsanotherthemecapturedby“toenrich”and“toenjoylife.”Theexactnatureofthesethemeswillbebroughthomebythestoriesthatarebehindthem.

Break( 15MINUTES)

Managingtheenergyintheroombyschedulingbreaksisimportant.Equally,wewanttoavoidhavingbreaksthatlasttoolong,becausethiscancausethegrouptolosemomentum.Everygroupandsessionwillbedifferentandyourjobasfacilitatoristorecognizetheappropriatetimestocallabreak.Wegenerallyhaveonebreakafterconversation2.It’suptoyouasthefacilitatortodecidewhat’sbest.Settinguptheroomproperlyandhavingrefreshmentsandamenitiesonhandwillhelpbreaksrunontime.

CONVERSATION3:WHAT’SYOURIMPACT?( 15MINUTES)

Afterthebreak,haveeveryonereturntotheirsmallteamstoworkonconversation3.There’susuallyquiteabuzzintheroombythispoint.Peoplewillhavestartedtoconnecttotheworktheydoinadifferent,moremeaningfulway.Thisthirdconversationisdesignedtodeepenthatconnection.

Whatdidthecontributionsofyourorganizationallowotherstogoontodoorbe?

(Thinkabouthowpeople’slivesweredifferentaftertheyinteractedwithyourorganizationwhenatyourbest.)

Aspeopleconsidertheirresponses,instructthemtoreferbacktotheirstoriesfromconversation1.Again,thegoalhereisforeachteamtobuildonitsearlierstoriesbyfocusingontheimpactofthecontributionstheydescribed.Urgethemtothinkaboutthespecificpeopleintheirstories.Whatwerethoseindividualsabletodoorbecomeasaresultoftheorganization’sactions?Remindthegroupthatthisisnotaboutnumbersorothermetrics.Whatyouarelookingforisthelargerimpact,therealhumanimpact.You’llknowthattheyhavebeguntohitonthiswhentheirresponsesbecomevisceralandemotional.Usingablankflip-chartpage,theyshouldrecordasentenceorphrasethatcapturestheimpactofthosecontributions.

FACILITATORTIPSometimeswhenpeoplegetintothisconversationtheytendtodiminishtheimpacttheyandtheirorganizationhavehadonthelivesofothers.Theymayeventalkabouttheircompetitionandhowthosecompaniesdothesamething.Ifthishappens,bringthembacktotheirstories.ThecompetitionmayhaveasimilarWHAT,butitdoesn’thavethesameWHYstories.TheTribeApproachisnotaboutthecompetition.It’saboutdeterminingwhatthisorganizationbelievesinandWHYitexists.Beforewecanstandout,wemustfirstgetclearonwhatwestandfor.

Togetanideaofwhatthislookslikeinpractice,checkoutsomeofthethingstheLaMarzoccogroupsaidaboutitsorganization’simpact.We’vereprintedtheirstoriesfromconversation1(initalics)alongwiththeiranswerstoconversation3soyoucanclearlyseetheconnectionsbetweenthetwo.(Thesewrittenanswersaremoredetailedthanwhatwe’dexpecttoseeonteams’flipcharts.We’veexpandedthegroup’sanswersabittohelpthemmakemoresenseasyoureadthemnow,outoftheiroriginalcontext):

“In2009,weheldourfirstOutoftheBoxevent.Thisiswherewebroughttogetherourpartnersfromaroundtheworld—suppliers,roasters,baristasandotherloversofcoffee.Overtwoextraordinarydays,wesharedthoughtsandideasandreallyjustcelebratedlife.Itwasmeanttobeaone-off,butthefeedbackwereceivedwassowonderfulit’snowabiennialevent.OneoftherelationshipsthatgrewfromthiseventwasbetweenAndrija,abaristabasedinSerbia,andCatalina,acoffeeshopownerinBarcelona.Hercoffeeshophadbecomeameetingplaceforentrepreneurstodevelopnewideasandbusinesses.ThisinspiredAndrijatocreateasimilarshopinSerbia,anditsubsequentlybecamethecatalystforseveralnewbusinesses,makingasignificantdifferencetothelocalcommunity.WithouttheOutoftheBoxevent,it’slikelythatnoneofthiswouldhavehappened.”

“Welovebringingpeopletogether.Recently,wesponsoredanexhibitionshowingphotographsofpeoplewhoworkonacoffeefarminTanzania.Thephotosareimmenselyevocativeandreallyhelpusfeelconnectedtotheoriginofthebeansandthosewhoproducethem.Whilethethemeiscoffee,itgoesdeeperthanthat;it’saboutrelationship.Someoftheproceedsfromtheexhibitionarebeingusedtosupportthecoffee-farmcommunity.ThemoneyraisedmakesarealdifferencetothequalityoflifeofElisabeth,oneofthewomeninthephotographs,andherfellowcoffeepickers.Buttheexhibition’seffectgoesbeyondthat:Ithasalsohelpedraiseawarenessofandappreciationfortheworkthepickersdo.Asaresult,theyfeelconsiderablymorevaluedandfulfilled.”

“WeworkwithacoffeeroasterinMexico,inaregionwherenotmanypeoplehaveaccesstoformalhighereducation.Ourcompanyhasapolicyofhiringpeoplebasedonwhotheyareandthepassiontheyhave—notonthecertificatestheyhold.Thishasbeenahugesuccesswithmanyofthosehiredrisingtoseniorpositions.Emilio,forinstance,hasbecomeheadroaster,apositionthathasallowedhimtopullhisfamilyoutofpoverty.TheinitialopportunitytransformedEmilio’slifeandhasalsoinspiredthosearoundhim,sotheynowseepossibilitywherebeforetheydidnot.”

Givetheteamsatotaloffifteentotwentyminutestodiscussconversation3.Atthispoint,yourroleasfacilitatoristostandback;youshouldinterveneonlywhenateamneedshelptostayontrack.Youmaynoticethatthisconversation,inparticular,elicitsintenselyemotionalresponsesfromparticipants.We’veseensomeofthetoughestbusinessmenbecometeary-eyedwhengiventhechancetopauseandthinkaboutthedifferencethey’vemade,throughtheirwork,atafundamentallyhumanlevel.Evenpeoplewhoseemcoolandunemotionalduringtheworkshopmayapproachyouafterwardtoconfessprivatelyhowmovedtheywere.Whenpeopleexperiencethesekindsoffeelings,whethertheyrealizeitornot,theirconnectiontotheorganization’sWHYisbeingreinforced.

ReportingOut:CapturingtheImpact( 20–30MINUTES)

Aswiththeotherconversations,afterthediscussionwraps,teamswillsharetheirresponsestoconversation3withthelargergroup.Nowitistimeforyoutotakeamoreactiverole.Youwillneedtobefullyengaged,listeningandsummarizing.Allowtwentytothirtyminutesfortheremainderoftheexercise.

Tobegin,havetwofreshflipchartsatthefrontoftheroom—you’regoingtoneedthespace.Inviteeachteamtosharetheiroutputfromconversation3.Yourjobistolistenforthesinglelineineachresponsethatencapsulatestheimpactoftheaction,thedifferenceitmadeinthelivesofothers.Makenoteoftheseonyourtwoflipchartssoeveryonecanseethem.Justaswithconversation2,ifteamscomeupwithsimilarimpactstatements,groupthosephrasestogetherormarkthemwithanasterisk.Yourtaskistosummarizeinaphrasethatremindseveryoneoftheimpactandtheunderlyingstory.SofortheLaMarzoccoexamples,wemighthavewrittendown:

Buildingthecommunity.(Andrija’scoffeeshopinspiringnewbusinesses.)

Peoplefeelingmorevaluedandfulfilledinlife.(Elisabethandthecoffeefarm.)

Peopleseeingpossibilitywherebeforetheydidnot.(Emiliobecomingheadroaster.)

Aftereveryteamhashadthechancetoshare,bringtogetheralltheoutputyouhavegatheredduringthesession.Thatincludestheoneflip-chartpagecontainingalltheverbs/actionphrasesgeneratedfromconversation2andthetwoflip-chartpageswithimpactstatementsgeneratedfromconversation3.Positionthoseflipchartsatthefrontoftheroomsoallcanseethem.Younowhaveeverythingyouneedforwhatcomesnext:draftingtheWhyStatement.

DraftaWhyStatement( 35–40MINUTES)

Thenextstepintheprocessisforthegrouptoturntheverbs/actionphrasesandimpactstatementselicitedfromthethreeconversationsintoacoupleofpossibleversionsofaWhyStatement.Wecallthese“CandidateWhyStatements”becausetheywilllaterevolveintoasingledraftstatementthatthegroupwillcarryforwardandrefinefurther.

Theabilityofagroupofpeopletodoremarkablethingshingesonhowwellthosepeoplecanpulltogetherasateam.

HowtoWriteaWhyStatement( 5MINUTES)

Ofcourse,thegroupmemberscan’tcreateaWhyStatementiftheydon’tknowwhatonelookslike.Soyourfirstpointoforder,asthefacilitator,istoshowthem.Usingaflipchart,oraslide,showthegroupthebasicstructureofaWhyStatement:

TOSOTHAT.

ExplainthatalthoughthisisnottheonlywaytoexpressaWHY,itistheoneSimonandtheStartWithWhyteamrecommendyoustartwith.ThisisbecausetheblankscapturethetwomaincomponentsofanactionableWHYandtheformatfocuseseveryoneonwhat’smostimportant.

Breakdownthestatementintoitstwomainelements.Thefirstelement,“To,”isthecontributiontheorganizationorgroupmakes.Thesecondelement,“sothat,”istheimpactoreffectthatcontributionhasonothers.

ManypeoplewillimmediatelyrecognizetherelationshipbetweentheoutputofthethreeconversationsandtheanatomyoftheWhyStatement.Butjusttobesureyou’reallonthesamepage,spellouttherelationshipforeveryone.

Here’swhatyoucantellthem:conversation1andconversation2correspondtothecontributionelementofthestatement;conversation3correspondstotheimpactelement.Thewordsandphrasesontheflipchartsatthefrontoftheroomaretheinputsthatwillfillintheblanks.InthisconciseWhyStatementformat,wearedescribingtheworldwewouldliketolivein(theimpactelement)andarticulatingtheactionweneedtotakeonMondaymorningtobringittolife(thecontributionelement).

CandidateWhyStatementExercise( 25MINUTES)

Splitthegroupintotwoteamsofaboutthesamesize.Workingindependently,eachteamwillwriteoneCandidateWhyStatementonafreshflip-chartpageandthenpresentittotherestoftheroom.Usetheinstructionsbelowtogivethemcontextbeforetheygetstarted.

First,towritethe“contribution”elementoftheWhyStatementeachteamneedstolookattheflipchartinthefrontoftheroomthatlistsalloftheverbsandactionphrasestheycameupwithearlier.Theteammembersneedtodecide,together,whichverboractionphraseseemstobestcapturethecontributiontheymakeasanorganization.ThisbecomesthecontributionpartoftheirCandidateWhyStatement.It’simportantforthemnottogethunguponthedictionarydefinitionoftheseverbsandactionphrases.It’sthefeelingthewordsevokethat’simportant.Astheyworkonthis,tellthemnottoworryaboutpassingovertheotherthemesontheflipchart,someofwhichtheymayfeelalsorepresentwhotheyare,yetaren’ttheclearwinner.TheywillcomebackintoplaylateronwhenwelookatHOWs.Fornow,eachteamneedstofocusonchoosingtheverboractionphrasethatisfirstamongequals—theonethatdeeplyresonatesonaviscerallevel.

Next,theyneedtoreviewtheimpactstatementsontheotherflipchartsatthefrontoftheroom.Fromthatlisttheymustdrawthe“impact”partoftheirCandidateWhyStatement.

ThegoalforeachgroupistowriteaCandidateWhyStatementthatissoinspiringthattheotherteamwillsay,“Let’sgowithyours!”

Givetheteamstwenty-fiveminutestowriteoneCandidateWhyStatementeach,remindingthemagainthattheymustdrawonthewordsandphrasesdisplayedontheflipchartsatthefrontoftheroom.Itisvitalthatthestatementscomefromthismaterial.Otherwise,peoplemayfallbackongeneralaspirationallanguageorabrandingormarketingposition.

FACILITATORTIPAstheteamsstartworkonthisexercise,theymaygetintoasemanticdebateaboutthemeaningofcertainwords.Ifthathappens,referthembacktothestoriesbehindthewordsandtheunderlyingfeeling.Itisnotsomuchthedictionarydefinitionofthewordsthatmatters.What’smoreimportantisthedeepermeaningthesewordshavefortheteam.

Tohelptheteamsstayontarget,tellthemthattheywilleachbeaskedtobringtheirCandidateWhyStatementtolifebylinkingittotwostoriesrepresentedontheflipcharts.

Twenty-fiveminutesisnotalongtimeforthisexercise,butitisenough.Wekeepitshortbecausewewantpeopletogowiththeirgut(a.k.a.theirlimbicbrain)andnotoverthinkit.Afterall,thegoalatthismomentisnottogetallthewaytoafinalWhyStatement,buttotakethefirststeptowardit.Wealsoliketocreatealittletimepressurebecauseittendstoleadpeopletorelyontheiremotions.Fearofrunningoutoftimeencouragesthemtosay,“Oh,whattheheck,”andjustgowithwhatfeelsright.

ReportingOut:PresentingtheCandidateWhyStatements

( 5–10MINUTES)

Theteampresentationsshouldbeshort—twominutesmaximumperteam.Eachteamshouldcoverthetwobulletpointsbelowandsaynomorethanthat:

StatetheWHY(withnoexplanationordetail)

LinktotwoofthestoriessharedearlierintheworkshopthatbestexemplifytheWHYbeinglived.DoingsoensurestheWHYisbasedonwhoyouactuallyareanddemonstratesthatcommunicatingyourstoriesisagreatwaytosharetheWHY.

