I get invited to speak to a lot of
remarkable and fascinating audiences who
are doing remarkable things but they do
what they do and I do what I do
and so it’s particularly special for me
to talk to an audience where I’m one of
you and you’re one of me I feel at home
here and I can’t tell you how wonderful
everybody has been as I’ve been working
on so thank you
this one’s very special for me the
concept of entrepreneurship is also
interesting to me I think there’s a lot
of people who’d like to say I’m an
entrepreneur but most don’t really know
what it means an entrepreneur sees what
they want and they set out to get it an
entrepreneur sees the things that
prevent them from getting what they want
and that’s the difference that’s the
at the end of the day an entrepreneur is
a problem solver they are not turned off
by long lines they are not turned off by
things that will get in the way they are
not turned off by things that will make
things difficult they see what they want
and they find a way to get it they don’t
do it in a way that hurts anybody they
don’t do it in a way that denies anybody
else their desire to get what they want
they don’t judge others for doing it the
other way they might make them
uncomfortable but they don’t judge them
but they get what they want but first
they have to know what they want and the
question is what do you want you want to
build a business you need employees if
you have employees you have people gonna
help your business think about it at the
end of the day you’re asking them to
help build your dream you’re asking them
to come on board and help you get what
you want even if they’re not employees
they’re just friends support is why
should they help you this is what it
means to be a leader so let’s define a
leader what is a leader a leader is just
that it’s one who leads but a leader to
be a leader must have followers you’re
not a leader
unless there are those who volunteer to
follow you you cannot force someone to
follow you
they have to choose to follow you
whether they’re customers or employees
friends investors supporters they choose
they volunteer to help you get what you
want why should they why should they
bother what leaders do is they inspire
people to be a part of what they’re
doing they inspire people to follow in
the direction that they are going at the
end of the day there are only two ways
to influence human behavior
you can either manipulate it or you can
inspire it those are your options we all
know how manipulation works the
manipulation in business right you drop
your price low enough people will do
business with you this is the concept
behind a sale things a price to move it
works it’s manipulative promotions two
for one free toy inside or if you’re in
the b2b space we call it Value Added the
same idea it’s a promotion it’s giving
stuff away for free to reduce someone’s
risk so they’ll choose you over the
competition we see manipulation a lot in
marketing fear wonderful manipulator any
parents in the audience you know exactly
what I’m talking about
fear is a wonderful manipulator you get
people do all kinds of things we’re
often told you have to be aspirational
yes it’s good to be positive but it’s
still a manipulation I like to joke that
you can get people to join the gym with
an aspirational message but to get them
to go 3 days a week that requires a
little bit of inspiration or what a lot
of organizations like to call innovation
it’s really novelty right because real
innovation changes the course of
industries of not society the fax
machine the microwave the light bulb
iTunes that’s real innovation adding a
camera to your cell phone wonderful
feature not an innovation it is
stressful to be a consumer these days it
is stressful to try to decide what to
buy when you are bombarded day after day
with manipulation from all kinds of
organizations which TV should I buy
which cell phone company should I go
with with which IT solution should I get
from my office it’s called stress
stressful to be a seller as well however
in the face of bombardment of
manipulation and manipulation
manipulation is that that’s that’s the
market place how do you get your message
to stand out how do you get your message
heard why should anyone listen to you
this is the world we live in today it’s
called stress again I cannot dispute
that every one of those manipulations
work they do that’s why companies use
them the problem is none of them breed
there’s an alternative it’s called
inspiration and there are a few leaders
and a few organizations that rely vastly
more in inspiration the manipulation
I’ll talk about some of the big ones we
know who they are Apple computers
Southwest Airlines Harley Davidson
virgin every single one of these
organizations these leaders those with
the ability to inspire they have the
most loyal employees they have the most
loyal customers they can charge a
premium if they want to they’re more
profitable they’re more innovative my
definition and most importantly they can
sustain all these things for the long
term what I discovered is that
regardless of their size and regardless
of their industry every single one of
these organizations with the capacity to
inspire they all think act and
communicate the exact same way and it’s
