Start with why

Say It Only If You Believe It
Dr. King used his megaphone to rally throngs of people to follow him in pursuit
of social justice. The Wright brothers used their megaphone to rally their local
community to help them build the technology that could change the world.
Thousands of people heard John F. Kennedy’s belief in service and rallied to put
a man on the moon in less than a decade. The ability to excite and inspire people
to go out of their way to contribute to something bigger than themselves is not
unique to social causes. Any organization is capable of building a megaphone
that can achieve a huge impact. In fact, it is one of the defining factors that
makes an organization great. Great organizations don’t just drive profits, they
lead people, and they change the course of industries and sometimes our lives in
the process.
A clear sense of WHY sets expectations. When we don’t know an
organization’s WHY, we don’t know what to expect, so we expect the minimum
—price, quality, service, features—the commodity stuff. But when we do have a
sense for the WHY, we expect more. For those not comfortable being held to a
higher standard, I strongly advise against trying to learn your WHY or keeping
your Golden Circle in balance. Higher standards are hard to maintain. It requires
the discipline to constantly talk about and remind everyone WHY the
organization exists in the first place. It requires that everyone in the organization
be held accountable to HOW you do things—to your values and guiding
principles. And it takes time and effort to ensure that everything you say and do
is consistent with your WHY. But for those willing to put in the effort, there are
some great advantages.
Richard Branson first built Virgin Records into a multibillion-dollar retail
music brand. Then he started a successful record label. Later he started an airline
that is today considered one of the premier airlines in the world. He then started
a soda brand, wedding-planning company, insurance company and mobile phone
service. And the list goes on. Likewise, Apple sells us computers, mobile
phones, DVRs and mp3 players, and has replicated their capacity for innovation
again and again. The ability of some companies not to just succeed but to repeat
their success is due to the loyal followings they command, the throngs of people
who root for their success. In the business world, they say Apple is a lifestyle
brand. They underestimate Apple’s power. Gucci is a lifestyle brand—Apple
changes the course of industries. By any definition these few companies don’t

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function like corporate entities. They exist as social movements.

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