FACILITATORTIPAseachteampresents,asksomeonefromtheotherteamtofilmthem.Nothingfancyrequired—aphoneortabletcamerawillservejustfine.Recordingthepresentationsputstheteamsalittlemoreontheirgame;italsopreservesapieceoftheWhyDiscoveryexperienceforfuturereference.

OncethetwoteamshavepresentedtheirCandidateWhyStatements,thegroupmayoverwhelminglyagreethatonestatementcapturestheWHYbetterthantheother.ThiswasverymuchthecasewithLaMarzocco.IntheeventofconsensusaroundoneCandidate,thatstatementbecomestheDraftWhyStatementthatthegroupwillcarryforward.Sometimes,themajoritywillfeelthattheWHYcanbebestexpressedbycombiningthetwoCandidateWhyStatements.WorkwiththemtocometoanagreementonasingleDraftWhyStatement.Remember,nooneexpectsthisversiontobeperfect.Aswementionedearlier,theaimofthisworkshopistoproduceaWhyStatementthat’s75–80percentdone.That’sthereasonwecallitadraft—wewanttokeeptheconversationgoingbeyondtheendofthediscoverysession.

OnceyouhavearrivedattheDraftWhyStatement,theteamswillprobablyfeelthatthere’smoreworktobedone.Ifso,askforvolunteers(we’dsuggestamaximumofsix)whowouldliketocontinueworkingonthestatement.These“WhyChampions”shouldcometogetheroverthefollowingcoupleofweekstotrytorefinethewordsoftheWhyStatement.Itmaytaketimetofindthewordsthatfeelright.That’snormal.ThemostimportantthingisfortheDraftWhyStatementtobeactionable.

HerearesomeexamplesofWhyStatementsatdifferentlevelsofdevelopment.Thefirsttwoareinthecorrectform:simpleandclear,actionableandfreeofWHATs,focusedonservicetoothersandwritteninaffirmativelanguagethatresonateswiththegroup:

Tobelieveinpeoplesothattheycan,inturn,believeinthemselves.

Toprovokepeopletothinkdifferentlysothattheycanbeawakenedtonewpossibilities.

Next,hereareacouplethatarealmostthere:

Toconstantlyimproveourselvessothatwemaybewellequippedtoovercomethechallengesweface.

Todogoodintheworld,tohelppeoplebuildskillsandtolearnconstantlyandhaveaclearsenseofdirection/vision,sothattheycanaccomplishmuchforthemselves,theirfamilyandtheircommunity,effectivelyandsuccessfully.

Doyouseehowthosetwocanbeimproved?Thefirstisabout“ourselves”andnotaboutothers.Thesecondisaboutothers,butit’swaytoocomplextoberemembered,letaloneactedupon.

Andfinally,twomorethatneedquiteabitofwork:

Tosupportourdealerssothattheycanhavesustainablebusinessesandrealizehigherprofits.

Tohelpclientsmanageeveryaspectoftheirwealthsothattheycanrestassuredthatnostoneisunturnedintheirwealthmanagement.

ThesestatementsarebothveryfirmlyfocusedonWHATsratherthanWHYs.

DiscoveringaWHYisasmuchaboutthejourneyasitisaboutthedestination.TheprocessallowsustobuildthekindofemotionalconnectionstotheWHYthatwillmakeitgenuine,trueandlong-lasting.Overthemonthsandyearsthatfollowyourdiscoverysession,itispossiblethatthewordsoftheorganization’sWhyStatementwillchangeslightly.Whatshouldnotchangeisthefeelingbehindthewords.

*

WrappingUptheSession( 10–15MINUTES)

TheWhyDiscoveryprocessgeneratesalotofenergy.Bytheendofasession,manypeoplearefiredupandmotivatedtocarrytheWHYforward.Helpthemusethatmomentum.Evenifa“final”DraftWhyStatementhasnotyetbeenagreedupon,dedicatetheendoftheWhyDiscoverysessiontodiscussingwaysparticipantscanputtheirWHYintopractice.HerearesomeideasforhowtobringtheWHYtolifeinday-to-daybusiness:

Rewardthebehavioryouwanttosee.WhenyouseepeopleactinginwaysthatalignwiththeWHY,acknowledgeitandpraisethem.

Whenyoumakedecisions,runyourthoughtsthroughasimplefilter.Ask,“DoesthischoicehelpusmoveclosertolivinginalignmenttoourWHYornot?”Actaccordingly.

ReframeHOWsandWHATsinthecontextoftheWHY.Whenassigningnewtasksorimplementingnewstrategies,makesurepeoplecanseehowthosethingsareexpressionsoftheWHY.

Beconsciousofyourleadership.Makeitahabittoaskyourself,“WhatdidIdoasaleadertodaythatwasatangiblemanifestationofourWHY?”

ProvideanopportunityforeveryoneintheorganizationtodiscovertheirownWHYandtolearnhowitfitswithintheorganization’sWHY.

We’vesharedallthestepsweuseforconductingaTribeWhyDiscovery.Asyouwellknow,facilitatingismuchmorethanjustfollowingsteps.It’sasmuchanartasascience.Onlythroughexperiencewillyoufindthebalancethatmakesthisprocessuniquelyyours.HelpingtribesfindtheirWHYisoneofourfavoritethingstodo.Itbringsusagreatdealoffulfillment.Althoughwe’vebothdonemanyWhyDiscoveries,westillgetbutterfliesinourstomachswhenwestepinfrontofaroomfullofpeoplewhoareeagertofindtheWHYoftheirtribe.Inthesesituations,wetakeadeepbreathandsourceourselvesfromaplaceofbeinginservicetothoseintheroom.Partofbeingamasterfacilitatorisknowingwhentofollowthestepsandwhentotrustyourintuition.TheartfulbalanceisallowingeachtribetofindtheirownpathtodiscoveringtheirWHY.

InAppendix3attheendofthisbook,we’veoutlinedsomeofthekeypointsforfacilitatingthissession.YoumightliketorefertoitandaddyourownnotesasyoupreparetorunyourfirstWhyDiscoveryworkshop.

Goodluckandinspireon!

CHAPTER6

StateYourHOWs

Uptothispointwe’vefocusedonarticulatingyourWhyStatementeitherasanindividualoratribe.ThegoalofthischapteristohelpyoucompleteyourGoldenCircle.Asareminder,theGoldenCircleconsistsofthreeparts:WHY,HOWandWHAT.Allthreepartsareequallyimportant.Whenthosethreethingsareinbalanceweareatournaturalbest.WearetrulylivingourWHY.OurWHYisourpurpose,causeorbelief—thedrivingforcebehindeverythingwedo.OurHOWsaretheactionswetakewhenweareatournaturalbesttobringourWHYtolife.OurWHATsarethetangiblemanifestationofourWHY,theactualworkwedoeveryday.WhileotherindividualsororganizationsmayexpresstheirWHYinawaythatissimilartoyours,it’sHOWyoubringyourWHYtolifethatmakesyouunique.Asaresult,thecombinationofyourWHYandHOWsisasexclusivelyyoursasyourfingerprint.

LiketheWhyStatement,HOWsarenotaspirational.Theydonotexpresswhowewanttobe.Theyexpressthemannerinwhichweactuallybehave—thethingsweactuallydo—whenweareatourbest.Theyaretheactionswecanchoosetotakeonadailybasistohelpensurethatwe’recreatingthetypeofenvironmentinwhichwethrive.

You’vealreadylaidthegroundworkforarticulatingyourHOWs,becausetheyarederivedfromthethemesyoulistedduringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess.Thethemesthatdidn’tendupinyourWhyStatementwillserveasthefoundationforyourHOWs,whichtakeusfromtheorytopractice.

YourHOWsAreYourStrengthsDuringeithertheindividualorthetribeWhyDiscoveryprocess,youidentifiedseveralthemes.Thesethemesareyourstrengths.It’slikelyyourpartnerorfacilitatorhelpedyouuncoverthemesthatyoudidn’tevenrealizeweresuchabigpartofwhoyouareorwhoyourtribeiswhenatitsbest.Thesebehaviorsweresonaturaltoyouthatyoumayhavebeenthinking,“What’sthebigdeal?Isn’tthatwhatanyoneelsewouldhavedoneinthatsituation?”Therealityiswhatweholddearandthewayinwhichwebehaveinthenameofthosevalues

candifferwildlyfrompersontopersonortribetotribe.Asthepartnerorfacilitator,oneofourfavoritethingsishelpingpeopleseehowuniqueandworldclasstheytrulyare—thatmomentwhensomeoneisabletostepback,lookatthepatternsandrecognizehowspectacularlyawesometheyare.YourHOWsaretheingredientsyouneedtobeatyourbest.Together,theyareyourrecipeforsuccess—yourstrengths.Andthisistrueforbothanindividualandatribe.

Tounderstandthisbetter,let’slookatHOWsfromtheindividualperspective.Associalanimals,wedonotalwaysoperateentirelyonourown;weneedotherstosurviveandthrive.KnowingtheWHYandHOWsofthoseclosesttouscanbeahugeadvantage.AtStartWithWhy,wehaveaculturethatfocusesonhelpingpeopleplaytotheirstrengths.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatwedon’tallworkhardtoraiseawarenesstoourweaknesses,butinsteadoftryingtomastersomethingthatdoesn’tcometousnaturally,wefocusonteamingupinwaysthatallowustoleanintothestrengthsofanother.

Forexample,David’sWHYistopropelpeopleforwardsothattheycanmaketheirmarkontheworld.HisHOWsare:

SeethebigpictureTakeresponsibilityExplorealternativeperspectivesTieabowonit(i.e.,ifyoustartsomething,finishit)Learnfromeveryexperience

Peter’sWHYistoenablepeopletobeextraordinarysothattheycandoextraordinarythings.HisHOWsare:

MakeitsimpleGetuponthebalcony(i.e.,seethewidercontext)EmbracenewideasBuildrelationshipsPushtheboundaries

OurWhyStatementsarealigned.Whilethetwoofususedifferentwordstoexpressourpurpose,causeorbelief,webothstrivetohelpotherstobethebestversionsofthemselves.Thisalignmentmakesworkingtogetherveryrewarding

forus.However,it’sourdifferentstrengths,ourcomplimentaryHOWs,thatallowustohaveafargreaterimpacttogetherthaneitherofuscouldhavealone.

Aclientoncerequestedwetakeahundredandfiftypeoplethroughaworkshopthatwegenerallydowithforty.Wethoughtwecoulddoit,butforbestresults,wefeltweneededafullday.Thisclientonlyhadafour-hourwindow.Ourinitialreactionwas:Impossible!Whileothersmayhavethrowninthetowelrightthenandthere,wecouldn’thelpbutseethisasanopportunitytohelponehundredandfiftypeoplebecometheirbestselves.(RefertoourWhyStatementsabove!)

Tofigureoutthebestwaytoleveragethisopportunitysoastoengageandinspiretheworkshopparticipantsintheallottedtime,weputourheadstogether—or,rather,ourHOWstogether.

Bothofusinstinctivelywantedtogetclearonthesituationathand.David’s“seethebigpicture”andPeter’s“getuponthebalcony”aresimilarinnature.Webothvaluestrategybeforeaction.Itwasgoodwewerebothstrongherebecauseittookbothofustocrackthecode.

Inordertopullthisoff,wewerebothgoingtohavetogetwayoutofourcomfortzone.Wewouldneedtodosomethingwewereveryfamiliarwithinaverydifferentway.ThoughPeterisverygoodatandopento“embracingnewideas,”itwasDavid’sabilityto“explorealternativeperspectives”thatsavedtheday.Davidisworldclassatfiguringouthowtoadaptcontentincompletelyunconventionalwaystoensurethatpeoplehaveapowerfulandtransformativeexperience.

Oncewehadourrecipeforsuccess,wehadamajorchallenge.Ourrecipewasquitecomplex.Thenumberofmovingpartsrequiredtodeliverthisworkshopsuccessfullywereoverwhelmingandthedetailstoexecutewereintricate.Howwouldweconveythistotheclient?Simple,we’llsimplifyit.ThisiswherePetertooktheleadto“makeitsimple,”ensuringeveryonecouldclearlyunderstandandsupporttheplan.Intheend,wewereabletodeliverourworkshoptoamuchlargeraudiencethanusual,whichbroughtusagreatdealoffulfillmentbecausewewereabletobringourWHYsofpropellingpeopleforwardandenablingthemtobeextraordinarytolife.

Youmightbethinkingthatthissoundsalittleoversimplified!Thetruthis,thisteamingthingisprettycomplex.It’smessy,it’sunscripted,it’shuman.Thatsaid,ourHOWsgiveusasharedlanguagetoseeoneanother’sstrengths,makingiteasiertocollaborateandleanintoourteammatestogetthingsdone.Bottomlineiswhenwefocusonourstrengthsandleanintothestrengthsofothers,wecanmaketheimpossiblepossible.

Thegreatestcontributionofaleaderistomakeotherleaders.

HOWsasFiltersWhenourHOWsareclearlystated,wehavearecipetoputourselvesintoandcreateenvironmentswherewecanbeatournaturalbest.Wedon’tliveinaperfectworld.Whileit’snotpossibletodothisineverysituation,thenameofthegameistoseekoutandseizetheopportunitiesinwhichwecaneachmakethegreatestpossibleimpactforothersand,inturn,feelmorefulfilled.

Tohelpensurethatthepeoplewepartnerwith,theprojectswetakeonandtheorganizationswechoosetoworkinarealignedwithourpersonalvalues,wecanuseourHOWsasafilter.Onceyou’vestatedyourHOWsinasimple,actionableway,it’shelpfultoaddafewbulletstoclarifywhattheymeaninpractice.Thisadditionaldetailisusefulforyouandthosewithwhomyoucollaborate.Pickingbackupontheexampleofanindividual,seehowSimondoesthisbelow.

Simon’sHOWsare:

1.Taketheunconventionalperspective

Seesomethingfromadifferentangle.Openuptodoingthingsadifferentway.Ask,“Isthereanother,possiblybetter,wayofdoingthis?”

Trysomething.Ifitdoesn’twork,trysomethingelse.

