Before 2014, Find Your WHY

At a recent Chamber of Commerce event, a fellow board member was raving about a new book he was reading. He said it was one of those books that “haunts” you. I knew exactly what he meant. There are several books that hold that distinction in my library. The book he described was, Start with Why by Stuart Sinek. Since I read it, it has transformed my perspective…it influences many of my decisions, it will appear out of no where, it quietly reminds…it haunts.



Jim Collins Good to Great and Built to Last are 2 books that compare similar companies in the same industries. Collins looks at why some companies have success while other achieve greatness. Similarly, Start with Why compares several companies/leaders to their peers: Wright Brothers, Apple, Martin Luther King, and Southwest Airlines. These amazing innovators/leaders/companies all had something in common. They had a strong WHY.



He uses the example of Apple versus Dell. Companies understand WHAT they do. On the surface, Apple and Dell make computer electronics. Additionally, they understand HOW they do it. They have employees, factories, supply chains, distribution points and marketing. They also have the same access to talent and resources.



So….WHY do customers line up days in advance to get the latest iPhone? WHY are people more intrigued by the Apple Keynotes than the State of the Union? Conversely, WHY can’t you name Dell’s latest MP3? WHY wouldn’t you book an appointment weeks in advance to visit a Dell Store?



Many times, we assume that there is some inherent market advantage that leads to a company becoming great.



Assumption 1: First to market

Assumption 2: Technological/Talent advantage

Assumption 3: Price advantage

Assumption 4: Service advantage



Apple has/had none of these. 1. Most of their successful products were already available in the marketplace. 2. Most of the technology was already available. 3. Apple is very expensive and isn’t known for their Door Buster Deals. 4. You have to book an appointment sometimes weeks in advance to “visit” a store.



So…WHY are companies/leaders/ideas like Southwest, Martin Luther King, Apple and the Wright Brothers the first names in their fields? They were able to harness the power of WHY. Martin Luther King didn’t have a Strategic Plan, he had a DREAM. The Wright Brothers put together a team that wanted to achieve flight while their much more talented counter parts were busy in-fighting over who would take the fame and glory. Southwest Airlines became an employee first company and revolutionized the industry, while others (TED, iJet) have tried and failed to copy.



The Golden Triangle is an important structure in companies that understand their WHY. In the Golden Triangle, you start with the WHY (instead of What or How). Why is an emotional questions. Physiologically, the core of decisions are made emotionally. For instance, think of some of the biggest “life” decisions you have made. There is a lot of emotion that went into that decision. Yes you can rationalize the decision with logic, however logic is powerless without emotion. (We make decision with emotion, then rationalize with logic. Not the other way around)

Your WHY is embedded in emotion. It is a feeling. When you have a strong attachment and understanding of that feeling, the what and how become easy. At RE/MAX Realty Centre, our why is “To Improve the Lives of Our Associates”. Every decision, addition, change is hammered out against the anvil we call our WHY.



This time of the year, many business start looking forward to business planning for 2014. I would encourage you to add a special goal for the new year. Find your WHY.