the complete opposite to everyone else
all I did was write it down and it’s
probably the world’s simplest idea I
call it the Golden Circle imagine if you
will three concentric circles a bull’s
eye in the middle is the word Y the
center ring is the word how and the
outside ring is the word what it’s this
little idea that distinguishes those
with a capacity to inspire versus
everyone else let me define the terms
really quickly starting from the outside
in every single organization on the
planet knows what they do these are the
products you sell or the services you
offer some know how they do it whether
you call it your differentiating value
proposition or your USP or your
proprietary process it’s the things that
you think make you special or different
or better than your competition
but very very few people and very very
few organizations can clearly state why
they do what they do and by why I don’t
mean to make money that’s a result by
why I mean what’s your purpose what’s
your cause what’s your belief why does
your company exist why did you go out of
bed this morning
and why should anyone care as a result
the way we think the way we act the way
we communicate is from the outside and
it’s obvious we go from the clearest
thing to the fuzziest thing we tell
people what we do we tell them how we’re
different or how we’re better and we
expect some sort of behavior a purchase
a vote support but not the inspired
leaders not the inspired organizations
regardless of their size regardless of
their industry every single one of them
thinks acts and communicates from the
inside out they all start with why let
me give you an example I use Apple a lot
because they’re easy to understand and
we all get it if Apple were like
everyone else piece of marketing from
them for example would sound like this
they would say what they do we make
great computers how do they do it
they’re beautifully designed simple to
use and user friendly want to buy one
that’s normal yeah that’s how most
organizations talk to us here’s our new
car it’s got tinted windows get great
gas mileage leather seats choose us
here’s our law firm our lawyers went to
all the best schools we want all of our
cases choose us but not the inspired
leaders not Apple they start with why
here’s how they actually communicate
everything we do they say we believe in
challenging the status quo we believe in
thinking differently
the way we challenge the status quo is
by making our products beautifully
designed simple to use and user friendly
we just happen to make great computers
wanna buy one totally different totally
different no trickery no manipulations
no celebrity endorsements all I did was
reverse the order of the information
when it starts to show us is that it’s
not what you do that matters it’s why
you do it people don’t buy what you do
they buy why you do it and what you do
simply serves as the tangible proof of
what you believe this is the reason why
every single person in this room is
perfectly comfortable buying a computer
from Apple we’re perfectly comfortable
with the idea that Apple makes mp3
players and phones and DVRs news flash
Apple is just a company that’s all they
are it’s a corporate structure they have
some good products and some bad ones all
of their competitors have equal and open
access to the same resources the same
agencies the same consultants the same
media the same talent it is a zero-sum
game every single one of their
competitors is equally qualified to make
every product that Apple makes and yet
how is it that this one company has an
unbalanced amount of influence an
unbalanced ability to innovate an
unbalanced amount of profitability an
unbalanced amount of loyalty amongst
their customers and in their employees
the difference is they haven’t defined
themselves by what they do they’ve
defined themselves by why they do it and
what they do simply serves the tangible
proof of what they believe Dell is a
good company that makes good products
and as every little bit qualified to
make every product that Apple makes a
few years ago that came out with PDAs
and mp3 players and nobody bought one
why would we buy an mp3 player from a
computer company it doesn’t make sense
but we do it every day
the difference is Dell has defined
themselves by what they do and Apple has
define themselves by why they exist
for this little idea to work you have to
have three things one you have to know
why you do what you do if you don’t know
why you do what you do how will anyone
else – you have to have discipline of
how you have to hold yourself and your
people accountable to your values and
your guiding principles and thirdly you
have to have consistency of what
everything you say and everything you do
everything must prove what you believe
at the end of the day or why is just a
belief that’s all it is house are the
actions we take to realize that belief
and what’s are the results of those
actions the things we say the things we
do our products and services and
marketing etc and if what you say and
what you do doesn’t show what you
believe that no one will know what you
believe this is the concept behind
authenticity I’m tired and bored of
people standing on stages telling us all
we have to be authentic how do you
implement authenticity if you would when
