Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018… I hope you had a chance to spend time with family and friends. During the holidays, I have been obsessed with this book. I have been listening to it while running, driving, and before I go to bed. It’s the only business book I have ever finished to the last page in the last 10 years.
Whether you already has an MBA or want one, read this book. I am not paid to endorse it. I am simply inspired by what it shares. “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek is filled with real life case studies and talks about
- Leadership – how to inspire everyone to take action
- Marketing – how to use the law of diffusion to build a $B company
- Strategy – how certain companies like Apple, Southwest, Harley Davidson have been able to consistently innovate and beat their competition
- Operations – How Continental was able to recover from bankruptcy with a new CEO and whole new way to operate
- Career path – How we can navigate our own career based on understanding why – what really drives our passion and get us up in the morning
For me, this book comes at an opportune time. I am at a crossroads in my career. I probably have one of the best jobs in my company right now. Yet I feel like something is missing. This book is helping me explore what that is. I have learned in the past two weeks more clearly what drives me in my career. My why regardless of industry is about making a positive impact in other’s lives – customers, teams, and blog readers alike. This entails
- Dreaming the impossible and making it a reality – breaking rules and innovating beyond status quo. My greatest joy at work in launching my product – aka “work babies” into the world and seeing them grow in impact.
- Inspiring others to reach their real potential – Surround myself with diverse, smart people and help them see what they can achieve beyond their current skills and roles
- Learning – from my leaders, peers, partners and team. Sometimes I can learn more from my own team than from my leaders.
For those who are considering pursuing an MBA, I would say no to 95% of you. You don’t need an MBA to succeed. Unless you can get into a top 10 MBA school, the rest is really a waste of your time and energy. You will be better served reading this book and understand your own why – what gets you up for work every morning and how do you want to contribute to this world.
Here is also Simon’s 18 min ted talk – basically a good intro to this book and what inspired me to get the full version. Enjoy!
I wish you joy, adventure, laughter, and learning in 2018. Best wishes!
Your comment: What do you think of the video? If you got the book, what did you learn from this book? I look forward to your comment
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I am always in your corner.
Lei