The Key to Impactful Leadership | Simon Sinek

Leadership comes with responsibility. When you become a leader for the wrong reasons, it affects everyone you’re supposed to lead. Maybe we’ve been looking at leadership the wrong way. How can we gain an optimistic look at leadership by shifting our perspective on what it means to lead? WELCOME TO THE DARIN OLIEN SHOW Simon Sinek has an optimistic look when it comes to leadership. But what is leadership? As an unshakable optimist, Simon is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. While he may be best known for his TED Talk on the concept of “Why”, Simon talks people through various subjects. His videos have millions of views for a reason– what he says strikes a chord. But Simon isn’t just all talk. He’s got the goods to back it up. Besides being a New York Times best-selling author, he’s also the founder of The Optimism Company, a leadership learning and development company. He also hosts his own podcast, A Bit of Optimism. What makes a good leader? While Simon may be the king of optimism, our conversation centered around leadership. When it comes to what makes a good leader, he definitely doesn’t mince words. But I have to say– I haven’t heard anyone break down the concept of leadership quite as eloquently as Simon does. According to Simon, leadership does not mean status and hierarchy. Instead, leadership comes with the responsibility of allowing the ones you lead to rise. And leadership comes with sacrifice. In this conversation, Simon breaks down the sacrifices necessary to be a good leader. And we discuss why all this recent chaos and division in the world can be traced back to a lack of real leadership. But at the end of the day, of course Simon is optimistic about the leaders that we may see in the future. And he gives a detailed way to approach leadership in your work or career. Whether you’re a leader, or a follower– and Simon explains why being a follower isn’t actually a bad thing!-- you’ll get something out of this episode. BREAKDOWN [00:06:10] Talking about the why [00:10:52] Eliminate the idea of competitors [00:20:38] What is leadership really? [00:27:58] Service over self preservation [00:38:10] Justified moral outrage [00:46:43] Replace judgment with curiosity LINKS Take Simon’s Leadership Classes Simon’s Video Library Follow Simon on Instagram Watch Simon’s YouTube Channel How Great Leaders Inspire Action: Simon’s TED Talk Listen to Simon’s Podcast: A Bit of Optimism SPONSORS Want to contribute to environmental solutions, but don’t know where to start? Habits of Waste, the non-profit behind the viral social media campaigns #CutOutCutlery and #8Meals, is a great place to start. Find out how you can get involved and make a difference by joining one of their weekly or daily challenges so that you can turn intention into action. Download Episode Transcript Here I hope you enjoyed this episode of The Darin Olien Show! If you want to support or follow the podcast, here's how: Subscribe, rate or listen on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher Follow my Instagram to keep updated on the podcast, weekly deep dives and other projects that I'm supporting (and the occasional Chaga appreciation post) Sign up for my Weekly Email to keep up with what I’m tuned into. For feedback or suggestions, email my team at info@darinolien.com Find the list of brands & products that get the big tick of approval from me here. Comment below to join the discussion!