you go back to your office a little more
than to see everything you do appreciate
it thanks no clue what authenticity
means is that the things you say and the
things you do you actually believe this
is caveman stuff the reason the human
race is so successful is not because
we’re the strongest it’s not even
because were the smartest it’s because
we’re social animals it’s because we
have the ability to form cultures and
communities
what’s a culture what’s a community it’s
a group of people with a common set of
values and beliefs
what’s a company it’s a group of people
with a common set of values and beliefs
our need to be amongst people who
believe what I believe what we believe
is essential our survival depends on it
we cannot survive on Arps by ourselves
out in the wilderness
it is our communities that protect us
and look after us and are the reason the
human race succeeds when you are
surrounded by people who believe what
you believe something remarkable happens
Trust emerges
make no mistake of it trust is a feeling
it is a human experience simply doing
everything you promised your going to do
does not mean people will trust you just
means you’re responsible we all have
friends were total screw-ups and yet we
still trust them
Trust is a feeling and it comes from
that common set of values and beliefs
and when you are surrounded by people
who trust you and you trust them more
likely to take a risk you’re more likely
to explore you’re more likely to
innovate you’re more likely to leave the
cave to go hunting saber-toothed Tigers
with the confidence that those in your
community will look after your stuff and
protect your children while you’re gone
your survival depends on your ability to
form trust and trust can only be formed
when you’re surrounded by people who
believe what you believe and you can
only be surrounded by people who believe
what you believe if you know why you do
what you do how many of you either love
your macintosh computer or know somebody
who loves their macintosh computer ok
good bunch of you
you can always tell people who love
their max because when you try and
convince them that they actually bought
substandard computers they start foaming
at the mouth rationally speaking apples
are substandard they are there at least
25% more expensive sometimes double the
price of their PC counterparts there’s
less software there’s fewer peripherals
and I know because I switched to a Mac
they are absolutely slower than PCs
substandard and yet people who buy them
don’t even compare to the competition
they don’t do market research and try
and figure out which is the best
computer they’ve decided they’re only
gonna get a Mac and they buy them over
and over and over again and there are
young kids living on cup of noodles
because they can’t afford anything more
and yet it’s totally ok to spend $2,000
on a laptop this doesn’t make sense
there’s something deeper there’s
something deeper happening here Apple
stands for something the people who are
drawn to Apple the people who believe in
the same things that Apple believes do
so not because the computers rationally
better it’s because it becomes a symbol
one of the things that they do that
reflects their own beliefs every
decision we make in our lives as
individuals or organizations is a piece
of communication it tells the outside
world something about who we are it’s
the way we get the word out there are
people who walk around with
harley-davidson logos on their bodies
it’s a corporate logo some of them don’t
but it’s no longer a logo because Harley
is so clear and why they do what they do
and what they believe and they’re so
disciplined and how they do it and
they’re so consistent in what they do
what ends up happening is everything
they say and everything they do their
products their logos become symbols
symbols of a set of values and beliefs
and the person who puts that Harley logo
there it’s nothing to do with the
motorcycle they’re telling you something
about who they are this is the reason
why people with Apple laptops love
opening their laptops on airports they
want everybody to see and you’ll never
see somebody with an Apple laptop put a
big tiger print sticker over the top of
their computer it’ll never happen
take a PC we don’t care what computer
you’re using and you put stickers all
over it make it pretty never it’s a
piece of communication the clearer you
are about what you believe the more
disciplined you are about how you do
things and the more consistent you are
and what you do everything you say and
everything you do then becomes a symbol
for that set of values and beliefs it’s
biology
it’s biology
if you look at a cross-section of the
human brain looking from the top down
the human brain evolved into three major
areas that corresponds with this little
idea the outside area the what level is
our newest brain our Homo Sapien brain
called our neocortex the neocortex is
responsible for all of our rational and
analytical thought and language the
middle two sections wine how make up our
limbic brains our limbic brains are
responsible for all of our feelings like
trusts and loyalty it’s also responsible
for all human behavior all
decision-making and it has no capacity
for language in other words you can’t
ask your customers why do you do