2.Keepitsimple

Whenthingsaresimple,everyonecanunderstand.Ifaten-year-oldcanunderstandwhatyou’resaying,you’regoodtogo.Simplelanguageandsimpleideasareeasilyunderstoodandeasiertoexecute.

3.Silverlineit

Findsomethingpositiveineverysituationandineveryperson.

4.Shareeverything

Shareideasandfeelings.Inviteandteachotherstosharetoo.Shareyouridea,especiallyifit’snotperfect.Eventhe“worst”ideascanbebuiltupon.Otherswon’tknowhowyoufeelorwhatyouwantuntilyoushareit.

5.Focusonthelongterm

Buildsomethingthatwilloutlasteveryoneofus.Focusonmomentumandtrendingmorethanhittingarbitrarynumbersanddates.

SimonputshisHOWsintodailypractice.HeusesthemtodeterminewhetheranewprojectoropportunitywillallowhimtolivehisWHYasfullyaspossible.YearsagoaleaderaskedSimonifhecouldhelpthemcreateanorganizationthatputpeoplefirst.Rightoffthebat,Simonlikedthisleaderandtheinitialproposalpiquedhisinterest.Remember,Simon’sWHYistoinspirepeopletodothethingsthatinspirethemsothat,together,wecanchangeourworld.Simonknowsthatpeople-firstculturesaremoreinspiringforemployeesandcustomersalike.Healsoknowsthathelpinganorganizationchangenotonlytheirmindsetbutalsotheirsystemsandprocessestocreateapeople-firstorganizationisn’teasy.Thiscollaborationwouldneedtobelongtermifitweretobesuccessful,

soSimonknewheneededtoensuretheywouldbeagoodfit.ThoughSimonandthisleaderwerealignedattheWHYlevel,thisisonlythefirstfilter.

Simonhadagoodfeelingaboutthisbuttookthetimetoasksomequestionsabouthowthisleadersawthispartnershipworking.Excitedly,theexecutivepresentedhimwithacomplexdiagramdetailinghowtheinitiativewouldunfold.HeexplainedtoSimonthatifhisboardweretoinvestinthis,they’dbelookingforquickresults.

Immediatelyredflagspoppedup.Thatcomplexdiagram,coupledwithadesirefor“quickresults”wouldlikelynotequallong-termprogress(seeHOW:Focusonthelongterm).Simonexpressedhisconcernandaskedtheleaderwhathemeantwhenhesaid“quickresults.”Iftheboardwantedtoseethingstrendingintherightdirectioninthefirstfewmonths,Simonfelttheymightbeabletofindsomeleadingmetrics.Simonexplainedthatifhewastocollaboratewiththisleader,thatheandhisboardwouldneedtobeopentosomewildlynewperspectives(seeHOW:Taketheunconventionalperspective).Theywouldneedtobeopentotakingadifferentapproachtoeffectthedesiredchangethanthey’dtakenbefore.Intheend,itbecameclearthatthecomplexity(seeHOW:Keepitsimple),timelineandleadership’smindsetwerenotgoingtomakethisagoodfitforeitherparty.

Thiswasabigorganization,anditwasagreatopportunitytotouchthelivesofmanypeople.ItwasearlyinSimon’scareer,andthisorganizationwouldhavelookedgreatonhislistofclients.Yet,itjustdidn’tfeelright.Simonknewfromexperiencethatitwasbettertositonthesidelinesandcheeronthisorganizationratherthantoactivelyengageinarelationshipthatwassuretobehardforbothofthembecausehewouldnotbeinanenvironmentwherehecouldbeathisnaturalbest.SinceSimonbelievedthisleaderdidtrulywanttomakeachangeinhisorganization,heintroducedhimtoafewofhiscontactswhomhethoughtmightbebetterfits.

StartusingyourHOWsasfiltersformakingimportantdecisions.Thoughnoteveryrelationship,projectorpartnershipwillbeinperfectalignmentwithallyourHOWs,you’llhaveagoodideawherechallengesortensionsmightarise.Knowingthesecangiveyouanopportunitytotalkaboutpotentialissuesinadvance,givingyouandwhomeveryoucollaboratewiththebestpossiblesetupforthepartnershiptothrive.

Itworksinreversetoo.Whenyoufindyourselfinasituationwhereyou’refrustrated—it“justdoesn’tfeelright”yetyou“can’tputyourfingeronit”—useyourHOWstoseeifyoucanfindoutwhat’soutofalignment.SometimesbysimplyrunningdownthelistofHOWs,you’llimmediatelybeabletoputintowordswhatisn’tworkingforyou.Onceyoucanputyourfrustrationintowords,itmakesiteasiertoaskforwhatyouneedtogetthingsbackontrack.

AtStartWithWhy,weencourageteammembersexperiencingtensiontolooknotonlyattheirGoldenCirclebutalsoattheGoldenCircleofthecolleaguetheyarefrustratedwith.Wehaveeachteammember’sGoldenCircleavailableforanyteammatetolookuptheWHYandHOWsofanycolleagueatanytime.It’ssometimesthecasethatwhatisbotheringusthemostaboutanotherissomethingthatistheirstrength!Seeingthiscangiveusempathyandhelpusappreciatethegiftsofourteammates.Itallowsustotalkabouttensioninacommonlanguage,whichallowsustomovethroughtensionsquickly.Likemosttools,themoreyoupracticetalkingaboutyourHOWsandusingthemastools,themoreadeptyoubecomewiththem.

CorporateValuesVersusHOWsTheunderlyingprocessforexpressinganorganization’sHOWsisverysimilartotheindividualapproach.Atribe’sHOWsareitsguidingprinciples,derivedfromthethemesthatemergedduringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess.Andyet,veryoftenwhenwearebroughtintodoaTribeWhyDiscovery,theorganizationalreadyhasasocializedsetofvalues.Inmanycases,eventhoughthevaluesmaybewritteninbiglettersonthewall,weareabletoquicklyassessthatfewpeopleactuallyknowwhattheymean.Ifyouaskahandfulofpeopleatdifferentlevelsoftheorganizationwhattheircorevalue“integrity”meansandyouhearahandfulofdifferentanswers,thatisyoursign.

Manyofushaveworkedforacompanythatlisteditscorevaluesoneveryconferenceroomwall.Includedweresuchgarden-varietybuzzwordsas“honesty,”“hardwork,”“diversity”and,yes,“integrity.”Thesevaluesareallfineandgood.ButtheyarenotHOWs.

Mostcompaniesdon’tgroundtheircorevaluesinanunderstandingofhowtheorganizationperformswhenatitsbest.Corevaluesaregenerallyaspirational.Theyexpressthequalitiesthecompanywouldlikeitsemployeestoembodyratherthanthoseitactuallydisplays.Remember,HOWsarenotaspirational.Theydonotexpresswhowewanttobe.Theyexpressthewaysweactuallybehave—thethingsweactuallydo—whenweareatourbest.

TheotherdifferencebetweenHOWsandcorevaluesisthatvaluesarenot,inandofthemselves,actions.“Courtesy”isavalue.“Treatpeoplewithkindnessandrespect”isaHOW.Thedistinctionisevenmoreimportantwhentheapplicationsofacorevaluearenotimmediatelyapparent.Imaginesomeonecomingtoworkontheirfirstdayofanewjobandseeingaposterofthecompany’scorevaluesinthecafeteria.Seeingtheword“integrity,”theymightthink,“Okay,sure.Butwhatdoyouwantmetodo?”Nowimaginethatsameemployeeisgivenacopyofthecompany’sWhyStatementandseestheHOW“Alwaystellthetruth.”Thenlaterthatdayatthetrainingtheyheartheirsupervisorsay,“Wedonotmisrepresenttheeffectivenessofourproducteventomakeasale.”Inthiscasethey’dprobablysay,“Gotit!Icandothat.”Ifweexpectpeopletolivethecorevaluesofanorganization,wehavetobeabletotellthemwhatthosevalueslooklikeinaction.Inotherwords,theHOWsmustbesimpleandactionable.

Sometimeswemeetwiththeleadershipoftheorganizationandforvariousreasonstheyareattachedtotheircurrentlistofvalues.Itcouldbethatit’sbeensocializedforsolongtheythinkitwouldbeinauthentictojustchangethemoutoftheblue.Itcouldbethattheyjustspentmillionsofdollarstohaveabigfirmhelpthemcomeupwithandrollouttheirvaluesandchangingthemwouldfeelwishywashy.Whateverthereason,ifyoufindyourselfinthatsituation,wesuggestgoingthroughtheTribeApproachprocessexactlyasadvisedinchapters4and5,thenusethethemesdiscoveredtoaddsomecolortothecorporatevaluestheyalreadyhave.Youlikelywillfindafewclearintersectionsofwhattheyalreadyhaveandthethemesyoufound.Helpthemmakeadeeperandmoremeaningfulconnectionwherethingsnaturallycometogether.

YourHOWsBringYourWHYtoLife

Inthelate1950s,EnriqueUribe,wholivedinCostaRica,decidedtoimportanideathathadrevolutionizedgroceryshoppingintheUnitedStates.InCostaRica,peoplewereaccustomedtogoingintoastoreandaskingthepersonbehindthecounterforwhattheyneeded—akiloofflour,aliterofcookingoil,aloafofbread.Theassistantwouldmeasureouttheflourfromalargesackandtheoilfromadrumandbringthemtothecustomer.ThathadlongbeenthesystemintheUnitedStatesaswell,butnowitwasdifferent.Self-servicemarkets,whichhadbecomethenormintheStates,settheentirerangeofproductsondisplayandleftituptocustomerstocollectwhattheywantedandbringtheitemstothecounter.Thisnewwayofshoppingmeantthatmorechoicescouldbeofferedandmorecustomerscouldbeserved.EnriquewantedthistobethefutureofshoppinginCostaRicaaswell,but,likeanyonewithanewideathatbuckstradition,heencounteredresistance.

PeoplehadvariousreasonsforridiculingEnrique’svision.Somepredictedanincreaseinshoplifting.Otherssimplypreferredthepersonalserviceofhavingaclerkdotheworkofroundingupalltheitems.Otherspointedoutthattheentiresupplychainwouldhavetobereinvented.Productscouldnolongerarriveinvatsandsacks;theywouldhavetobeindividuallypackaged.Andstoreswouldhavetomaintaingreaterinventory.

In1960,Enrique,togetherwithhissiblingsMarta,FloryandLuis,openedMasxMenos,asupermarketthatbroughttolifehisvisionofanewwayofshopping.Andpeoplelikedit.AsMasxMenosgrewtobecomethelargestretailchaininthecountry,withoverfivehundredstores,itcompletelyreshapedthemarket.(Punintended.)

Enrique’ssons,RodrigoandCarlos,carriedforwardtheirfather’spassionforinnovation.Thoughtheyeventuallysoldthefamilysupermarketchain,thebrotherswentontofoundCuestamoras,aparentcompanytomorethanadozenbusinessesreachingintohealth,hospitality,urbandevelopmentandenergy.ButasCuestamorasgrewovertheyears,RodrigoandCarlos,whoserveasthechairmanandvicechairmanoftheboard,cametorecognizetheyhadaproblem.

Asaparenttosomanybusinessesinsomanydifferentindustries,Cuestamoraswasindangeroflosingtouchwithwhatthebrothersfelttheircompanystoodfor—itsfoundingpurpose.Thisisverycommonamongcompaniesthatexpandbeyondtheiroriginalproductorservice.Theybecomesofocusedonwhattheyaredoing,theylosetouchwithwhytheystartedandhowtheyshouldcontinue.Soin2014,theUribebrotherssetouttoproperlyarticulatethecompany’sWHY,tofindthegoldenthreadthatconnectseverythingitdoesnowtoeverythingthatcamebefore.BygoingthroughtheIndividualWhyDiscoveryprocess,thebrothersidentifiedCuestamoras’soverarchingpurpose:toinnovaterelentlesslyinordertocreateopportunitiesforeveryone.

TheyalsoidentifiedandarticulatedtheHOWstheyrelyontomakedecisionsandruntheirbusinesses:

BreaknewgroundEmbracechangeLearnwithahumblemindDowhatisrightWorktogether

NowthecompanyplacesgreatvalueonexecutingitsHOWswithahighdegreeofdiscipline.WhiletheirWHATsarediverse,theyapproacheverynewprojectbyfollowingwhattheycalltheCuestamorasSystem.Steponeistoask,“WilldoingthisprojecthelpusbringourWHYtolife?”Iftheanswerisyes,thecompanythenmakessuretosticktoitsHOWsallalongthewayastheprojectdevelops.

Althoughthefamilybusinesshaschangedandgreatlyexpandedsincethe1950s,Enrique’struelegacylivesonthroughhissons,becausetheyhaverediscoveredhisWHY—rootedinthatfirstMasxMenosstore—andreinforceditwiththevaluesandbehaviorsthatarealignedwiththoseofthefounder.As

longasthatWHYandthoseHOWsremainfrontandcenter,itdoesn’tmatterhowmanybusinessesorindustriesRodrigoandCarlosenterinto.Howevergreatlytheyaltertheircompany’sWHATs,theywillcontinuetoinspireinthelongterm.

ElephantTrap:BeforeyouidentifyyourownHOWs,aquickcaution.ThesampleHOWsyou’vereadaboutinthischapterrelatetospecificpeopleandorganizations.GuardagainstthinkingthatyourHOWsneedtobethesameorsimilar.Theydon’t!YourHOWswillcomefromthestoriesyouoryourgroupsharedduringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess.Thatiswhatmakesthemauthenticandrealratherthanacatchphrasethatwascookedupjusttosoundgood.

*

HereisyourroadmapfortheprocessofarticulatingyourHOWs.Thetemplateisthesameforbothindividualsandtribes.

NARROWREMAININGTHEMES

STATEYOURHOWs

PROVIDECONTEXT

TheHOWsProcessWhenyouwentthroughtheprocessofdiscoveringyourWHY,youidentifiedanumberofthemesinthestoriesyoutold.Oneortwoofthesethemes—theonesthatresonatedmost—wereincorporatedinyourWhyStatement.Therestofthethemeshavebeensittingtherewaitingforyoutodosomethingwiththem.Nowisthattime.TheremainderofthischapterisdedicatedtoshowingyouhowtoturnthoseremainingthemesintoHOWsbyfollowingthethreesteps,outlinedbelow.

