Have you ever thought, “Why do I do what I do?”
As the new year is underway, I’ve been reading a book by Simon Sinek titled Start with Why. It’s opening my eyes both professionally and personally so I want to share it with you and give you a quick understanding of why I do what I do.
In the book, Simon states:
It’s a false assumption that differentiation happens in HOW and WHAT you do.
Simply offering a high-quality product with more features
or better service or a better price does not create difference.
Differentiation happens in WHY and HOW you do it.
Simon gives many examples using Apple, Martin Luther King and Southwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines Example
In the 1970s, air travel was expensive and not for the common man. A San Antonio businessman, Rollin King, had an idea to provide airline travel for the 85% of people who couldn’t afford flying on the big airlines. I remember those days when only the elite could fly…do you?
If asked who their competition was, Southwest would have told you “We compete against the car and the bus.” What they meant was, “We want to be the champion for the common man.”
That was WHY they started the airline and the message we received when we heard their advertising: “You are now free to move about the country.” That is much more than a tag line. That is a cause. That is their WHY. And it was a cause looking for followers.
To this day, I enjoy flying Southwest more than the other guys. Now that I understand their WHY, I want to be even more loyal to them.
This brings me to my WHY. Why do I do what I do? My professional answer:
I enjoy helping others use a tool that I chose to use more than 20 years ago and it’s called Act! I could be supporting any CRM product but the reason why I support Act! is because I know it is a good product that helps me build relationships with people like you.
It isn’t the cheapest on the market nor does it offer all of the bells and whistles like some other CRM products. The fact that it is a program that allows me the privilege to help you, is the simple reason why I support it.
BTW... if you want to learn more, here’s a TED talk featuring Simon Sinek and his Start With Why message.
Here’s wishing you the discovery of your WHY.