business with us they can’t tell you the
part of the brain that controls behavior
does not control language so we
rationalize price service quality
features right but if you invest all
your money in price service quality and
features how come you don’t win all the
customers and how come sometimes when
you’re not the best price service
quality features you still have loyal
customers there’s something deeper going
on this is the reason when you ask those
people who love their max why do you
love your Mac they can’t tell you what
you see I’m the kind of person who likes
to challenge the status quo so it’s very
important for me to surround myself with
the people and the products the brands
that proved
world who I believe I am
and biologically that’s what happened
but have happened on the part of the
brain that controls feelings but not
language the part of the brain that
controls decision-making
so they rationalize it’s the user
interface it’s a simplicity it’s the
design I’m a creative person whatever
it’s the same for us it’s the same for
other circumstances why do you love your
husband why do you love your wife that’s
a difficult question why do you love
your wife I don’t know that’s usually
where most people start right and then
they start rationalizing she’s fun she’s
always been there for me I can count on
her it sounds like a golden retriever
and those aren’t necessarily the
conditions for marriage my sister says
of my brother-in-law I love this it’s
supposed to be a compliment this is my
brother-in-law I never imagined I’d
marry a guy like him what she’s saying
is when I was younger and I made a
checklist of all the things that I
wanted my future husband what what he
has none of them but I love him and I
want to have children with him
and I want to spend the rest of my life
with him it’s not rational we just think
it’s rational and again the part of the
brain that controls behavior and
decision-making and feelings doesn’t
control language this is where gut
decisions come from this is why we say I
don’t know just felt right why do we use
the verb to feel to describe a decision
it’s because the part of the brain that
controls feelings controls
decision-making that’s why there is no
part of your stomach that controls
decision-making and it didn’t happen in
your blood and it’s not in your bones
and you’re not following your heart we
ascribe it to all different parts of the
body because we can’t find the words it
just feels right and we all know that
those are higher quality decisions
anyway when all you can give her the
facts and figures as to why you should
or shouldn’t do in some do something the
highest level of confidence you can give
is I think this is the right decision
that would be biologically accurate but
we all know
they were cut there were decisions we
make in our lives that I know the facts
and figures say that we should do that
just doesn’t feel right though and you
ask the most successful entrepreneurs in
the world what’s your secret they all
say the same thing
trusted my gut trusted my gut and when
things didn’t go well I knew I should
have trusted my gut problem is it’s not
scalable not scalable we all have the
innate ability to find people who
believe what we believe our survival
depends on it we are human animals we
know how to do this
if I ask you to go out in the street and
find all the people who believe what you
believe you know exactly what to do
you’re gonna go up to somebody and
you’re gonna strike up a conversation
maybe have good chemistry right maybe
you have to talk them a little longer
you’ll get a feeling for them and it’ll
either be right or wrong right it’s
called dating it’s called making friends
it’s called interviewing we know how to
do this we know how to do this
it’s not skill
but if I asked you to go out on the
street and find all the people wearing
red hats easy there’s one there’s one
there’s one there’s one there’s one
instantaneously you can find the people
who believe what you believe because
they’re putting out symbols of their own
beliefs you people who love your Apple
computers don’t lie to me I know when
you’re walking through the airport you
see some sixteen year old sitting on the
floor you know on her Mac laptop you
walk past you go okay why’d you do that
leave her alone some stranger just said
hi to me tweet it’s because when you see
that symbol that Apple that glowing
Apple you’re like oh how many of you are
from the Las Vegas area anybody a couple
of you okay are you friends with
everybody from Las Vegas why not but
when you go to Texas and somebody says
I’m from Las Vegas you’re like hey hey
I’m from Las Vegas and you’re best
friends and when you were in France and
you’re in vacation and you happen to
hear an American accent and you go hey
away from we’re from Texas we’re from
Las Vegas and you’re best friends and
the reason is is because the most basic
human desire on the planet is to feel
like we belong our survival depends on
it and when we are in an environment
where we know we don’t belong we seek
out anyone who may have some of the same
values and beliefs that we have so we
can form trust
and rely on each other watch each
other’s backs simply because we share
the same values and beliefs and as you
get closer and closer and closer you