NarrowRemainingThemesTakeyourlistofthemesandcrossouttheonesyouchanneledintoyourWhyStatement.Thennarrowtheremaininglistofthemesuntilyouhavenomorethanfive.Whyfiveratherthansix?There’snosciencebehindthis.It’sjustthatinthethousandsoftimeswe’vedonethisprocess,wehaveconsistentlyfoundthatthethemescanbesuccessfullyboileddowntoamaximumoffiveseparateanddistinctideas.Sometimesthereareonlyfour,butnevermorethanfive.We’llshowyouhowtofocusyourthemesbelow.SincetheTribeApproachleavesyouwithalistofactiveverbs(e.g.,toembracetheunknown,toprotect,toconnect),wewilluseanexampleofhowanindividualwouldworkthroughtheprocessbecausetheirthemesmaystillneedsomeadditionalwork.Atribefollowsthesameprocess.

AfterdraftingaWhyStatement,thispersonhadeightmorethemesontheirlist:

JoyOptimisticConnectionFeelingofsafetyAlwayslearnedfromothersThere’salwaysasolutionProtectedlovedonesProblemsolving

First,lookforthemesthatexpresssimilarideas.Onceyouidentifytheseoverlapsorredundancies,youhavetwooptions—keeponeandcrossouttheotherorcombinethemtocreateanewtheme.Intheexampleabove,“Protectedlovedones”and“Feelingofsafety”areverycloseinessence.Ifonefeltmorerightthattheother,that’stheonewe’dkeep.Inthiscase,wecomeupwithaphrasethatdrawsonboth:“Makingothersfeelsafe.”

Anotheroverlapwas“There’salwaysasolution”and“Problemsolving.”Again,wewouldkeeponeorcombinethem.Here,itfeltrighttokeep“There’salwaysasolution.”

Similarly,anotherpairwas“Joy”and“Optimistic.”Adictionarywoulddefinethesewordsdifferently,butremember,forthepurposesofthediscoveryexercise,weareguidednotbythedictionarybutbyreferringbacktothestoriesthatinspiredthesethemesinthefirstplace.Inthiscase,theychosetoholdonto“Optimistic.”

Wenowhaveafinallistoffive:

OptimisticConnectionMakingothersfeelsafeAlwayslearnedfromothersThere’salwaysasolution

Narrowremainingthemes

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. ______________________________

4. ______________________________

5. ______________________________

StateYourHOWsAsweexplainedearlier,HOWsmustbeactionsbecausetheyarethethingsyoudotobringyourWHYtolife.Traitsandattributes,suchas“honesty,”oradjectives,suchas“determined,”arenotactions.WeturnthemesintoHOWsbymakingthemactionable.It’spossiblethatsomeofyourthemeswillalreadybeintheformofaverboraction,whichisgreat.Forthosethataretraitsoradjectives,here’showtoproceed.

Consideroneofthethemesfromourexamplelistabove:

Optimistic

Therearevariouswaystotransformtheadjective“optimistic”intoaHOW.Herearejustafewpossibilities:

FindthepositiveineverythingSeetheglassashalffullLookforward,notbackwardFindthesilverliningineverycloud

Afterdiggingintothestories,weagreedthat“Findthepositiveineverything”reallyembodiedwhattheymeantwhenwewrotedownthetheme“Optimistic.”

Theotherthemesinthelistareprettycloseandjustneedatweakinordertobecomeactions:

Connection ConnectwithpeopleinmeaningfulwaysMakingothersfeelsafe MakeothersfeelsafeAlwayslearnedfromothers LearnsomethingfromeveryoneThere’salwaysasolution Lookforcreativesolutions

Noticehowthesimpleshiftinlanguageturnsthesepassivewordsorphrasesintoactionswecanactuallyperformonadailybasis.

Here’sthefinallistofHOWsfromourexample:

FindthepositiveineverythingConnectwithpeopleinmeaningfulwaysMakeothersfeelsafeLearnsomethingfromeveryoneLookforcreativesolutions

Wehaveafewpersonalpreferenceswe’llsharewithyou.Wedon’tliketouse“Be”verbs,becausetheydon’tfeelactivetous.Wecanfeelthedifferencebetween“Beconnected”and“Connectwithpeopleinmeaningfulways”or“Bepositive”and“Findthepositiveineverything.”Wealsoadviseyoutodropthegerund.Takethe“ing”offofyourverbs.It’smoreinclusiveandaclearerinstruction.“Makingothersfeelsafe”versus“Makeothersfeelsafe.”Thereareexceptionstoeveryruleandthemostimportantthingtorememberisthatifitfeelsright,itisright.

Makesurethewordsyouuseresonatewithyouandremindyouofthestoriesbehindthem.It’sthisemotionalconnectionthatwillinspireyoutoputtheseHOWsintoaction.

StateYourHOWs

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. ______________________________

4. ______________________________

5. ______________________________

ProvideContextOnceyou’vearticulatedyourHOWs,youcanstrengthenyourrelationshiptothembywritingashortdescriptionthatgiveseachonesomecontextandsuggestswhatitmightlooklikeinpractice.Thedescriptionsdon’thavetobecomplicated.Infact,keepthemassimpleasyoucan.Thatmakesthemeasiertoputintoaction.

HerearewhatdescriptionstotheHOWslookedlikeforthisindividual:

Findthepositiveineverything—Whenthingslooklikethey’regoingwrong,lookforwhat’sgoingright.Connectwithpeopleinmeaningfulways—Makerelationshipspersonalandletpeopleknowyoucareaboutthem.Makeothersfeelsafe—Extendtrusttoothersandletpeopleknowyouhavetheirback.Learnsomethingfromeveryone—Beopentotheideasandpointsofviewofothers;theyallhavesomethingtoteachus.Lookforcreativesolutions—Assumethereisalwaysasolutionanddon’tgiveupuntilyoufindit.

We’veincludedsomeexamplesofTribeWhyDiscoverieswe’vefacilitatedattheendofthischapter.We’vesharedthestep-by-stepprocessbywhichtheyturnedtheirthemesintoHOWs.

ProvidecontexttoyourHOWsbyaddingshortdescriptionstoeach:

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. ______________________________

4. ______________________________

5. ______________________________

Andfinally,makeanoteofyourWHATs:

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. ______________________________

*

Congratulations.ByfiguringouttheWHYandHOWsbehindyourWHATs,youhavecompletedyourindividualortribeGoldenCircle.AsyoubegintostartwithWHYandshareyourvisionandvalueswithothers,usethestoriesfromtheWhyDiscoveryprocess—theenergyandemotionsevokedbythosestoriesisthekeytobeingabletoauthenticallycommunicatewhatyoustandfor.

MoreTribeExamplesHere’sanactualexampleofaGoldenCirclefromaTribeWhyDiscoveryforasmallteam:

Originallistofactionphrases:

ToeducateToenableTodirectTomentorToinspireTocollaborate

Thesewordsandactionphraseswereexpressedasthesethemes:

Toconnect,toeducate,tosupport,tocollaborate,toinstillconfidence,toinspirepossibility.

Fromthesethemescametheteam’sWHY:

“Toconnectandengagesothatpeoplefeelempoweredintheirlives.”

AndthentheirHOWs:

WeeducateandenlightenWesupportanddirectWeenhancecollaborationWeinstillconfidenceWeinspirepossibility

And,tocompletethepicture,herearetheirWHATs:

Webuildpeople’srelationshiptoinformationtoenablethemtomakebetterdecisions.WegiveconfidencetoengageinITissuesandmakeITchoices.

Wetaketheleadoninvestmentdecisionsthataffectthecompany’sabilitytodeliver.Wedevelopappsthatincludethewidercommunitythatwouldotherwisebeexcluded.Wedesignandimplementsystemstoenablepeopletocommunicateeffectively,avoidingdisruption.WebringtogetherstrategyandITplanningtoensurethefutureofourbusinessmakessense.Wesupportthecommunicationsinfrastructurethatsupportsus.Webringcommunitiestogether,insideandoutsideofthecompany.WeinformandinspirepeoplethroughthepossibilitiesofIT.

Here’sanotherGoldenCircleexample,thisonecreatedbyateamconsistingoffewerthantenpeople:

Originallistofverbsandactionphrases:

TomotivateToreassureTosupportTocreateToinnovateToinspire

Theseweretranslatedintothesethemes:

Tofeelsafe,tosupport,tocelebratedifferences,tolistenandrecognize,tobeopen,tocollaborate.

FromthesethemescametheirWHY:

“Toholdthespacesothattogetherwecanfindthecouragetochallengeourboundaries.”

AndtheirHOWs:

Wesupportoneanother

WecelebratedifferencesWerecognizesmallthingsWefosteropennessWebringtogethertalent

Interestingly,afterthemembersofthisgroupdiscoveredtheirWHYandHOWs,theydidn’tfeeltheneedtowritemuchabouttheirWHATs:

DesignBrandingSoftwareengineeringAstronomy

CHAPTER7

TakeaStand

DotheThingsYouSayYouBelieve

DANGER!DANGER!:OnceyouknowyourWHY,youhaveachoicetoliveiteveryday.Livingitmeansconsistentlytakingactionsthatareinalignmentwiththethingsyousay.Ifyousayonethinganddoanother

TakingthetimetodiscoverourWHYandarticulateourHOWsissimplyhowwebeginthejourney.Nextcomesthehardpart.Wehavetoactonthem.Wehavetobringthemtolife.Wehavetosharethem.

ShareYourWHYJustknowingourWHYdoesn’tmeanweinstantlyfeelcomfortablesharingit.Infact,mostofushavebeencommunicatingwithourWHATs—aswe’vebeenshowntodo—forourwholelives.It’swhatwe’vebeentaught.It’swhathasbeenmodeledtous.Youmayfinditaseriouschallengetocommunicateyourpurpose,causeorbelieftoothers.Ifso,you’renotalone!

Rememberlearningtorideabike?Youfeltawkwardatfirst.Eachtimeyougotbackon,youfocusedonadifferenttacticallthewhiletryingtostaybalanced.Youwereliftingyourfeetatdifferenttimes,tryingthebrakesatvariouspressuresandstrugglingtolookwhereyouwantedtogo,allthewhilepreoccupiedbywhatyourlimbsshouldbedoing.It’slikelyyoufelloffafewtimes,butyougotbackonthebikeandtriedagain...andagain...andagain.Andsoonyouwereflyingdowntheroadwithouteventhinkingaboutit.StartingwithWHYisnodifferent.Onceyougetthehangofit,it’sasnaturalasridingabike.

Wefindthatthebestplacetopracticeisamongstrangers.Whenmeetingsomeoneforthefirsttime,theyalmostalwaysask,“Whatdoyoudo?”ThisisyouropportunitytostartwithWHY.Fromthispointforward,strangersonplanes,chitchattersatcocktailpartiesandeveryoneinbetweenrepresentyourmetaphoricalbicycle.

WhileyoucanreciteyourWhyStatementwordforword,youcanalsotryvariationsofyourstatementandstoriestohelpitgivemeaningtoothers.Simon,forexample,mightsay,“Iinspirepeopletodothingsthatinspirethem,sothat,together,we

toofrequently,youwilllosethetrustofothers.Ouractionseitheraddtoortakeawayfromthetrustandloyaltyothersfeeltowardus.Whenthethingswesayandthethingswedoarealignedwithwhatwebelieve,wearefullylivingourWHY.Willyouchoosetotakeastand?

canchangeourworld.”ThisishisWhyStatementwordforword.Hesometimessays,“Iworkwithleaderstobuildinspiringorganizationsthatputpeoplefirst.Ibelievethatifenoughorganizationsdothis,wewillchangeourworld.”Heoftenusesourvisionstatementtobeginaconversation.Ifhe’stalkingaboutStartWithWhy,ourorganization,he’llsay,“Weimagineaworldwherethevastmajorityofpeoplewakeupinspiredtogotowork,feelsafewhentheyarethereandreturnhomeattheendofthedayfulfilledbytheworktheydo.Everyproductwemake,everypartnershipwehaveandeverythingwedoistobringthisvisiontolife.”Yougettheidea.It’snotaboutusingtheexactwordsofyourWhyStatement,thoughthat’sagoodplacetostart.It’saboutfindingwaystosharewhoyouareandwhatyoustandfor.

Ifthefirstcoupleoftimesyoutrythisandyoudon’tgetthereactionyouwerehopingfor,don’tletthatdiscourageyou.WebothsharedsomeembarrassingtalesofourfirstattemptsofstartingwithWHYwhilewritingthischapter.It’salwayseasiertolookbackandlaughafteryou’vemasteredaskill.Wedon’tknowanyonewhohasescapedtheearlydaysofgettingupthecouragetosharetheirWHYonlytohavethepersonthey’retalkingtolookatthemliketheyhavethreeheads.That’sfallingoffthebike!It’sgoingtohappen.Ifthat’sthereactionyouget,itmeansoneoftwothings.

Itcouldmeanthatyouweren’tveryclear.Whatyoumeanttosayandwhatactuallycameoutofyourmouthwerenotaligned.Likeridingabike,whereyouwantedtogoandwhereyouendedupweren’talwaysthesameplace.Itcouldalsobethecasethateverythingcameoutperfectlybutdidn’tresonatewiththepersonyouweretalkingto.Remember,theWHYisafilter.WhenyoustartwithWHY,itattractspeoplewhobelievewhatyoubelieveandrepelspeoplewhodon’t.ThepersonwhopolitelyendstheconversationorswitchestopicsisprobablysomeonewithwhomyourWHYdoesnotresonate.That’sperfectlyfine.Youdon’twanttospendabunchoftimesmalltalkingwithsomeonewhodoesn’tbelievewhatyoubelieve.It’sjustasignthatthereissomeoneelsewithwhomyoucouldbehavingadeepandmeaningfulconversation.Gofindthem!

