Good videos, with context.
Start with why -- how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound

Start with why -- how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound

TEDx Talks
6 HN recommenders · discussed 2015–2024
Open YouTube ↗

About this video

Simon Sinek's TEDx talk arguing that great leaders and companies inspire action by communicating why they do something before how or what. He uses Apple as his main example.

Why it appears in the archive

Recommended as a quick way to get the core of 'Start with Why' for pitches and communication, though some note small companies are not Apple.

AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.

From the Hacker News discussion

kalid · 2015-12 · rec

Hey! Thanks for the compliment, it really means a lot when the site resonates. I'm not super experienced with lectures (mostly writing), but I think it works in office settings. Check out this talk from Simon Sinek: [VIDEO] People are usually motivated by the why, the mission, the story. Then you get into the what and how it's accomplished. With math, it can be similar: the "why" sets the stage. Humans in general prefer a narrative to a list of facts (Hacker News readers excepted :-).)

Read original comment ↗
andy_ppp · 2017-08 · rec

It sounds awesome but what is the use case for me? It allows me to grab parts of a webpage as bookmarks? I thought Safari does this already (and no-one uses it). Get a .com too (you have read all of Paul Grahams Essays right?); linkfish.com or something similar is fine - I particularly dislike the .fish it pheels very script kiddy to me. Given that this isn’t a new idea can we all agree that User experience and design is going to be the way that this wins. Try to find someone awesome on Dribble or Behance to bring the code to life. Finally adding “please sign up” at the end of your video came across as a bit desperate; it should be self evident at the end of any video that the person should sign up right! Maybe this will help: [VIDEO] Apart from that congrats on launching. My product is going to be launching soon and it’s way more work than you ever think!

Read original comment ↗
kken · 2018-12 · rec

A much faster way to understand the central message of "Start with Why" would be to watch the TEDx talk: [VIDEO] Is the book worth reading, in addition? I see very mixed reviews.

Read original comment ↗
kthejoker2 · 2020-06 · rec

Here's a TED talk by Sinek on the concept (it turned into a book, Start With Why, and now a set of courses, etc.) It's a simple but powerful concept - one of those you should revisit on a regular basis to test your beliefs and the difference you want to make at work, in your society, etc. [VIDEO]

Read original comment ↗
ljf · 2023-08 · rec

Brilliant summary here of how Apple often focus on 'Why' you need something - rather than pushing the 'What' it is. They smashed this for the ipod, the iphone and the ipad - and more recently with headphones. Will be interesting to see if they can manage this for VR. 'Start with Why': [VIDEO]

Read original comment ↗
mosselman · 2023-12 · rec

All your communication could be stronger if you flip it around and start with why: [VIDEO] Apart from that I am so excited to try it this holiday

Read original comment ↗
mosselman · 2024-01 · rec

I totally agree. Coming across Simon Sinek's 'Start with Why' has helped me a great deal in communicating in general. Even in conversations this applies: [VIDEO] I also suggest reading his book. In terms of this theory you should communicate like this: Why, How, What You are starting from your 'What'. I haven't really grasped the core of your product, but to restructure it could be something like: Stop wasting time looking up documents, e-mails and chats in different systems. Stop paying for 20 different single purpose services just to run your business. By having everything in one place it is easier to find and share information throughout you business. Creating custom combinations of docs, chats, sheets, forms, etc will allow you to create the tool to support your own processes and ways of thinking rather than having to learn some app's way of thinking. Nino allows you to quickly build your own custom flows using modular building blocks. Create the tools that you need and have all of your information in one place.

Read original comment ↗
yodon · 2017-09 · reference

Marketing is hard. Writing compelling advertising copy is hard. Figuring out what people want and need to know about your product is hard. Getting some designer with a great visual portfolio to make your website isn't the same thing as having a marketing plan or a marketing strategy, but it's a whole lot faster and cheaper and unfortunately most people don't know the difference. Oh, and as awesome as Simon Sinek's Ted talk[0] is, you're not Apple and potential customers actually do care whether your product is useful for people like them. [0] [VIDEO]

Read original comment ↗