want to find those people who believe
what you believe
knowing what you believe means that you
can look for the symbols that Apple logo
says something that harley-davidson logo
says something and you’re either drawn
leadership is when you have the ability
to stand on the street corner and put on
your own red hat and simply stand there
and go I got a red hat
I got a red hat I got a red hat
and all the other people walking past
even though they can’t see their own red
hats even though they don’t know their
why they’re eerily drawn to you you’re
really drawn to you there’s an
inextricable link between leadership and
communication those who lead are the
ones who can clearly communicate what
they believe and those who can clearly
communicate what they believe are the
ones who lead the reason is simple
because when you talk about what you
believe and you put your beliefs and
your values and clear words or symbols
consistent enough authentic enough that
I know that everything you say and do
represents what you believe I will be
drawn to you for myself for my own
survival doing business with you working
for you being your friend says something
about Who I am the goal is not to do
business with everybody who needs what
you have the goal is to do business with
people who believe what you believe
people who believe what you believe will
work for you with blood and sweat and
tears people who don’t believe what you
believe work for your money the same is
true for customers those who believe
what you believe will go out of their
way to do business with you those who
don’t believe what you believe just
wanted cheaper there’s a huge difference
between repeat business and loyalty
repeat business means I’m willing to do
business with you over and over and over
again
loyalty means I’m willing to turn down a
better product at a better price maybe
even suffer inconvenience
to continue to do business with you the
ones who you just happen to meet some
price standard you happen to meet some
of rational objectives that they’re
looking for
they’ll do business with you anyway if
you happen to meet them why would you
ever focus on trying to appease them
they come and go it’s the loyal ones the
people who believe what you believe that
ones who stick would use the thick and
thin because doing business with you
says more about them than it does about
you those are the ones that matter most
and the reason is simple it’s because of
something called a law of diffusion of
innovations the bell curve if you don’t
know the law of diffusion you definitely
know the terminology if you look at the
Bell it says the first two-and-a-half
percent of our population are our
innovators the next 13 and a half
percent of our population are our early
adopters the next thirty four percent
are our early majority the next thirty
four percent are a late majority and the
last 16 percent at the end of the bell
are our laggards the only reason the
laggards by touch-tone phones because
you can’t buy rotary phones anymore we
all fit at various times or various
reasons across the scale the law of
diffusion tells us is that early adopter
an innovator population the left side of
the bell right the early adopter an
innovator side of the population they’re
very comfortable trusting their guts
they’re very comfortable making
intuitive decisions and they’re willing
to pay premiums and suffer inconvenience
to be a part of something that reflects
their beliefs these the people that
bought that stood in line for six hours
to buy iPhones when they first came out
even though you could just walk into the
store the following week and just buy
one off the shelf these the people who
spent 40 or 50 thousand dollars on
flat-screen TVs when they first came out
even though the technology was
substandard and had nothing to do with
the technology it had to do with them
they wanted to be first people who
bought iPhone fours why couldn’t they
just keep their phone in their pocket
when the phone rings onto the phone when
they’re off the phone and put it away No
I got one did you get one you didn’t get
one I got one they have to show you the
reason they have to show you is because
they’re telling you something about who
they are and other people who got one
first and they’re like oh you got one –
me – look isn’t it cool look you both
have one why’d you have to compare it’s
because that come instead of values and
beliefs you found somebody like you this
is good this is good right that’s that
early adopter an innovator population
they’re willing to pay a premium or
suffering convenience to be a part of
something that reflects their beliefs
now the rest of the world the majority
is absolutely more cynical and more
practical absolutely they absolutely
care more about things like price and
quality and service and features
absolutely the problem is according to
the law of diffusion you cannot have
mass market success or mass market
acceptance for an idea until you’ve
achieved 15 to 18 percent market
penetration that is the tipping point
and the reason is is because the early
majority that first 34 percent will not
try something until someone else has
tried at first this is the reason we
have to drop our price and offer
promotions and offer value added because
we have to reduce their risk to do
