Why ‘Start with Why’ is Just Common Sense
Simon Sinek’s Start with Why presents a simple yet powerful idea: great leaders, businesses, and teams succeed because they have a clear purpose—their why. While the book is often framed as a leadership philosophy, at its core, it’s just a sensible approach to decision-making, communication, and building organisations that actually work.
The reality is, whether in business, engineering, or leadership, starting with why isn’t just a feel-good concept—it’s a practical way to avoid wasted effort, misalignment, and lack of engagement.
The Logic Behind ‘Start with Why’
Sinek’s framework is built on three layers:
- Why – The purpose, belief, or motivation behind what you do.
- How – The process or approach to achieving it.
- What – The tangible outcome or product.
While this might sound like common sense, most organisations and leaders default to focusing on what they do, rather than why they do it. The problem? Without a strong why, decisions become reactive, strategy lacks direction, and teams struggle to stay engaged.
Why It’s a Practical Approach
- It Keeps Decisions Focused
- Without a clear purpose, decision-making becomes arbitrary.
- Having a why prevents constant shifts in direction and prioritisation.
- It Improves Communication
- People engage more with a compelling reason than a list of tasks.
- Customers don’t just buy what a company sells—they buy why they sell it.
- It Creates Alignment
- Teams function better when they know why they’re doing something.
- A strong why reduces the need for excessive management and oversight.
- It Reduces Wasted Effort
- Businesses without purpose often chase trends rather than sustainable strategies.
- Engineering without a clear reason leads to over-engineering and unnecessary complexity.
Applying It in the Real World
The best companies and leaders already operate with this mindset—whether they realise it or not. Businesses that thrive over the long term have a strong purpose driving them. Leaders who inspire teams do so by reinforcing a clear vision. Even in engineering and product development, the most effective teams don’t just build for the sake of building—they solve meaningful problems.
At its core, Start with Why isn’t revolutionary—it’s just structured common sense. But sometimes, common sense needs to be said out loud.