SharetheTribe’sWHY( 3–4HOURS)

OneofthemosteffectivewaystosharewithinanorganizationistocreateanopportunityforotherstohearaboutandfeelinspiredbytheWHY.Thentheycantakeownershipofitandputitintopractice.IfyourtribeislargeenoughthatnoteveryonecouldbeincludedintheWhyDiscoveryprocess,whatisthebestwaytoshareitwitheveryoneelse?IfyouarethefounderoftheorganizationandhavediscoveredyourWHYandnowwanttoshareitwithyourtribe,howcanyougetstarted?

BelowisanapproachwehaveusedtohelppeoplesharetheWHYwithfellowtribememberswhowerenotpartofthediscoveryprocess.Youcanalsousethisapproachtoonboardnewemployeesorpartners,ensuringthatthetribe’sWHYstaysaliveastheorganizationgrows.It’sasimplethree-stepprocess,conductedwithfiftypeopleatatimeinaworkshoplastingthreetofourhours.ThefacilitatorofyourTribeWhyDiscoveryprocesscouldbeagoodcandidatetorunthisworkshoptoo.Here’stheroadmap:EachstepisafacilitatedconversationheldinasettingsimilartotheonerecommendedfortheTribeWhyDiscoveryinchapter4.

SHARETHEEXPERIENCE

HELPOTHERSOWNTHEWHY

Seechapter7inStartwithWhyformoreonthistopic.

EXPLORENEWOPPORTUNITIES

FacilitatorSection

WhoShouldAttend?

Werecommendthatparticipantsinthisworkshopvolunteertoattend.IntheearlystagesoftheWhyDiscoveryrollout,youwanttheearlyadopters,thepeoplewhoareinterestedandexcitedaboutparticipating.RemembertheLawofDiffusionofInnovationthatSimontalksaboutinStartwithWhy,whichsaysthatearlyadoptersofinnovationswillthenenthusiasticallyspreadthemtoothers?Ifit’spossible,startwiththosepeoplewhoaremostenthusiasticabouttheWhyDiscoverywork.Earlyadopterswillhelpyousocializetheideathroughouttheorganization.Itwillbefasterandcheapertousethisapproachversusaformalcorporatetop-downrollout.Intheend,itmaybeformallyrolledouteventhoughit’snottheidealfirststepinsocializingtheidea.

Ifyoufindyourselfinasituationwhereyouneedtohaveafewpeopleintheroomwhodon’tchecktheearlyadoptorsbox,butwhodoneedto“getonboard”or“buyin”inorderforthingstomoveforward,that’sokay.Doyourbesttoensurethemajorityofparticipantsareeagertobeapartofthisnewandexcitingmilestoneoftheorganization.

Step1:SharetheExperience( 60–75minutes)

BegintheworkshopbyreviewingtheGoldenCircleandtheconceptofWHY.Someparticipantsmayhavealreadyheardsomethingabouttheseideas;otherswillbestartingfromzero.EveryoneintheroomneedstodevelopafoundationalunderstandingofwhatitmeanstostartwithWHY.AneasywaytobeginistoshowthemSimon’sTEDtalkvideo(http://bit.ly/GoldenCircleTalk).Alternatively,youcanreviewtheconceptwiththemyourself—freeslidesandnotesareavailableathttp://bit.ly/FYWresources.

AfteryoureviewtheGoldenCircle,inviteoneortwoteammemberswhoparticipatedintheWhyDiscoveryprocesstotalkaboutit.ExplaintotheminadvancethattheyshouldnotstartbyrevealingtheWhyStatementstraightoff.Instead,theyshouldconveytotheircolleagueshowthediscoveryexperiencefelt.Lettheseteammembersdothemajorityofthetalking.Butincaseyouneedtohelpthemgetrolling(orkeeprolling),herearesomequestionstotuckinyourbackpocket.Pickandchoosetheonesyoulikeandfeelfreetoaddyourown.

TelluswhathappenedduringtheWhyDiscoverysession.

Whatweresomeofthestoriescolleaguessharedthatparticularlyresonatedwithyou?

Whatweresomeofthehighpointsofthesession?

Howdidthegrouprespond?

Whatdidyoulearnaboutyourorganizationorcoworkersthatyoudidn’tknowbefore?

Howdoeswhatyouheardduringthesessionmakeyoufeelaboutworkinghere?

WhatinspiredyoumostabouttheWhyDiscoveryprocess?

Asyourspeakersgetgoing,theothermembersofthegroupwillprobablywanttoaskthemquestionsaswell.Encourageeveryonetodoso,andlettheconversationflow.Themorethegroupengagesinthediscussion,themoretheywillunderstandthevalueoftheWHYandthemoretheywillcontributetotheworkshop.

There’snotimelimittothispartoftheexercise.Sodon’trushit.Readtheenergyintheroom.Whentheinteractionreachesanaturalstoppingpoint—whichcouldbefifteenminutesafteryou

start,orthirtyminutes,ormore—youcanmoveontostep2.

Step2:HelpOthersOwntheWHY( 45–60MINUTES)

Nowforthebigreveal:you’llsoonbesharingtheWhyStatementdraftedatthediscoverysession.Thebestwaytobeginisbyintroducingthecompositionofthestatement:

ExplainthattheWhyStatementthetribememberswillsoonseewasdiscovered(notcreated)viathethemesthatemergedfromthestoriestheircolleaguesshared.ShowtheflipchartfromtheWhyDiscoverywheretheCandidatewordsandphraseswererecorded.TalkabouttheprocessbywhichyouhelpedwhittlethesedowntoasingleWhyStatement.Retellparticipants’specificstorieswheneverthatseemshelpful.ThesestorieswillhelpbringtheWHYtolife.Ifyoustillhavetheflip-chartpagesfromtheWhyDiscoveryprocessorevenpicturesofthem,nowwouldbeagreattimetosharethem.Seeingthosemarkeduppageswithwordscrossedoutandthemescircledcanhelpeveryonewhowasn’ttheregetanideaofhowitallcametogether.

Ifeverymemberofateamdoesn’tgrowtogethertheywillgrowapart.

Whenyoufinallyarriveattheflip-chartpagethatrevealstheWhyStatement,readitoutloudandthengivethegroupachancetotakeitin.

Thismomentiswherethingscangetalittletricky.Peoplecangethunguponthewordsratherthanthemeaningandfeelingbehindthewords.Werecommendtakingafewmomentsheretolet

everyoneknowthatthewordsaren’tperfect.ThisisjustthefirstiterationoranearlyiterationoftheWhyStatement.LetthemknowthatsometimesthewordsusedinaWhyStatementmaychangealittleovertime,althoughthefeelingbehindtheWHYdoesnot.Encouragethemtowithholdtheircritiquesofthespecificlanguage,fornow,andtofocusinsteadonwhattheWHYmightlooklikeinaction.Seeifyoucangeteveryonetoagreethattheyhaveasharedsense—afeeling—fortheWHY,evenifitsarticulationisnot,intheirminds,100percentperfect.Thiswillhelpyouavoidsemanticquicksandandkeepthemomentumgoing.

WehaveexperiencedsituationswhentheWHYsimplydidn’tresonatewithoneortwopeopleintheroom.Someofthecommonreasonsforthisarethat:

Inthepast,theorganizationhasn’talwaysliveditsWHY.

TheWHYdoesn’talignwithwhattheorganizationand/ortheteammembershaveagreedonastheircurrentstrategy.

Sometimesteammembersfeelit’srightbutdon’tbelieveallemployeeswillgetbehindtheWHY,sotheyfeeltheneedtochangeit.

Occasionally,ateammemberwhodoesn’tresonatewiththeWHYisn’tagreatfitforthecompany.

Ifthemajorityoftheroomisn’tonboardwiththeWhyStatement,thereisagoodchanceitneedsmorerefining.

IfeveryoneisnotinconsensusabouttheWHY,that’sokay.Yourgoalisnottoconvinceeveryonetobuyin,buttoprovideanenvironmentinwhichtheyhavetheopportunitytobeinspiredbyit.Remember,thewholeideabehindarticulatingtheWHYissothatwecanworktogethertomakepositivechangeintheworld.

NowthateveryonehasagoodunderstandingoftheWHYanditsunderlyingthemesandstories,theyarereadytobesplitintogroupstocarryontheconversation.Ideally,eachgroupwillincludethreetoeightpeople.Thegroupsshouldbesmallenoughthataneffectiveexchangeofideascanhappen.Eachgroupneedstoreportbacktotheroomattheendofthissection,somakesureyoudon’thavetoomanygroups.

OnewaytoencourageownershipoftheWHYistohaveeachgroupsharepersonalexperiencesthatsupportit.Herearesomepromptstogetthemstarted:

Tellaspecificstoryaboutthereasonyouloveworkinginthisorganization.Shareastoryofwhenyoufeltproudtobeapartofthistribe.

WhataboutthestoryyoujustsharedvalidatesourWHY?

WhoinourorganizationbestembodiesourWHY?

Giveeachgroupitsownflipchartandhavetheparticipantswritedowntheiranswerstoeachofthesequestionsasalistofshortsentencesorphrases,withanemphasisonstories.Justasin

theWhyDiscoverysession,thestoriesthatcarrythemostmeaningwillbetheonesthatarethemostspecificandhuman.

Allowatleasttwentytothirtyminutesforthisexercise.Moreoftenthannot,you’llneedtobringthesegmenttoacloseduetolackoftime,notduetoalackofconversationamongtheparticipants.Afteryoucallahalt,haveeachgroupreportontheirdiscussiontotherestoftheteam.Thatshouldtakeaboutfivetosevenminutespergroup.

WhenpeoplegetpassionateabouthowtheirpersonalexperienceslineupwiththeWHY,itmeanstheyarestartingtotakeownershipofit,whichreinforcestheirconnectiontotheworkandtoeachother.Channeltheenergygeneratedbythisexerciseintothefinalpieceoftheworkshop.

Step3:ExploreNewOpportunities( 45minutes)

OurWHYcomesfromourpast,butitsvalueandpromiselieinthefuture.Aninspiring,clearlyarticulatedWHYactsasaspringboardfornewanddifferentwaysanorganizationcanmoveforward.Usingourtribe’sWHYtotakeusintothefutureisthefocusofthefinalpartofthisworkshop.Wecallthisa“ConversationofPossibility.”

Thisisthetimeforparticipantstothrowoutideasabouthowtheorganization,guidedbyitsWHY,canadvanceinnewordifferentways.Thisismorethanyouraveragebrainstormingsession.Youknowthatkindofbrainstormingsessionwe’retalkingabout,wherewebeginthinkingbiguntiloneofusstartsanticipatingobstaclesandchallenges,andwithinthreeminutesmostofusareconvincedthenewbigideaisimpossible.“Resourceconstraints”isonepopularbogeyman;youcannodoubtthinkofothers.Sadly,whenwedothiswestallourideasbeforetheyevengetstartedandpreventourselvesfromtakingaction.Welimitourprogresstosmallsteps,whenwecouldbetakinggiantleaps.AConversationofPossibilitykeepsusawayfromthatexcessivelysafepath.Itgivesuspermissiontochangeourthinkingandanopportunitytogetoutofourownway.

Divideparticipantsintothesamegroupsasbefore.ExplainthatinaConversationofPossibility,resourceconstraintsdonotapply.Encourageparticipantstoshareanyandallideas—afterall,youneverknowwheretheywilllead.We’veseenpeoplebringupanideatheythemselvesadvertisedinadvanceasstupidandthenwatchasthegrouptransformeditintosomethingeveryonewaseagertoimplement.Thebiggertheideasthebetter.Nothingisoffthetable.Nothingisimpossible.Nothingis“stupid.”Atthesametime,makesureeveryoneunderstandsthataConversationofPossibilityisjustthat—aconversation.Ifyousurfaceanideaandit’swellreceived,thatdoesnotimplythatyouarenowcommittedtotakingitforward.Ifpeoplefearthatofferingasuggestionwillstickthemwithmakingitareality,theymaykeeptheirmostambitiousideastothemselves.It’simportanttostatethataConversationofPossibilityisfullofpossibilityyetrequiresnocommitment.

Therearejusttworulesforthisexercise:

EveryideamustalignwiththeWHY.

Groupmemberscanaddnewideasorbuildonsomeoneelse’s.Theycannotsay,“Noway,”“Thatwon’twork”or“Wecan’tdothat”—that’snottheconversationwe’rein.

Togetthingsstarted,instructthegroupstoanswerthisquestion:

KnowingthisisourWHY,whatcouldbepossibleinsideourorganization?(Forexample,thinkaboutwhatsystemsandprocessesmightbemodifiedorintroduced.)

Theideahereistogettheteamlookinginward.Rememberwemustpracticewhatwepreach.Wemustbewhatwesayweare.Thisistheopportunitytoensurethethingswesayandthethingswedoinsidetheorganizationareareflectionofwhowetrulyare.PeopleontheinsideshouldfirstlivetheWHYforeachother;afterthat,theycanfocusonhowtheWHYaffectsthoseontheoutside.Manyorganizationswanttogodirectlytoaclientorproductfocus.Encouragethemtostayinaninternalconversationfirst,andassurethemwe’llgettotheWHATsnext.Thequestionabovecangetthemstarted.

Aftertenminutesorso,throwoutanewquestion:

GiventheWHYofthisorganization,whatotherWHATsarepossible?(Forexample,thinkaboutwhatelsewecouldofferbywayofproductsorservices,orthewaywecommunicatewiththepeopleweserve.)

Sooften,organizationsgetcomfortableprovidingtheircoreofferingsanddon’tconsiderwhatotherproducts,servicesorpartnershipscouldhelpthemlivetheirWHY.(IfApplehaddonethat,noneofuswouldhaveiPhones,iPadsoriTunes.)Byspecificallyaskingparticipantstoexplorenewproductsorservices,thisquestionaimstoinspirethemtorealizethataproductcanbewildlydifferentfromtheircurrentofferingandstillbe100percentcompatiblewiththeorganization’sWHY.

