Simon Sinek quotes:

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  • The world is a bell curve. Classroom test scores, employee performance in a company or how many people really, really like you. No matter the population you're studying, they always fit neatly across the standard deviations of the famous bell curve.

  • Mergers are like marriages. They are the bringing together of two individuals. If you wouldn't marry someone for the 'operational efficiencies' they offer in the running of a household, then why would you combine two companies with unique cultures and identities for that reason?

  • The irony is, the advertising industry knows everyone hates what they produce. This is why they keep looking for new ways to force people to stay tuned.

  • More information is always better than less. When people know the reason things are happening, even if it's bad news, they can adjust their expectations and react accordingly. Keeping people in the dark only serves to stir negative emotions.

  • The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when.

  • It's important to slow down, every now and then, for no other reason than to call someone to say 'Hi.' It doesn't have to be a long conversation. Just calling out of the blue does more to let someone know you still care about them than nearly anything else.

  • Spending time with the military certainly lends itself to some remarkable experiences, and I've been privileged to have had my share.

  • The most effective leaders are actually better at guarding against danger when they acknowledge it that it exists. Cowards, in contrast, cling to the hope that failure will never happen and may be sloppy in the face of danger - not because they don't acknowledge that it exists, but because they are just too afraid of it to look it in the eye.

  • During World War II, the pilot losses were staggering. In some bombing raids, as many as 80% of the planes that left did not return.

  • To become an academic expert takes years of studying. Academic experts are experts in how and what others have done. They use case studies and observation to understand a subject.

  • Actions speak louder than words. All companies say they care, right? But few actually exercise that care.

  • One of the best paradoxes of leadership is a leader's need to be both stubborn and open-minded. A leader must insist on sticking to the vision and stay on course to the destination. But he must be open-minded during the process.

  • The challenge of the unknown future is so much more exciting than the stories of the accomplished past.

  • Spending too much time focused on others' strengths leaves us feeling weak. Focusing on our own strengths is what, in fact, makes us strong.

  • When you explain to people what you're trying to do, as opposed to just making demands or delegating tasks, you can build instant trust, even if it's just for that short time you're on the phone.

  • I don't enjoy eating humble pie; it never tastes good. But I do appreciate it when it happens.

  • There is a difference between vulnerability and telling people everything about yourself. Vulnerability is a feeling. Telling everyone about yourself is just facts and details.

  • A sour corporate culture can actually make an entire society unhappy. This means that a strong corporate culture can have a positive impact on a society.

  • Listening is active. At its most basic level, it's about focus, paying attention.

  • Some would argue that you're as successful as the company you keep. Certainly there is a connection between our friends and who we are.

  • Republicans are completely befuddled by Obama's 'star power' and don't seem to have a clear or effective strategy to compete.

  • Multi-millionaires who pay half or less than half of the percentage of tax the rest of us pay justify their actions by saying they pay what the law requires. Though true, the fact is they found ways within the law to beat the purpose of the law - which, in the case of taxes, is that we all pay our fair share.

  • To operate based on conviction and belief requires an acceptance that your actions could get you fired. This is different from pig-headed bravado, and it is different from putting the company at risk.

  • Though we may have desires or bold goals, for whatever reason, most of us don't think we can achieve something beyond what we're qualified to achieve. Why, I ask, do we let reality interfere with our dreams?

  • I look for the hotels that have figured out the comfortable balance - a modern room that is well designed, and really clean sheets.

  • When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from.

  • A friend is an emotional bond, just like friendship is a human experience.

  • If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they'll work for you with blood, sweat, and tears.

  • If you can clearly articulate the dream or the goal, start.

  • There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak.

  • Any parent who tells their kids that they can't attend a school play or go to a soccer match because they have to work is kidding themselves. It's OK to miss a game or two or a performance here and there, but it's not all right to miss the majority of them.

  • Notoriously outspoken, his sentences always punctuated with profanities, General George S. Patton was the epitome of what a leader should be like - or so he thought. Patton believed a leader should look and act tough, so he cultivated his image and his personality to match his philosophy.

  • There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.

  • Entrepreneurs must be practical experts. They needn't set out to be subject matter experts in what they do; they must set out to solve a problem or pursue some cause or purpose greater than themselves.

  • The ad industry thinks their clients are their customers. They think the companies who pay for the production are the ones they are supposed to serve. So the ads they produce make their clients happy... but infuriate the rest of us.

  • Good listeners have a huge advantage. For one, when they engage in conversation, they make people 'feel' heard. They 'feel' that someone really understands their wants, needs and desires. And for good reason; a good listener does care to understand.

