The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek is a concept that aids businesses in shifting the way they see their service and goods. Many companies offer profitable goods and services, so why is one thriving more than the rest? Because of the way they have positioned themselves, are their products superior? Or are they better able to connect with their clients?

The idea of the Golden Circle comes from Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with Why.” The “why,” or the rationale behind everything you or your business does, is crucial but too often overlooked.

Author and speaker Simon Sinek enjoys international fame. His first TEDx talk, Start With Why, went viral. It attracted over 40 million views and was translated into 47 different languages. Simon Sinek wrote numerous best-selling books: “Start With Why,” “Leaders Eats Last,” “Together Is Better,” and “How to be a Better Leader.”

The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek explains why some individuals and organisations are exceptionally effective at inspiring others. And effective in distinguishing themselves from the competition.

The Golden Circle concept is based on neuroscience. People respond more effectively when messages reach the areas of their brains that regulate their emotions, behaviour, and decision-making. We typically begin by deciding what we will do and how we will do it. And then attempt to justify our actions to ourselves and others later.

We will examine the Golden Circle in greater detail and describe how you can use it in your business.

The Golden Circle’s goals

When used in corporate strategy, the golden circle has a clear objective. It is to develop or create value for a new product, concept, or business.

To demonstrate the core of the golden circle, one of his insights from the TED Talk serves as an example:

People don’t buy what you do; they buy the reason why you do it.

Simon Sinek

A product isn’t just a thing but rather the interpretation of a conviction, a desire, or a dream. Therefore, you can not solely attribute an organisation’s success to how it structures its procedures or the technology it employs. However, these characteristics are also essential for its efficient operation. On the other hand, the power of a brand to assemble, motivate, and please a captive audience while valuing the organisation’s core values above all else is directly related to business success.

How does The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek work?

You may use The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek for the following motives:

• To develop your brand and marketing messages,
• align your organisation’s values, and
• current and future product development

WHY

Running a successful business is not the goal; that is the outcome. Very few individuals or organisations can succinctly explain why they do what they do. Your purpose is the main focus of the why. Why is your business in existence? What motivates you to leave your bed today? Why should anybody care, then? The Why is:

The compelling higher purpose that inspires us and acts as the source of all we do.

Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek attributes Apple’s success to the fact that it began with “Why.” He claims that, as a result, Apple successfully attracted clients with similar values. This served as the foundation of Apple’s marketing strategy and the fuel behind its operations.

The word “why” describes your motivation, the reason you exist and act.

According to The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek, expressing one’s “Why” appeals to the area of the listener’s brain that affects behaviour. Start by daydreaming about what motivates you before deciding what you will do or attempt. You can be passionate about learning about novel concepts on the verge of innovation or about other people. What motivates you to carry out your preferred activities? Your why will likely be your response.

HOW

Why matters only when you do something with it. Before considering the outcome, we must consider the means, also referred to as the how. Your how should be an extension of your why and provide a strategy for how to get there.

For values or guiding principles to be truly effective they have to be verbs. It’s not ‘integrity,’ it’s ‘always do the right thing.’ It’s not ‘innovation,’ it’s ‘look at the problem from a different angle.’

Simon Sinek

Individuals and businesses are adept at what they do. They use HOWs to describe how something is different or superior, whether you name them a “differentiating value proposition” or a “unique selling proposition.”

According to Simon Sinek, “How” messages can also interact with the limbic brain. It is a crucial region that controls behaviour and emotion.

WHAT

The What is the last component. Every organisation in the world is proficient in what they perform. This is true no matter how big or small the business or sector it operates in. Everyone has no trouble describing the goods or services their business offers or their position.

The what serves as evidence for your why. If the outcome of your efforts mirrors your why, it means that your what is also powerful. Your actions to further your why can be included in your what. Although most individuals start here, it is essential to finish with what. To ensure that everything you do, has a purpose.

The only way people will know what you believe is by the things you say and do, and if you’re not consistent in the things you say and do, no one will know what you believe.

Simon Sinek, Start with Why

According to Simon Sinek, the “What” message mainly appeals to the neocortex, the rational section of our brain. The limbic brain is where “Why” and “How” are more effectively accessed. It is more of a decision-making driver than the cerebral cortex. Instead of concentrating on what they do, successful people and organisations explain why they do what they do.

The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek in practice

Tesla

It’s difficult to comprehend Elon Musk and Tesla’s recent achievements without considering their Why. Their Golden Circle appears as follows:

• Why: Our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
• How: We work tirelessly to find new ways to make sustainable energy more affordable, accessible, and cost-effective.
• What: We produce electric cars.

Patagonia

A premium outdoor clothing brand. People that work with Patagonia are committed to preserving the environment.

• Why: We’re In Business To Save Our Home Planet.
• How: Our main concerns are utility and simplicity. We concentrate on usefulness, repairability, and durability to provide the greatest product.
• What: Premium outdoor goods

Apple

In his Ted talk, Sinek used Apple to illustrate the Golden Circle.

• Why: We believe in challenging the status quo in everything we do. We believe in thinking differently.
• How: We disrupt the existing quo by creating aesthetically pleasing, straightforward, and user-friendly goods.
• What: We only produce great computers.

Time to put The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek into action

The Golden Circle must be used if it is to be successful, as with all excellent ideas. Let’s go over the essential points before you get straight in.

• Why are certain leaders more inspiring, inventive, and able to inspire others than others? Why do certain businesses engender stronger loyalty in both consumers and employees?
• When we begin with “Why,” we move outward from the circle’s centre. The “Why” is the justification for purchasing. The “Whats” are just the physical goods that prove that belief. The “Whats” are the arguments we may use to support why we prefer one organisation over another.
• Simon Sinek looked at how successful companies think, behave, and communicate. When they begin with why, the Golden Circle shows how leaders may inspire collaboration, trust, and transformation in a firm.

The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek helps to significantly improve management, corporate culture, recruiting, product development, sales, and marketing. It clarifies fidelity and builds enough vigour to transform a thought into a social movement. David Gousset