Thegroupsshouldwritetheirthoughtsontheirflipcharts.Aftertwentytothirtyminutes,askthemtoreporttotheroom.Aspeoplehearwhattheothergroupshavetosay,theymaybeinspiredtothinkofevenmorepossibilities.It’slikeclimbingthestaircaseofatalltower—asyoutakeeachstep,morecomesintoview.

TocompletetheConversationofPossibility,askifanyonewouldliketomakeacommitmenttocarryforwardtheworkoftheWHY.Specifically,youshouldaskforcommitmentsto:

Be“WhyChampions”whowillkeeptheWHYaliveeverydaybylivingitandsharingitwithothers.

Takeanyofthepossibilitiesidentifiedbytheteamandturnthemintoaction.

IftheHOWshaven’tbeenstatedasrecommendedinchapter6,itwouldbeidealforvolunteerstoidentifytheorganization’sHOWsbyexploringotherthemesthatemergedduringtheWhyDiscovery.

Thegoalisthatbytheendofthisworkshop,teammemberswhohadnopartinthediscoveryprocesswillbestartingtotakeownershipoftheWHY,which

releasesenergyandinspiration.EachparticipantwillhavestartedtobringtheWHYalivewithstoriesoftheirown.Themoretheytalkaboutit,themoretheWHYstartstotakehold.ThisishowtobegintoscalethepowerofWHY.

*

LiveYourWHYCommunicatingourWHYisanessentialpartofidentifyingthepeopleintheworldwhobelievewhatwebelieve,whowillbeourtrustedfriends,loyalclientsorcustomers,dedicatedemployeesandinspiredpartnersinbringingourWHYtolife.That’shuge.Andit’sonlythebeginning.

Foranindividual,findingtheirWHYmayleadthemtorealizethatthereissomethingelsetheycouldbedoingorsomewhereelsetheycouldbedoingitthatwouldlikelyleavethemfeelingmorefulfilled.Findinganorganization’sWHYcanleadtoasimilarconclusion.Maybetheorganizationshouldbeofferingadifferentproductorservice.Maybeitshouldreconsideritshiringprocessoritsmetricsforprogress.Perhapscertainemployeeswoulddobetterindifferentpositionsordivisions.Ormaybetheysimplyaren’ttherightfitatall.

AfterdiscoveringtheWHYandarticulatingtheHOWsit’seasiertoseewhichteammembers,strategies,policies,procedures,systems,productsandinternalandexternalcommunicationsareinoroutofalignmentwithyourcorebeliefs.Iftheinitiallistofthingsyou’dliketochangeisprettylong,that’snormal.Itdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetomakeimmediateordrasticchanges.AllowyourWHYandHOWstosettleabitbeforeyoumoveforwardinanewdirection.Buildtherelationshiptothemasyouconsiderhowtheymightshapeyournextsteps.Ifyoudecideachangefeelsrightbasedonwhatyou’velearnedaboutyourselfandyourorganization,startsmallandmoveforwardwithconfidence.

Remember,thetimeswefeelmostfulfilledarethetimeswearelivingourWHY.Ithasalwaysbeenthatway;wejustcouldn’tputitintowords.NowyoucanshareyourWHYandactonitintentionally.WhenyoukeepyourWHYona

FormoreaboutSouthwest,readchapter5ofStartwithWhy.

Formoreonthe“split,”readchapter12inStartwithWhy.

pieceofpaperinadrawer,youhaveapieceofpaperinadrawer.WhenyouliveyourWHY,youthriveandsodothepeoplearoundyou.

*

KeeptheWHYAlive

PeterrecentlyflewSouthwestAirlinesfromSt.Louis,Missouri,toColumbus,Ohio.Theflightwaspacked,andtheoverheadbinswerefull.Asthefinalpassengersboarded,theywereinstructedtoleavetheircarry-onbagsintheforwardgalleyforloadingintothebaggagehold.Petercouldseetheflightattendantworkinghardtomakesureeachbagwasproperlylabeledfortransfer.

Thisisnotanunusualsceneondomesticflights.It’swhathappenednextthatwassurprising.AsPeterwatched,theplane’scaptainpeeredaroundtheflight-deckdoorandcaughtsightoftheflightattendantlabelingbagsandthencarryingthemontotheJetwayforloading.Immediately,andwithouthesitation,thecaptainclimbedoutofhisseatandstartedtohelp.Peterwasamazed.There’saprettysharplinedrawnbetweenflight-deckcrewandcabincrewonairlinesthesedays,yetherewasaseniorcaptaincrossingthatlinetohelpanothermemberoftheSouthwestteamensurethatthepassengers’bagswouldmakeittowheretheyhadtogo.Byhisactions,byhistoneinspeakingtotheflightattendantandbythewayhehandledthebags,thiscaptaindemonstratedtoeveryonewatchingthathecared.Peterlookedupattheairline’screstonthebulkhead,whichbearstheoutlineofaheartatitscenter,andsmiled.HehadjustwitnessedtheirWHYinaction.

SouthwestAirlinesisacompanythatbuildsitsbusinessaroundabeliefincaringforitsemployees,whointurncarefortheircustomers.InStartwithWhy,Simoncitedtheairlineasanexampleofanorganizationthatthinks,actsandcommunicatesbystartingwithWHY.Aswewritethisbooksevenyearslater,itseemsthatSouthwest’sWHYremainsaliveandkicking.

*

TokeeptheWHYaliveovertime,wemustkeepitfrontandcenter,communicatingitandcommittingtolivingit—onpurpose,withpurpose—everyday.Otherwise,aWHYcanfizzle,fadeorbeforgotten.Inanorganization,whentheWHYgoesfuzzy,we

callthisthe“split.”

Everyorganization’sdevelopment,growthorresultscanbemeasuredontwoaxes.Thefirstistimeandthesecondisanothermetric,usuallyrevenue.Whenanorganizationisfounded,whatitdoesisinextricablylinkedwithwhyitdoeswhatitdoes,evenifthecompanycan’texpressitsWHYinwords.Astheorganizationgrows,itsWHATandWHYgrowhandinhand.Butasthebusinessscalesovertimeandmoreandmorepeoplearehired,that’swhenthesplitbecomesarealthreat.

Inthebeginning,whenanorganizationissmall,thefoundermakestheinitialhiresanddirectlysharestheirvisionwiththeteam.Theentiretribeisoftenworkingfromthesameoffice;ifnot,theygenerallyareindailycontact.Employeesareinspiredbythefounder’svisionandexcitedtocometowork.

Theygivetheorganizationeverythingthey’vegot,evenifthepayislowandthehoursarelong.Underthesecircumstances,theWHYremainsaliveandwell.

Astheorganizationgetsbigger,thingsbegintochange.Theoriginalfounderassignssomeonetohireandmanagesomeofthestaff.Eventuallyamanagementstructureisputinplacetohandlethegrowth.Thepersonwhowashiredtohirepeoplenowhiressomeoneelsetohelpwiththistask.Afterawhile,thosebeinghiredarefurtherandfurtherremovedfromthefounderandthereasontheorganizationdoeswhatitdoes.ThenewerhiresinstinctivelystarttofocusonthemoreeasilymeasurableWHATandsoontheWHYbecomesfuzzy.Thepointatwhichthisoccurs—whentheWHYgoesfuzzyandthefocusshiftstotheWHAT—isthesplit.

Althoughwemaynotbeabletoarticulatethechange,wecanallrecognizewhenourorganizationexperiencesthesplit.Symptomsincludeincreasedstress,decreasedpassionandlowerproductivity,engagementandinnovation.Peoplestartsayingthingslike“Itusedtofeellikeafamilyaroundhere.Nowitjustfeelslikeajob.”Whereaspeoplewereformerlyinspiredtostaywiththeorganization,nowexecutivesanduppermanagementmustactivelyworktoretainthem,usingtacticssuchassalaryincreases,bonusestiedtodeliveryandshareoptionsavailableonlytoindividualswho’llcommittofivemoreyearswiththeorganization.Thiskindofmoney-basedmanipulationcanworkintheshorttermbutinevitablyfailsinthelongrun.Eventually,employeetrustandloyaltybreakdown,performancesuffers,numbersdrop,layoffsbeginandtheentirecultureoftheorganizationbeginstoerode.

Anyorganization,evenonewithagreatWHY-basedculture,canfinditselfatthesplitifitlosesfocusonthereasonitdoeswhatitdoes.Beingawareoftheproblem,however,meansthatyou,asanorganization,canguardagainstit.

UltimateSoftwareoffersaperfectexampleofhowanorganizationcanfendoffthesplit.Itisnotonlyexperiencingexplosivegrowth,butalsohasathriving“peoplefirst”culture.ThecompanyisaregularinFortune’s100BestCompaniestoWorkForlist.In2017,itwasnumbersevenonthatlistandwasalsovotednumbertwoinPeoplemagazine’sCompaniesThatCarelist.

Inearly2014,theyaskedustogetinvolved—notbecausetheywereexperiencingthesplitbutbecausetheywantedtoinoculatethemselvesagainstit.

Theyaskedustohelpthemdesignleadershiptrainingthatwouldensuretheirleadershadeverythingtheyneededsotheycouldalwayschoosetodotherightthing.

TheleadershipteamatUltimateSoftwareknowstheirWHY:Toprovideforpeoplesothattheythriveandfeelempoweredtoalwaysdotherightthing.TheyusethatWHYtoshapetheorganization’scultureandtheyenvisionitsfuturethroughthatlens.TheirWHYisnotjustcorporatewallpaper.Theyliveitandbreatheit.Andtheyarehypervigilantinprotectingit.UltimateSoftwarepreventsthesplitfromhappeningbyconsciously,continuouslyandrelentlesslyaligningWHATtheydowithWHYtheydoit—andtheyaresucceedingbeautifully.

*

Whetheryouareproactivelyprotectingathriving,long-livedWHYorneedtoresuscitateaWHYthathasbeenneglectedorignored,oneofthemostpowerfultoolsatyourdisposalisalsothesimplest:storytelling.Thisistruewhetheryouareanorganizationoranindividual.

Storytellingisthewayknowledgeandunderstandinghavebeenpasseddownformillennia,sincelongbeforetheinventionofwrittenlanguage.Storytellingispartofwhatitistobehuman.Andthebeststoriesshareourvaluesandbeliefs.Thosestoriesarepowerful.Thosestoriesinspire.ThosestoriesareboththesourceofourWHYandthefuelthatkeepsourWHYalive.That’sthereasoncompaniesthatunderstandtheimportanceoflivingtheirWHYmakeiteasyfortheirteamstofortifythemselveswithstories.

Throughoutthisbook,wehavetalkedabouttheimportanceofstoriesforthediscoveryprocess.YourWHYcomesfromyourstories—themomentsinyourlifewhenyoufeltmostfulfilled,themomentswhenyouwereyourverybestself.ThemoreyouactintentionallyonyourWHY,themoreofthesesatisfyingstoriesyouwillcollect.AndthosestorieswilldeepenyourrelationshiptoyourWHYandinspireyoutokeepgoing.Inturn,you’llinspireothers.

InspireOnWementionedseveraltimesthatwefindfacilitatingWhyDiscoveriestobethemostfulfillingandinspiringworkwedo.It’sonethingtodiscoveryourownWHY,it’sanotherthingtohelpsomeonediscovertheirs.Werecommendyoudoboth!

OurteamatStartWithWhyisworkinghardtobuildaworldwherethevastmajorityofpeoplewakeupinspiredtogotowork,feelsafewhentheyarethereandreturnhomeattheendofthedayfulfilledbytheworktheydo.WeareworkinghardtoensurethateveryemployeehasaGoldenCircleontheirdeskandeveryorganizationcanclearlyarticulatetheirhigherpurpose,causeorbelief.ThisbookisjustoneofthethingswearedoingtohelpbringourWHYtolife.Weknowwecan’tdothisalone.Thankyouforjoiningthemovement,forhelpingussharetheWHY.Inspireon!

APPENDIX1

FrequentlyAskedQuestions

We’vehadtheprivilegetoworkwiththousandsofpeopleinourworkshops,andthey’veaskedgoodquestions.Itmightbefairtoassumethat,sinceWHYisourpassion,alltheanswerswereonthetipsofourtongues.Somewere,butsomereallychallengedus,andthinkingthemthroughdeepened,expandedandclarifiedourownunderstandingofWHY.Wethoughtitwouldaddvaluetothisbookifwesharedthemostcommonlyraisedworkshopquestions,alongwithourresponses.Weespeciallyrecommendthatfacilitatorsreadthissection,sincetheymayreceivesimilarquestionsfromTribeWhyDiscoveryparticipants.

ForIndividuals

CanmyWHYbemyfamily?

Familyinspiresgreatloveandcommitment,andmostofuswantverymuchtocareforourspouseorpartnerandourchildren.ButaWHYiswhowearewhereverweare—notjustathome,butalsoatworkoroutwithfriends.Thoughitmayseemstrangetospeakintheseterms,familyisactuallyaWHAT.YourWHYwillcomenotfromtalkingaboutyourfamily,butfromtalkingaboutthefeelingsyourfamilyevokesinyou.DuringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess,youwillinevitablyfindthatthecontributionyoumaketoyourfamilymembersandtheimpactithasonthemarethesamecontributionyouwillmakeandimpactyouwillhaveonothersinanysituationthatbringsoutyourbestself.ThebottomlineisyourfamilyisnotyourWHY.Thereasonyourbestfriendlovesyouisthesamereasonyoursignificantotherlovesyou,andit’sthesamereasonyourbestclientorcolleaguesloveyoutoo.

CanIhavemorethanoneWHY?

Nope.EachofushasoneWHYandoneWHYonly.TheWHYistheonecommonthreadthatbringsoutthebestinusandmakesusfeelthemostfulfilled.AsSimonoftensays,“Ifyou’redifferentatworkthanyouareathome,inoneofthosetwoplacesyou’relying.”Whoweareatourcoredoesnotchangedependingonwherewefindourselves.WeeitherliveinalignmentwithourWHYorwedonot.IfyoufeelasifyouhaveoneWHYatworkandadifferentoneathome(orinsomeothercontext),youmaybefocusingtoomuchonwhatyouaredoingateachrespectiveplace.Instead,thinkaboutthecommonfactorsathomeandatworkthatleaveyoufeelinginspiredandfulfilled.That’swhereyou’llgetclarityofyourWHY.