  • Pilots have their names painted just beneath the canopy of their aircraft. This gives the pilot a sense of ownership for his or her jet. What's more, like cars, each aircraft has its own personality, so it's important for a pilot to get to know and love his aircraft.

  • I try to find, celebrate and teach leaders how to build platforms that will inspire others.

  • I have been inspired by Martin Luther King and how he inspired a movement. I have learned that a cause must be organic; if it is to have an impact it must belong to those who join the movement and not those who lead it.

  • It is only from the people I've had the good fortune to meet that I am learning the lessons to guide me. Baz Luhrmann, director of 'Moulin Rouge,' for example, has a childlike curiosity about the world. He doesn't pretend to know all the answers - quite the opposite, in fact. He asks loads of questions of everyone.

  • A five minute call replaces the time it takes to read and reply to the original email and read and reply to their reply... or replies. And I no longer spend 20+ minutes crafting the perfect email - no need to.

  • Over 90% of people go home at the end of the day feeling unfulfilled by their work, and I won't stop working until that statistic is reversed - until over 90% of people go home and can honestly say, 'I love what I do.'

  • In this age of omniconnectedness, words like 'network,' 'community' and even 'friends' no longer mean what they used to. Networks don't exist on LinkedIn. A community is not something that happens on a blog or on Twitter. And a friend is more than someone whose online status you check.

  • The lives we live are a bit of a straight-hair vs. curly-hair thing. We often want what we don't have. In reality, it's not about better or worse; it's just perception.

  • Pilots, to a large degree, are like salesmen. They have to be confident to be good at their jobs. They have to practice relentlessly and plan out all the scenarios of the things that could happen when they're out there. Nothing is more important than preparation. They are also mighty competitive, both as individuals and as squadrons.

  • When I was a kid, I was a bit of a space geek. I loved the space program and all things NASA. I would read books about our solar system; I had pictures of the Space Shuttle on my bedroom wall. And yes, I even went to Space Camp.

  • My sister made certain choices about the life she wanted. Those choices include a steady job, a husband and children. But balance and stability come at a cost. It is harder for her to be spontaneous. It is harder to just up and leave.

  • Wal-Mart's size and scale is so vast they literally have the ability to change the face of the entire country. If Wal-Mart were to make a decision tomorrow to refuse to sell a single product made with partially hydrogenated oils, for example, we'd probably see rates from heart disease decline a few years later. That's how powerful Wal-Mart is.

  • Academic experts may not be good at doing what they are experts in themselves, but they are good at explaining the subject matter to others. They write books, teach courses and offer lessons and give steps others can follow.

  • Most years, if you were to ask me how much I make, the genuine answer is that I have no clue. I usually find out the answer to that question once a year, at tax time, when my accountant tells me.

  • Champions are not the ones who always win races - champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. 'Champion' is a state of mind. They are devoted. They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes.

  • There are two kinds of experts: academic experts and practical experts. One is not better than the other, but they are very different, and each offers very different value.

  • TiVo and other digital recording devices have confounded advertisers. The ad industry sees the technology as a threat to their product.

  • Corporate culture matters. How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything - for better or for worse.

  • I like stories of the classic hero, of good versus evil, the ones in which the good guys wear white and the bad guys wear black... and I love a good sword fight.

  • If you have the opportunity to do amazing things in your life, I strongly encourage you to invite someone to join you.

  • Like a good parent can't also be his child's best friend, a leader with authority requires some separation from subordinates.

  • The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.

  • If you look at the average age of a company on the Dow Jones index, it's something like 35 years or younger. In other words... success is no indication of longevity.

  • The big picture doesn't just come from distance; it also comes from time.

  • The only time I waste is time I spend doing something that, in my gut, I know I shouldn't. If I choose to spend time playing video games or sleeping in, then it's time well spent, because I chose to do it. I did it for a reason - to relax, to decompress or to feel good, and that was what I wanted to do.

  • The U.S. Constitution protects our privacy from the prying eyes of government. It does not, however, protect us from the prying eyes of companies and corporations.

  • All the great organizations in the world, all have a sense of why that organization does what it does.

  • I couldn't understand why my productivity went down when I had deliberately made more time available to write. Then I realized it was because I wasn't flying as much.

  • We live in times of high stress. Messages that are simple, messages that are inspiring, messages that are life-affirming, are a welcome break from our real lives.

  • I know there's a difference between being successful and feeling successful. And if you ask me if I feel successful, the honest answer is 'not yet.'

  • Humility, I have learned, must never be confused with meekness. Humility is being open to the ideas of others.