business with us
the innovator and the early adopters
happily pay premiums and suffering
convenience to do business with you the
goal is to get to that tipping point
it’s easy law of averages so you says
you can get 10% I promise you right now
you have 10% who are loyal how do we
describe them they just get it
don’t know what that means get what
what’s it oh you know there’s other guys
that guy he doesn’t get it that’s how we
describe him it’s like gut feelings get
what how do you find the people who get
it before you do business with them how
do you identify the it’s how do you find
the people wearing the red hats before
you waste all your time and energy you
talk about what you believe
I’ll give you two examples of famous
failure and a famous success first the
famous failure TiVo if you ask most
companies
why did your product fail or why did
your company fail they usually give you
some combination of the same few reasons
right undercapitalized didn’t have
enough money that’s a big one
bad market conditions we have the wrong
people poorly executed that pretty much
explains every failure there is some
combination of those those factors which
means if you have all of those that
means you should be successful right
okay so TiVo TiVo was introduced into
marketplace about nine or ten years ago
from the date was introduced to this
current day it is the single best
quality product on the market hands down
undisputed is technologies way beyond
any other DVR system the best execution
flawless venture capital up the wazoo
money no problem brilliant engineers on
board had good people market conditions
remarkable the unaided awareness of
t-bo’s through the roof we have TiVo as
a verb my Tivo stuff on my piece of junk
cable DVR right and if you want to throw
in first mover’s advantage throw that
into because they had that as well TiVo
is a commercial and financial failure
they’ve never made money and when their
stock went public it launched about 40
or 50 dollars very quickly plummeted and
except for a couple little blips has
never traded above $10 T throws a
commercial and financial they
and the reason is because when they
launched this brilliant product they
attempted to tell the mass the but the
majority what their product does they
said to the majority we have a product
that pauses live TV skips commercials
memorizes your viewing habits and
records on your behalf without you even
asking and the cynical practical which
already said I don’t need it I don’t
like it I don’t believe you you’re
scaring me by one a few did few early
adopters did 10% you know to this day
they love their t-bo’s but it was enough
to make the system tip you see now
imagine if TiVo had told that left side
as early adopters as innovators they had
just talked about why the product even
exists imagining who they have said if
you’re the kind of person who likes to
have total control over every aspect of
your life
boy do we have a product for you
it pauses live TV it skips commercials
it memorizes your viewing habits of a
course on your behalf of that
in this instance what the product does
serves as the tangible proof of why it
exists is not the reason you use to
convince people to do business with you
in the first place people don’t buy what
you do they buy why you do it and what
you do serves as a tangible proof your
company is one of the things that you’re
doing in your life that proves who you
are the more you talk about what you
believe the more you talk about what you
actually believe the more likely you are
to attract people who believe what you
believe and they will help you because
in the summer of 1963 250,000 people
showed up on the mall in Washington to
hear dr. King give his famous I have a
dream speech there were no invitations
sent out there’s no website to check the
date how do you do that how many emails
did you get just a show up here today I
[Music]
dr. King was not the only man in America
who knew what had to change to bring
about civil rights in this country dr.
King didn’t have all great ideas some of
his ideas were bad he was not the only
man who suffered in a pre-civil Rights
America in fact he suffered a little
less than some because he was off at
university and he wasn’t the perfect man
he had his complexities but we just
don’t talk about those things
the difference is dr. King didn’t go
around telling people what we need to do
what we need to do what we need to do he
went around and told people I believe I
believe I believe and people who
believed what he believed took his cause
and they made it their own and they told
people what they believed and those
people who believe what they believe
they took that same cause and they made
it their own
and they told people what they believed
and some built structures to get the
word out more efficiently and lo and
behold on the right day on the right
time a quarter of a million people
showed up to hear him speak how many of
them showed up for him
zero they showed up for themselves it’s
what they believed about this country
it’s the country that they wanted to
live in it’s the country that they
wanted to raise their children and that
inspired them to get on a bus travel to
a towers and stand in the Sun in the
middle of Washington simply to hear dr.