CanmyWHYchangeasIgetolder?

OurWHYisfullyformedbyourmid-tolate-teens.Bythatagewe’veexperiencedenoughandmadeenoughchoicesofourownthatwecanrecognizethesituationsinwhichwe’llthriveandthoseinwhichwewillnot.ButwhileyoumayhavesensedyourWHYatthatage,youprobablyweren’tabletoexpressit.That’sbecausetheWHYcomesfromthelimbicpartofthebrain,whichhasnocapacityforlanguage,soit’shardtoputitintowords.Asyearsgoby,andwegainadeeperunderstandingofourWHYandthecontributionandimpactwemake,wemayfindmorepreciseandmeaningfullanguageinwhichtoexpressit.However,thefeelingsbehindthewordswillstaythesame.Thewordsyouusemaychange,butyourWHYwillnot.

IfwefeelatacertainpointinourlivesthatourWHYhasfundamentallychanged,thereareafewpossiblereasons.Themostcommonisthatwedidn’ttrulyknoworunderstandourWHYbefore,oftenbecauseweweretoofocusedonWHATs.Orperhapswe’vehadanexperiencethatfelttransformative—apersonalstruggle,atragedy,thedeathofalovedone.Whilesucheventscancertainlyaffectusdeeply,theydon’tchangewhoweareatourcore.Iftheseeventsinspireustoreconsiderwhat’simportant,toliveorthinkinamorepositiveway,thatdoesn’tmeanourWHYhaschanged.ItmeanswehavegainedadeeperunderstandingofourselvesandhavebeguntoliveincloseralignmentwithourWHY.Anotherperspectiveonthisisthatachallengeorlosscanthrow

ustemporarilyoutofbalance.Onceweregainourbalance,wewillseethatourWHYisfundamentallythesameasitalwayswas.

WhatifIdon’thaveaWHY?

YoudohaveaWHY.Everyonedoes.Theonlyquestioniswhetheryou’rewillingtoletyourselfbeopenandvulnerableenoughtodiscoverwhatitis.Aslongasyouarehonestwithyourselfandothers,youwilldiscoveryourWHY.Itmaynotbeperfectlyarticulatedorpolishedrightaway,butwe’veneverhadtobreakthebadnewstosomeonethattheydon’thaveaWHYafterall!

Theclassicbellcurveputsearlyadoptersontheleft,themajorityinthemiddle,andlaggardsontheright.WHYfollowsasimilarpattern.SomepeoplearewillingandeagertolearntheirWHY.TheybelieveWHYsexistandarewillingtoriskalittletodiscoverwhattheirsis.Others,aren’treadyorwillingtotaketherisksinvolvedindiscoveringwhattheirsis.Intheend,therearesometimesthosewho,quitefrankly,justdon’tcareonewayoranother.Ourgoalisnottotrytoconvincetheunreadyortheindifferent.OurgoalistoworkwiththosewhoareinspiredbytheconceptofWHYandhaveagenuinedesiretodiscovertheirown.

CanaWHYbebadorevil?

AWHY,bydefinition,ispositiveandgenerative.Itservesothersandmakesapositivecontributiontotheirlives.ThosewhoturntheirWHYstodestructiveendshavechosentomanifesttheirpurpose,causeorbeliefthroughresults(WHATs)thathurt,disrespectorotherwisedonotserveothers.InthethousandsofWhyDiscoverieswe’vedone,we’veneverhadanyonewithaWhyStatementthatimplieditcouldonlybeusedinbadorevilways.WhatonedoesinthenameoftheirWHYiswhatdetermineshowothersviewtheiractions.

What’sthereasontheWHYisalwaysinservicetoothers?

Itcomesdowntothedifferencebetweenhappinessandfulfillment.Happinesscomesfromthethingswedoforourselves,suchasbuyinganewpairofshoesorthelatestsmartphone,andcanofferaquickhitofdopaminethatmakesusfeelgood.Butwhenthatfeelingwearsoff,weneedtodoorbuysomethingelsetogetthenexthit.Shopping(orjoggingordrinkingwineorsailingorwhateverelse)maygiveusfleetinghappinessbutwillnevergiveuslastingfulfillment.Thehappinessinservingourselvesisrealbutoftenfleeting;thefulfillmentinservingothersislasting.Theproblemcomeswhenthere’salackofbalancebetweenthepursuitofhappinessandthepursuitoffulfillment.That’snotjustphilosophy;it’sbiology.Formoreaboutthis,wesuggestreadingSimon’sbookLeadersEatLast.

We’vemetplentyofpeopleovertheyearswho,despitehighsalariesandtheluxuriouslifestylesthatmoneycanbuy,aren’ttrulyfulfilledandfeelthatthere’ssomethingmissingintheirlives.Ironically,peoplewhoseWHYisinservicetoothers,ratherthanforthemselves,aretheoneswhoultimatelybestservethemselves,becauseintheendtheyexperiencethedeepestfulfillment.

HowcanImakemyWHYsounddifferentfromeveryoneelse’s?

ThisquestionstemsfromtheperceptionthatweareallcompetingandsomehowourWHYhastobebetterthan,oratleastdifferentfrom,thatofourrivals.Butwhatiftheonlypersonwe’recompetingwithisourselves?Whatifweshowedupeverydaytobeabetterversionofourselves,livingmoreinlinewithourownWHYthanwedidthedaybefore?

WhenwearetrulyconnectedtoourWHYandthestoriesfromourpastthathaveledtoitsdiscovery,itdoesn’tmatterifourWHYsoundslikesomeoneelse’s.It’soursandithasdeepmeaningtous.Itrepresentswhoweareatourverybest.

WhenpeoplefirsthearabouttheWHY,theysometimesthinkwe’retalkingaboutaperson’s“specialsauce.”TheWHYisnotaboutfindingacompetitiveadvantage.It’sokayandnotevensurprisingifallyourclosestcompetitorsgotintothebusiness(whateveritis)forreasonssimilartoyours.However,evenifyourWHYissimilartoyourcompetitor’s,what’slikelytobeverydifferentis

thewayyoubringittolifethroughyourguidingprinciples,behaviorsandactions(yourHOWs).Inotherwords,you’reunique,notinyourWHYalonebutinthecombinationofyourWHYandyourHOWs.Thiscombinationmakesyouone-of-a-kind.

IfmyWHYdoesn’talignwiththeworkI’mdoing,doIhavetoquit?

Wedon’thavetodoanything.Theshortanswertothisquestionis...maybe.IfyourworkandyourWHYaren’taligning,youdon’tnecessarilyhavetothroweverythingaway.Wecan’talwayscontroltheenvironmentwe’rein,butwecantakeresponsibilityforthewayweshowup.Yourfirststepshouldbetopositivelyinfluencethosearoundyoueveryday.StartbylivingyourWHYthebestwayyoucan.It’sjustpossiblethat,ifyoudo,thingswillbegintochangeforthebetter.

Ifthatdoesn’twork,it’simportanttorememberthatourgoalistosurroundourselveswithpeoplewhobelievewhatwebelieve.Ifthatsimplyisn’tpossiblewhereyouare,youhaveachoicetomake.Youcanactivelylookforajobthat’smoreinlinewithyourWHY.Oryoucantrytomakethebestofwhereyouare.Justremember,movingtowardsomething(e.g.,asituationinwhichyoucanthriveandliveyourWHY)isalwaysbetterthanmovingawayfromsomething(e.g.,asituationthatisn’tworkingforyou).

Myboss(orsignificantother,orsisterorbestfriend)reallyneedstodoaWhyDiscovery!HowcanImakethathappen?

You’reprobablyrightthatthispersonwouldbenefit.However,it’snotuptoyoutoconvinceothers.TheyhavetofeelthatWhyDiscoverywouldberightforthem.OnewaywecaninspirethemtodoadiscoveryistoliveourownWHY.Theymayseethefulfillmentyoufindthroughwhatyou’velearnedandchoosetofindoutmore.Ortheymaynot.Wecanleadahorsetowaterandevenshoveitsheadinthetrough—butthatjustdrownsthehorse.

IwanttolivemyWHYbutI’mnotgettingwhatIneedformetobeatmybest.

Wecan’ttellfromyourstatementwhetheryoufeelyourmissingpieceistangibleorintangible,sowe’llgiveyoubothanswers.Thefirst:ifyou’reimplyingthatthere’satangibleWHATthat’snecessaryforyoutoliveyourWHY,you’rewrong.Noneofusneedsanyspecificjob,position,title,technologyorpieceofequipmentinordertoeffectthechangewewanttoseeintheworld.TheWrightbrothers,forexample,hadrivalswhowerebetterequipped,betterfundedandbettereducatedthantheywere,buttheWrightshadpassion,anditwastheirteam,workingoutofabicycleshop,thatlaunchedthefirstmanintotheskyinanairplane.Therearecountlessothersuchstoriesofpeoplewhohadfarlesstoworkwiththanothersbutwentontoaccomplishthingsthatnooneelsecould.ThatiswhathappenswhenyoustartwithWHY.

Butperhapsyouarespeakingofsomethingintangible—anemotionalorrelationshipneed,forinstance,thatisnotbeingmet.Sometimesthepeoplearoundusdon’tactuallyknowwhatweneed,whichmakesitdifficultforthemtogiveittous!Ifthat’sthecase,youshouldshareyourWHYwiththemandletthemknowwhatyouneedfromanemotionalorrelationshipstandpointinordertobeatyourbest.

ForOrganizations

DomoreprestigiousorinterestingindustrieshavebetterWHYsthanlessvisibleones?Don’ttheyhavebetterstoriestoshareduringtheWhyDiscoveryprocess?

Somepeopleexpectthatagroupspecializinginmedicalorcharityworkwillhavemoreor“better”storiestotell.Inourexperience,that’snothowitworks.Whatbindsustogetheristhatweareallhuman,andthestoriesyouwanttodrawoutduringthisexerciseareaboutbeinghuman.Ifthepeopleinthesessionarepassionateaboutwhattheydo,theywillalmostcertainlycomeupwithgreat

FormoreabouthowWHYisbetterforthebottomline,readchapter12ofStartwithWhy.

stories.It’sthefacilitator’sjobtohelp.Simplygivethemenoughtimeandspace,listencloselyandhelpthemdigdeeper.

Whatdowedoifourproductdoesn’tfitourWHY?

Ifwesellaproductorservicethatisinconsistentwithwhatwebelieve,itwillbeinauthentic,andouremployeesandcustomerswilleventuallyseeand,moreimportant,feelthat.Ontheotherhand,tocompletelychangeaproductorservicebecauseitdoesn’talignwithourWHYisn’tnecessarilyagoodoptioneither.We’veneverseenasituationwhereanorganization’sentirecorebusinesswasoutofalignmentwiththeirWHY.Fromtimetotime,aproductthatisn’tdoingwelloradivisionthatfeelslikeamisfitisnoweasilyexplained.We’llhearsomeonesay,“Nowonderthat’snotworking;it’soutofalignmentwithourWHY,”or“Iseethereasonthisacquisitionisstruggling;we’reoutofalignment.”Sometimesitmakessensetoretireaproductorspinoffadivisionthatdoesn’tfit.Theideaistospendenergyinplacesthathavethegreatestpositiveimpact.

CanaWHYbe“tomakemoney”?

No.Weallknoworganizationsouttherewhosesolereasonforexistingistomakemoney.Butthat’snottheirWHY.“Tomakemoney”doesn’tfulfillanyhigherpurpose.It’sjustaresult.AndorganizationsthatdefinetheirWHYasaresulttendnottobegreatplacestowork.Profit-drivencompaniesmaycomeoutfinanciallyaheadofWHY-drivenorganizationsintheshortterm,buttheirsuccessisunsustainable.Overthelongterm,theycannotcommandthekindofloyalty,trustandinnovationthatanorganizationwithapurposecan.

Costco,forexample,hasstayedtruetoitsWHYofputtingpeoplefirst,whichhasserveditwell.BecauseCostcohasmaintainedtheclarityofitsWHY,ithasbeenbothabetterplacetoworkandmoreprofitablethanitsmaincompetitor,theWal-Mart-ownedSam’sClub.Afteritsfounder,Sam

FormoreaboutthebiologyofWHY,readchapter4ofStartwithWhy.

Walton,died,Wal-Mart’sWHYbecamefuzzy,andmanagementbecameguidedbyprofitratherthanWalton’soriginalWHY.Thedifferenceinsuccessbetweenthetwocompaniesisclear:ifashareholderhadinvestedinWal-Mart,Sam’sClub’sparentcompany,onthedayWaltondied,theywouldhaveearneda300percentreturn.ButiftheyhadinvestedinCostcothesameday,theycouldhaveearnedan800percentgain.

TheWHYconcepthasnothingtodowiththerealityofbusiness.Don’tyouhavetoadmitit’sabitfluffyandnothowthingsworkintherealworld?

Ifbiologyis“fluffy,”thenconsiderthisfluff!TheWHYisattheveryheartofbusinessreality.Ourdecisionsaredrivenbyfeelings,sometimes(althoughnotalways)backedupbylogicandreason.WhentheDowfalls,weoftenreadthat“thesentimentofthemarket”wasdown.Whatis“sentiment”ifnotafeeling?Stocksandsharestradeonhowthosebuyingthemfeelaboutthefuture.

In2015,severalcarmanufacturerswerefoundtohavefalsifiedtheirvehicles’emissionstesting.Logicallyenough,thataffectedpeople’slong-standingtrustinthosebrands,andtheirsalesandmarketvaluationstookatumble.Ontheotherhand,andlesslogically,Teslaattractedover500,000ordersforitsModel3electriccareventhoughit’snotyetinproductionandthepeopleplacingtheordershaveneverevensatinaTesla,letalonedrivenone.

