This month, in The Platform Builders Mastermind group, we are working our way through Simon Sinek’s recently released “Leaders Eat Last – Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t.”

Sinek, the author of Start With Why, provides a deep look into what creates the most effective teams and more importantly, what keeps them working together, even during the most difficult of times.

This is one of those books that will take you a little bit longer to read because so many thoughts require you to take another look, just to make sure you understood the power behind them.  A phenomenal effort by Sinek, Leaders Eat Last not only looks at the dynamic of the team but of the individuals that make up that team.

What really sets this book apart is Sinek’s unique look at why some people make good leaders and others don’t and the “why” behind the results they get.  In this post, the second of four, I will attempt to capture the basic thoughts of the eight parts of the book.

PART 3: REALITY

THE COURAGE TO DO THE RIGHT THING – Sinek tells the story of an air traffic controller that broke the rules and as a result, saved over a hundred lives.  The point of the story is that sometimes it’s ok to break the rules, because it’s the right thing to do.

The bigger point of the story is that we have created a culture of non-thinking rule followers that use those very rules to justify making the wrong decision just because “that’s what they were told to do.”  Sinek goes on to discuss the idea of trust and offers this great thought: “We don’t just trust people to obey the rules, we also trust that they will know when to break them.”

SNOWMOBILE IN THE DESERT – Another great chapter!  We are the most advanced creature on the planet and yet, have the most difficult time working collaboratively towards common goals.  Sinek suggests that people are not the problem in most cases when discussing our cooperative efforts.

Our culture is so competitive that in most of the environments that we work in, we are judged on personal performance.  This creates a natural condition pushing us to do better than the next guy.  Sound like looking our for #1 to me.  Create an environment in which your people can thrive, and they will!  (Tweet This)

PART 4: HOW WE GOT HERE

THE BOOM BEFORE THE BUST – This is Sinek’s look at how the economic health of the nation has impacted leadership.  The roaring twenties were a time of prosperity and wealth never seen before.  Then the stock market crash hit in 1929 beginning a depression lasting until nearly 1942.  Going to war is widely accepted as the event that pulled us out of that depression.

The point he makes is that like in anything, there has to be balance.  He makes a great comparison between the good times and the bad – at least from a leadership perspective.  The generations that have produced great security and stability have focused on leadership and service, not excess and consumerism.  Hmm, isn’t that interesting!

THE BOOMERS ALL GROWN UP – Sinek takes a look at the three stock market crashes we have endured since the baby boomers took over running government and business.  There has clearly been a shift to the idea that people are as disposable as products.  We have moved away from a strong sense of community and now focus on protecting “what is ours.”

This may be one of the strongest thoughts in the book – “There are smart executives running companies and managing systems, but there seems to be a distinct  lack of strong leaders to lead the people.”  I wonder if the leaders still exist but there no longer exists a job description that includes them.  Just sayin’

Here is Sinek’s bottom line that I take away from this section of the book.  “It’s not how smart the people in the organization are; it’s how well they work together that is the true indicator of future success or the ability to manage through struggle.”  

Read that again and just think about it for a minute.  Does it apply to your current environment?

• Click here to read part 1

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Barry Smith  3/13/14   photo courtesy of amazon   © Building What Matters 2014