  • I have friends who are majorly into the cosplay culture and have urged me to go to a convention for no other reason than to meet others like me.

  • In the military, they give medals for people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may survive. In business, we give bonuses to people who sacrifice others.

  • People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

  • Whether individuals or organisations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves.

  • Starbucks was founded around the experience and the environment of their stores. Starbucks was about a space with comfortable chairs, lots of power outlets, tables and desks at which we could work and the option to spend as much time in their stores as we wanted without any pressure to buy. The coffee was incidental.

  • It's always the organizations that are resource constrained that come up with the good ideas to win.

  • Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers.

  • Offer someone the opportunity to rebuild a company or reinvent an industry as the primary incentive, and it will attract those drawn to the challenge first and the money second.

  • Leadership is not about the next election, it's about the next generation.

  • There is no decision that we can make that doesn't come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.

  • I'd rather play in the major leagues and have some bad games than play consistently good ball in the minors.

  • Anyone can sell product by dropping their prices, but it does not breed loyalty.

  • When I was in college, my school newspaper accepted an ad from a Holocaust revisionist organization. This would have been offensive on most college campuses across the country, but I went to a school with a very large Jewish population, so the ad, as you might expect, stirred absolute outrage.

  • The cost of leadership is self-interest.

  • Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year. I have a strict rule: I don't work on Halloween and I won't travel on Halloween. Not for any reason.

  • Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly, a way of communicating.

  • Believing that your competition is stronger and better than you pushes you to better yourselves.

  • The ability of a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well those people pull together as a team.

  • Champions are not the ones who always win races - champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. 'Champion' is a state of mind. They are devoted. They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes."

  • Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate that vision clearly.

  • Always plan for the fact that no plan ever goes according to plan.

  • It is better to disappoint people with the truth than to appease them with a lie.

  • Sometimes we give too much too soon. Sometimes we hold back for too long. This is our beautiful dance. Our imperfect dance. This is the dance that makes us human.

  • A great leader will never sacrifice the people for the numbers.

  • We can not lead an organization, we can run an organization. We can only lead people.

  • Anyone who achieves any kind of success, however you want to define it, sometimes can't let go of it.

  • So much of starting a business or affecting change is the confidence and courage to simply try.

  • I don't consider myself an expert in the why. I don't consider myself an expert in leadership. I consider myself a student of leadership and I consider myself a student of the why. I'm constantly learning and I'm constantly looking for opportunities where it it will fail.

  • We should never let reality interfere with our dreams. Reality can't see what we can see.

  • True love exists in business. It's when Employee and Employer are amazingly grateful to have each other. We should all have true love at work.

  • The single best machine to measure trust is a human being. We haven't figured out a metric that works better than our own sort of, like, 'There's something fishy about you.'

  • The most basic human desire is to feel like you belong. Fitting in is important.

  • A why has to be for others. It's something you give to the world. It's the reason your friends love you because this is the thing that you give them and it fulfills them. This is the reason your clients love you or your fans love you because you give them something. It's something to offer, that's what the why is.

  • When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders.

  • The courage of leadership is giving others the chance to succeed even though you bear the responsibility for getting things done.

  • Good leadership is always human. It takes time and energy. It is hard work. Which is why good leadership is so special when we find it.

  • Good leadership is hard to measure on a daily basis which is why so many default to doing what's easy to measure instead.

  • If you want to be a great leader, remember to treat all people with respect at all times. For one, because you never know when you'll need their help. And two, because it's a sign you respect people, which all great leaders do.

  • Great leaders don't see themselves as great; they see themselves as human.

  • Poor leaders push us towards the goal. Great leaders guide us through the journey.

  • Martin Luther King gave the 'I Have a Dream' speech, not the 'I Have a Plan' speech.

  • Average companies give their people something to work on. The most innovative organizations give their people something to work toward.

  • The true value of a leader is not measured by the work they do. A leader's true value is measured by the work they inspire others to do.

  • Any great and inspiring leader or organization that ever existed set out to do something completely unrealistic.

  • Stress and anxiety at work have less to do with the work we do and more to do with weak management and leadership.

  • Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or do. Life is beautiful because of the people we meet.

  • Words may inspire, but only ACTION creates change. Most of us live our lives by accident - we live life as it happens. Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.

  • We can make up for lost money, but we can't make up for lost time.

  • Stand for people. Not a product or service or metric or number. If we stand for real, living, breathing people, we will change the world.

  • The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.

  • We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.

  • Putting yourself first is not selfish. Quite the opposite. You must put your happiness and health first before you can be of help to anyone else.

  • If you care, do something. If you don't care, please stay out of the way of those who do.

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