By Simon Sinek

• A must read book if you are planning to build an product and serve customers, it focusses on the part of a problem which we most likely ignore.
• It talks about how to have influence in your idea or speech. Always start with Why.
  • Why “Why”? → We relate to things when they create a bigger impact to ourselves or the world we live in. We connect with it emotionally because we know the reason why they are doing it. For instance
    • Apple, they have placed their why so well with their marketing that people believe apple sells the experience and the lifestyle and not just device. And this has made apple one of the most successful companies in the world
    • Same goes with Harley Davidson, people have tattoos for it, which shows the craze for it.
  • Then comes the “How”. How are we going to achieve the Why which we state
  • Then at the end comes the “What”, which is the product or the idea which we want to influence
• Many companies do the mistake of going the opposite direction, telling the What first, which gives them a name in the market like “The phone sellers”, “The camera company”, etc, and if they try to launch a new product which is not the one they are associated with, most likely people are going to be skeptical.
  • I personally wont buy a TV from Whirlpool, whom I know for Washing Machines, or a mobile phone from Godrej, whom I know for wardrobes.
• What the most successful businesses do is they, sell and experience or sell a dream, ie Apple makes their user perceive they are using the Next Gen devices, and you are a part of the artificial ecosystem which they have created.
• “There are only two ways to influence human behaviour: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it”
  • Manipulation is a short term result, you need to do it again and again and it wont work everytime, and will result in mediocore outcomes.
  • While Inspiring is building a new sets of you in the company, who can work independently and take up new tasks to achieve. Its upto you whether you manipulate to reach your goals or inspire
• Believe in your gut decisions. They just feel right, and it is sometimes difficult to say your gut decisions aloud and you feel loss of words.
  • The part of brain responsible for the feelings is called limbic brain and it has no connection with language
  • While the part of brain responsible for analytical thoughts and language is neocortex .
  • Thus it feels disconnected to express our gut feelings as they are feeling and it is difficult for them to be expressed in words, since both are handled by different parts of the brain.
  • The limbic brain is much faster in decision making than neocortex (the analytical brain) which if given time can go into the state of overconfidence.

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I read it? Yes, I feel the book will be more clearer if i read it again.