King speak simply coming to the rally
was one of the things they did in their
lives to prove what they believed by the
way he gave the I have a dream speech
not the I have a plan speech it’s not
business by yourself unscalable remember
you and your gut you can do very well
not scalable the only way to really grow
is to find those who believe what you
believe in are willing to work with you
with blood and sweat and tears to help
you get there do you know the story of
the two Stone layers these two stone
layers right you go to the first one and
say how do you like your job this is I
mean I like my job I’ve been working on
this wall for as long as I can remember
the stones are heavy work is
back-breaking it’s monotonous I stand in
the scorching hot Sun all day and I
don’t even know if I’m going to finish
this wall in my lifetime
it’s a job that pays the bills you grew
up to second guy and say how do you like
your job he says I love my job I’m
building a cathedral
sure I’ve been building this wall for as
long as I can remember sure the stones
are heavy and the work is back-breaking
and I stand on the scorching on Sun all
day that’s monotonous and I don’t even
know if I’m gonna finish this wall in my
lifetime but I’m building a cathedral
what they do is exactly the same this
guy might even be a champion stone layer
the only difference is that only one of
them knows why he shows up to work every
day and the guy who knows why does not
see himself as any more or less
important than the architect or the guy
doing the stained-glass windows a
landscaper they are all contributing to
building something that they believe in
that’s bigger than themselves a leader
is somebody who can put into words that
which does not exist yet the leader is
the one who stands there and says in
beautiful crystal clear words and he
describes that Cathedral that hasn’t
been built in word so clear that others
can take that image and they can pass it
on to others why are you working so hard
because I believe in that we’re building
a cathedral what Cathedral let me tell
are you describing your Cathedral you’re
just telling people the wall that you’re
building the reason everybody showed up
here is because together we’re gonna
build a cathedral we are all
contributing to a world that we would
rather live in it’s the leaders of this
organization that are describing that
world a world in which we are in control
of our own lives a world in which we
live the life that we believe we deserve
shouldn’t we all get that it’s the
reason I showed up here here’s a
statistic for you over 90 percent of
people go home feeling unfulfilled by
their work that’s a real statistic 90%
don’t feel fulfilled when they go home
at the end of the day I want to live in
a world in which the vast majority of
people love what they do I want to live
in a world in which the vast majority of
people do business with companies that
they trust and love they work with
people that they trust and love and they
go home happier because of it people who
go to work and love what they do
come home happier people and happier
people treat their spouses better and
they treat their kids better and they go
back to work happy the next day and they
treat their colleagues better and they
treat their customers better and those
people go home happier and they treat
their kids better and their spouses
better it’s called world peace and it
happens because of the likes of all of
there are leaders and there are those
who lead leaders hold a position of
power or influence but those who lead
inspire us and whether they’re
individuals or organizations we follow
those who lead not because we have to
but because we want to we follow those
this is for people who want to inspire
those around them or who want to find
somebody to inspire them I can say
without a doubt you inspire me thank you very much
remarkable and fascinating audiences who
are doing remarkable things but they do
what they do and I do what I do
and so it’s particularly special for me
to talk to an audience where I’m one of
you and you’re one of me I feel at home
here and I can’t tell you how wonderful
everybody has been as I’ve been working
on so thank you
this one’s very special for me the
concept of entrepreneurship is also
interesting to me I think there’s a lot
of people who’d like to say I’m an
entrepreneur but most don’t really know
what it means an entrepreneur sees what
they want and they set out to get it an
entrepreneur sees the things that
prevent them from getting what they want
and that’s the difference that’s the
at the end of the day an entrepreneur is
a problem solver they are not turned off
by long lines they are not turned off by
things that will get in the way they are
not turned off by things that will make
things difficult they see what they want
and they find a way to get it they don’t
do it in a way that hurts anybody they
don’t do it in a way that denies anybody
else their desire to get what they want
they don’t judge others for doing it the
other way they might make them
uncomfortable but they don’t judge them
but they get what they want but first
they have to know what they want and the
question is what do you want you want to
build a business you need employees if
you have employees you have people gonna
help your business think about it at the
end of the day you’re asking them to
help build your dream you’re asking them
to come on board and help you get what
you want even if they’re not employees
they’re just friends support is why
should they help you this is what it
means to be a leader so let’s define a
leader what is a leader a leader is just
that it’s one who leads but a leader to
be a leader must have followers you’re
not a leader
unless there are those who volunteer to
follow you you cannot force someone to
follow you
they have to choose to follow you
