[The Ripple Effect] Start With The Why
Published: Fri, 10/12/12
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Hello everyone and welcome to the October issue of The Ripple Effect. Hope you are enjoying the start of autumn. The past month has been a busy one for C3 but I was able to sneak in a quick trip up to Connecticut to visit my aunt and cousins who I haven't seen in some time. I wanted to visit them for a while but my schedule was not allowing me to make the trip, or, shall I say, I was not allowing time in my schedule to make the trip, until this past month.
Often times when things get a bit hectic for me and my schedule feels out of control I have to remind myself why I decided to start my own business which help keep things in perspective. The two biggest reasons I started C3 were one, because I wanted to be able to help and coach as many leaders as possible to reach their highest potential and be the best they can. And, I wanted have a positive impact on as many people as possible. The second big reason was so I could arrange my schedule and my life with enough flexibility to do things such as take trips to go visit my extended family. It was this reminder of why I do what I do that prompted me to book my flight to CT last month. Reminding myself of why I do what I do always reels me in and brings things back in perspective (attached is a photo of me with my cousin, Danielle during our visit together). I wrote the following article last year, as a blog post after Steve Jobs passed away. Ironically enough, at the one-year marker of his passing, I felt the need to resurrect this posting as a reminder to myself about how important "why" we do what we do is to our success. I hope you enjoy reading this article as well as find sometime to watch the corresponding video by Simon Sinek. Hopefully it will inspire you to remember why you are a leader and why you do what you do every day. Please feel free to pass this along to your team and to any others you feel may benefit from reading it and, as always, keep spreading those positive ripple effects! Best always,
Andria
 Andria & Danielle, September 2012
Start With The Why
(Written October 11, 2011)
There have been so many things written this past week about Steve Jobs and how he changed the world that I was hesitant to write something related to that for my blog. However, I watched a YouTube video recently where Simon Sinek was describing what made Apple different and why they became the leader in their field. I wanted to share this because I believe it speaks to how we can all become leaders at what we do. Apple became a leader because they inspired us to buy their products. And, they inspired us with the why of what they do - not the "how" or the "what". The why doesn't mean that they do it to make a profit (that is the result but not actually why they do it). The why is about their purpose; the reason they exist. We all know what Apple does: they make great computers and technology products. How they create great products is by making them user friendly and well designed. But does that alone inspire us to buy their products? Probably not because I'm sure any other computer company would be able to articulate the same thing. "We make well designed and user-friendly computers". What inspires us about Apple is in why they do it - the purpose of their company. Their purpose, as articulated in many different ways by Steve Jobs and numerous other Apple leaders, is to be different and to think different and therefore create a fantastic innovative product for their consumers. They believe in doing things differently and they communicate that message first and foremost. The actual products are simply the proof of their purpose, the result of living that purpose. By believing in doing things differently, they create very different unique products. Apple leads and communicates their messages with the why of what and how they do what they do. By doing this and demonstrating that they are living their purpose, they inspired us to purchase their products and became a leader in that field. What inspires humans about the why is that it directly corresponds to the part of our brain where we make decisions: the limbic brain. This is the part of our brain that controls all our feelings, emotions, and decision-making. Hence, by communicating the why first, it touches our emotions and hence, will be more likely to drive behavior. Not to say that the what and the how are not important; they are; however, it is the starting with the why that leads to inspiration and influences behavior. This is such an important message for any of us looking to lead or who are in any type of leadership role today. What is your purpose? Why are you doing what you do? Communicate the why and you will begin inspiring others to follow you; you will be on your way being not just a great leader but also someone who can truly lead. To be fully inspired, watch Simon Sinek's YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4&feature=email This month's development tip: Take some time to remember why you wanted to be a leader or chose your current career. Remember these reasons and focus on them to help keep things in perspective and to inspire yourself because of why you chose to do what you do.
Andria Corso is the founder of C3 Coaching and Consulting. an Executive Leadership and Career Development Coaching and Consulting firm. C3's mission is to help our clients reach their highest potential. Read more about C3 here or contact us to find out how we can help you and your organization reach your greatest success. Contact information: Andria L. Corso ~ 888-432-4245 Connect with Andria & C3 at:
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