Ourcompanyislarge,withmanydivisionsandproductlinesinseveralcountries.Don’ttheoperationalandsupportfunctionshavedifferentWHYs?

Formoreonmanipulationvs.inspiration,readchapter5ofStartwithWhy.

AnorganizationonlyhasoneWHY.IfsomewithintheorganizationfeelexcludedfromthatWHY,itmaybethattheWhyStatementisnotquitethereyet—eitherthewordsaren’texactlyrightorthestatementstillcontainsWHATsthatleavecertainemployeesout.Ifthat’sthecase,it’sprobablytimetogivetheWhyStatementsomethoughtfultweaks.

Ormaybeit’stimeforthecompanytodosomeworkdevelopingNestedWHYs(here).ExploringWHYswithinWHYswouldgiveorganizationalsubgroupstheopportunitytorefinetheirWHYinawaythatresonatesmorepowerfullywiththem.

CanweadjustourWHYtosuitourcustomers?

DuringaworkshopPeterwasrunning,heheardsomeonesay,“WhatweneedtodoistofigureouttheWHYsofallourcustomersandmakeourWHYmatchthose.”Peter’sredflagstartedwavingandsoshouldyoursifyouweretohearsomethinglikethis.

WhatmakesaWHYpowerfulisitsauthenticity.NeitheremployeesnorclientsarefooledwhenanorganizationattemptstomanufactureaWHYtosuitwhattheyfeelcustomerswanttohear.Thisismanipulation.Thepeopleyoudobusinesswith,andthepeoplewhoworkwithyou,willsenseadisconnect.Trustandloyaltywilldiminish(iftheyeverexisted).Whenthathappens,thecompanyoftenresortstodiscountsandotherformsofmanipulationtotrytoconvincecustomersandemployeestostay.Thismayworkintheshorttermbutithasnohopeoflong-termsuccess.

ThisisnottosaythataWHY-basedorganizationcan’tusemarketingeffectively.Ofcourseitcan!Infact,whenmarketingusestheWHYasitssource,itworksquitewell.Anorganization’sbrandingsimplybecomesanexternalexpressionofitsWHY,aproofofthecompany’sculture.

*

Ifyouwantmoreinspirationorsupport,visittheStartwithWhywebsite(www.StartWithWhy.com).

APPENDIX2

PartnerTipsforIndividualWhyDiscovery

Anyonewho’sdecidedtoserveasapartnerinafriendorcoworker’sIndividualWhyDiscoverywillwanttoreadchapter3ofthisbookforinstructionsonhowtomanagetheprocess—andthey’llalsowantthisappendixasacheatsheet.Hereisaquicksummaryofthebesttipsandquestionsforbeinganeffectivepartner.

Yourrole:Activelistenerandnotetaker.Asthepersongoingthroughthediscoverytellstheirstories,youwilljotdownanyrecurringideas,words,phrasesandthemes.ThesewilleventuallyconstituteagoldenthreadthatdefineswhotheWHYseekerisattheirnaturalbest.Notyourrole:therapist,mentor,advicegiver,problemsolver.

Howto“listenactively”:Makeeyecontact;showacknowledgment,verbalandnonverbal,ofwhattheotherpersonsays;invitethemtosaymoreaboutwhathappenedorhowtheyfeltaboutit.Payparticularattentiontofacialexpressions,bodylanguage,longpauses,changesintoneofvoiceandemotionalstate(gettingexcited;gettingchokedup).Jotthesedownifyoucan.

Threewaystoaskgoodquestions:

Askopen-endedquestions(i.e.,thekindthatcan’tbeansweredwitha“yes”ora“no”).Open-endedquestionslettheotherpersonleadyou.

Avoidquestionsthatstartwith“why.”It’seasiertoansweraquestionthatstartswith“what.”Ask“whatisitaboutthatstorythatreallymatterstoyou?”

Sitinsilence.Ifsomeoneisstrugglingtoansweryourquestion,don’tfillthesilencewithanotherquestionorasuggestedanswer.Justwait.Emotions

arehardtoarticulateanditmaytakethepersonalittletimetofindtherightwords.

Lookforsilverlinings.Astoryyouhearmaybesadorevenhorrible—butitcanstillshedlightonwhosomeoneisandwhattheirWHYmightbe.Useyouroutsiderperspectivetoseethelessonthatthestorytellermaynot.

Focusontheperson’scontributionandimpactineachofthestoriestheytell.Ineverystoryyouhear,notewhatthepersonwasgivingtosomeoneelseandtheimpactofwhattheygaveontherecipient.Ifthepersonisn’tvolunteeringthatinformation,askquestionstobringitout.

Focusonfeelings.Inthestories,whathappenedislessimportantthanhowthepersonfeltaboutwhathappened.

Askquestionstodigdeeperanduncoverfeelings.Herearesomeeffectivequestions:

Whenthathappened,howdiditmakeyoufeel?

Whoelsewasinvolvedinthisstoryandhowdidtheymakeadifferencetoyou?

Whatisitaboutthisexperiencethatyouabsolutelyloved?

You’veprobablyfeltthissamefeelingbefore.Whatisitaboutthisparticularstorythatmakesitspecial?

Howdidthisexperienceaffectyouandwhoyou’vebecome?

Whatwasthelessonyoulearnedfromthatexperiencethatyoustillcarrywithyoutoday?

Tellmewhatyoumeantwhenyousaid,“Itreallyfilledmeup.”(Orwhatevergeneralstatementthestorytellermightmake.)

Yousaywhathappenedmadeyoufeeldisappointed(orsadorjoyfulorsuspicious).Butyou’veprobablyfeltthatwaybefore.Describehowthisparticularfeelingwassodifferentthatitstillcomestomindalltheseyearslater.

Ofallthestoriesyoucouldhavesharedwithme,whatmakesthisonesospecialthatyouchosetotellitaspartofyourWhyDiscovery?

EXAMPLENOTES

FactsIn2010,facilitatedateamoff-siteinAspen

Responsibleforhiringmostoftheteamoversevenyears

Sheknewthemallverywell,butCEOwasthereandalotoftheteam(remote)hadn’tmethimyet

Wasn’tsurehowitwasgoingtogo—nervous

Wantedittobeanexperiencethatbroughteveryonetogether

MeaningUnity

Everyonecametogether

Meantalottoherthateveryonefeltliketheywereinasafeplace

Team/familyfeel

Joy(everyonewasbeingthemselves)

Feltalotofresponsibilitytotheteam

Lovedseeingrelationshipsbuildnaturally

Matteredbecauseshetrulycaredabouteachpersonindividually

APPENDIX3

FacilitatorTipsforTribeWhyDiscovery

Anyonewho’sagreedtoserveasaTribeWhyDiscoveryfacilitatorforanorganization,companyorteamwillwanttoreadchapters4and5ofthisbookforinstructionsonhowtomanagetheprocess—andthey’llalsowantthisappendixasacheatsheet.Hereisaquicksummaryofthebesttipsandquestionsforeffectivefacilitators.

Keepitconfidential.Don’tsharethedetailsornatureoftheconversationsyouwillfacilitateduringtheworkshopuntilyou’rereadytohavethem.Ifparticipantsknowinadvancewhatthey’regoingtodiscuss,they’lloverthinkit.

Takeafirmhandwith“storyhogs.”It’scrucialtoTribeWhyDiscoverythateveryonegetstheopportunitytosharetheirstoriesintheirsmallgroup.Keepaneyeontheinteractions.Ifsomeindividualsarebeingtoodominant(seniorexecutivesareoftenguiltyofthis),stepupandgentlyencouragethosewhohaven’tyetspokentocontributetheirstories.

Ifateammembershowsemotionastheyreportouttheirstory,digdeeper.Askthepersontosaymoreabouttheirfeelingsorwhatitwasaboutthatparticularstorythatevokedsuchanintensereaction.Bedirect.Ask,“Whatwasitaboutthatcustomer’sphonecallthatmadeyourememberitalltheseyearslater?”

Avoidquestionsthatstartwith“why.”Counterintuitiveasitseems,it’seasiertoansweraquestionthatstartswith“what”or“how.”

Steerparticipantsawayfromprogress-killingsemanticdebates.Forexample,“Is‘joy’reallythebestword?Ithinkweshouldsay‘happiness.’”

Don’tgodownthatwormhole.Remindthegroupthat,inthiscontext,dictionarydefinitionsmatterlessthanthegeneralfeelingastoryevokes.

Focusparticipantsonhowtheirtribedoesbusiness,ratherthanonwhatbusinesstheydo.Sometimesgroupmemberssaythattheircompetitiondoesexactlythesamethingtheydo.Ifthathappens,bringthembacktotheirstories.ThedifferencebetweenthemandtheircompetitorsliesintheHOW,nottheWHAT.

Makesureyouhaveenoughtime.ATribeWhyDiscoverytakesatleastfourhours.Iftheorganizersaskyoutodoitinlesstime,pushback.Havingthefullfourhoursiscrucial.

Makesureyouhavetherightsetting.Thespacewherethesessiontakesplaceneedstobe:

largeenoughthatparticipantscanbreakintosmallgroups

equippedwithasnackstableoffoodanddrink

privateandquiet(e.g.,nottheroomwheretheXeroxmachineislocated)

setupinadvancesothattablesarepushedbackagainstthewallsandchairsarearrangedinahorseshoe

suppliedwithflipchartsandeaselsforeachofthesubgroups,plusthreeflipchartsoneaselsforyourownuse

TRIBEWHYDISCOVERYWORKSHOP

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Therewasatimewhenwedidn’tthinkwe’devermakeittotheacknowledgmentssectionofthisbook!Longstoryshort,thisbookhadstartedin2013asafieldguidethatPeterhadwrittenup.Davidlovedtheideaandtogetherweworkedtofurtherdevelopthemethod.Onedaywe’llpausetoreflectonandretracethestepsofhowwesuddenlyfoundourselveswritingafull-blownbook.Writingthisbookhasbeenanunbelievablychallengingandequallyinspiringadventurefullofunexpectedtwistsandturns.

Itwouldbeimpossibletonametheorganizationsandindividualsthatparticipatedinthehundredsofworkshopswe’veconductedtohonethemethodswesharedinthesepages.Onthesurfaceitwouldseemtheyhadnothingincommon—differentindustries,differentsizes,differentbusinessmodels—yettheyallfitinonebuckettous.Theywereallearlyadopters.Theywerewillingtostepupandjointhemovementwellbeforewehadthisprocessfiguredout.Ifitweren’tforyou,earlyadopters,raisingyourhandstogofirst,wewouldn’thavethecontentthatfillsthesepages.

AspecialthankstoalloftheorganizationswhohaveinspiredexamplesandstoriestohelpbringtheWhyDiscoveryprocessestolife,includingLaMarzocco,Cuestamoras,UltimateSoftware,StudioAwkwardandSouthwestAirlines.Thentherearethenumerousindividualswhohavechattedtousonflights,inbarsandotherrandomplaces,inspiringusbytheirwillingnesstosharetheirstories—includingStevethemanofsteel,EmilyandTodd.

WithPeterintheUK,DavidinUtahandSimoninNewYork,ittooksomeseriousefforttobringthisbooktolife.Nottomentionthatwe’reallthreeontheroadspeakingmorethanwe’reathome!Ahugethankstoourrespectivefamilieswhohaveshowngreatpatience,tolerance,loveandsupportaswehave

eachtakenourselvesawaytowriteandrewrite—precioustimewhenwealreadyspendmanydaysayearawayfromhome.

Liketheinstrumentsinanorchestra,wordsarenothingwithoutagreatarrangement.Forthat,wethanktheskilloftheteamatPenguinRandomHouse(whobetweenthemalsohelpedridusofafewdiscordantnotes).AdrianZackheim,MerrySun,WillWeisser,VictoriaMiller,TaraGilbride,DanielLagin,LisaD’Agostino,MattGiarratano,TessEspinozaandEricNelson.Indeed,Portfoliodeservesaspecialmentionfortheirpatienceandsupportaswenavigatedourwaythroughthisbook.

Thereareafewotherswe’dliketomentionbyname.Thewonderfullystraight-talkingeditorJennHallam,whokeptusallfocusedandwhoneverswayedfromgivingusallthefeedbackweneeded.JudyCoyne,whotookthreevoicesandmadeitoneinawaythatappearedeffortless.DesignandlayoutideascamefromthecreativemindsofFarahAssirandElanorThompson,withoutwhomthisguidewouldhavebeensomuchmoredifficulttofollow.AveryspecialthankyoutoMoniqueHelstromandMollyStrongfororchestratingSimon’sscheduleandourcollectivelogisticstomakeitpossibleforustogetinthesameroom(virtuallyorinperson).

Ourideasandthoughtswereshapedbythefeedbackandinputfromsomeclosefriendsandcolleagues,includingStephenShedletzkyandthewiderStartWithWhyteam,ourfriendsattheBarry-WehmillerLeadershipInstituteandSimonMarshall.Wewanttoespeciallythankallthosewhospenttimeandenergytestingoutwhatwehavewritten.RonitFriedman,SharonMassandKerenPeledranaworkshopforElevationAcademy,whileMargaretAllgood,AletheiaSilcottandCherylGrisetookCoxAutomotive’sInventorySolutionsgroupthroughtheprocess.MichaelReddingandJeffreyBeruanalsoplayedaninvaluablepartincheckingthatourprocessworked.

Finally,weallwanttomakeaspecialmentionofourdearfriendKimHarrison.KimguidesthewholeStartWithWhyteamonadailybasis.Withoutherremarkablevisionandinsight,herabilitytobringpeopletogetherinthemostpowerfulwayandherunwaveringcommitmenttotheStartWithWhymovement,noneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible.Alwaysinthebackground,supportingthoseintheforeground,sheisaremarkablehumanbeingandwealllovehertobits.

What’snextonyourreadinglist?

Discoveryournextgreatread!

Getpersonalizedbookpicksandup-to-datenewsaboutthisauthor.

Signupnow.