whether they’re customers or employees
friends investors supporters they choose
they volunteer to help you get what you
want why should they why should they
bother what leaders do is they inspire
people to be a part of what they’re
doing they inspire people to follow in
the direction that they are going at the
end of the day there are only two ways
to influence human behavior
you can either manipulate it or you can
inspire it those are your options we all
know how manipulation works the
manipulation in business right you drop
your price low enough people will do
business with you this is the concept
behind a sale things a price to move it
works it’s manipulative promotions two
for one free toy inside or if you’re in
the b2b space we call it Value Added the
same idea it’s a promotion it’s giving
stuff away for free to reduce someone’s
risk so they’ll choose you over the
competition we see manipulation a lot in
marketing fear wonderful manipulator any
parents in the audience you know exactly
what I’m talking about
fear is a wonderful manipulator you get
people do all kinds of things we’re
often told you have to be aspirational
yes it’s good to be positive but it’s
still a manipulation I like to joke that
you can get people to join the gym with
an aspirational message but to get them
to go 3 days a week that requires a
little bit of inspiration or what a lot
of organizations like to call innovation
it’s really novelty right because real
innovation changes the course of
industries of not society the fax
machine the microwave the light bulb
iTunes that’s real innovation adding a
camera to your cell phone wonderful
feature not an innovation it is
stressful to be a consumer these days it
is stressful to try to decide what to
buy when you are bombarded day after day
with manipulation from all kinds of
organizations which TV should I buy
which cell phone company should I go
with with which IT solution should I get
from my office it’s called stress
stressful to be a seller as well however
in the face of bombardment of
manipulation and manipulation
manipulation is that that’s that’s the
market place how do you get your message
to stand out how do you get your message
heard why should anyone listen to you
this is the world we live in today it’s
called stress again I cannot dispute
that every one of those manipulations
work they do that’s why companies use
them the problem is none of them breed
there’s an alternative it’s called
inspiration and there are a few leaders
and a few organizations that rely vastly
more in inspiration the manipulation
I’ll talk about some of the big ones we
know who they are Apple computers
Southwest Airlines Harley Davidson
virgin every single one of these
organizations these leaders those with
the ability to inspire they have the
most loyal employees they have the most
loyal customers they can charge a
premium if they want to they’re more
profitable they’re more innovative my
definition and most importantly they can
sustain all these things for the long
term what I discovered is that
regardless of their size and regardless
of their industry every single one of
these organizations with the capacity to
inspire they all think act and
communicate the exact same way and it’s
the complete opposite to everyone else
all I did was write it down and it’s
probably the world’s simplest idea I
call it the Golden Circle imagine if you
will three concentric circles a bull’s
eye in the middle is the word Y the
center ring is the word how and the
outside ring is the word what it’s this
little idea that distinguishes those
with a capacity to inspire versus
everyone else let me define the terms
really quickly starting from the outside
in every single organization on the
planet knows what they do these are the
products you sell or the services you
offer some know how they do it whether
you call it your differentiating value
proposition or your USP or your
proprietary process it’s the things that
you think make you special or different
or better than your competition
but very very few people and very very
few organizations can clearly state why
they do what they do and by why I don’t
mean to make money that’s a result by
why I mean what’s your purpose what’s
your cause what’s your belief why does
your company exist why did you go out of
bed this morning
and why should anyone care as a result
the way we think the way we act the way
we communicate is from the outside and
it’s obvious we go from the clearest
thing to the fuzziest thing we tell
people what we do we tell them how we’re
different or how we’re better and we
expect some sort of behavior a purchase
a vote support but not the inspired
leaders not the inspired organizations
regardless of their size regardless of
their industry every single one of them
thinks acts and communicates from the
inside out they all start with why let
me give you an example I use Apple a lot
because they’re easy to understand and
we all get it if Apple were like
everyone else piece of marketing from
them for example would sound like this
they would say what they do we make
great computers how do they do it
they’re beautifully designed simple to
use and user friendly want to buy one
that’s normal yeah that’s how most
organizations talk to us here’s our new
car it’s got tinted windows get great
gas mileage leather seats choose us
here’s our law firm our lawyers went to
all the best schools we want all of our
cases choose us but not the inspired
leaders not Apple they start with why
here’s how they actually communicate
everything we do they say we believe in
challenging the status quo we believe in
thinking differently
the way we challenge the status quo is
by making our products beautifully
designed simple to use and user friendly
we just happen to make great computers
wanna buy one totally different totally
different no trickery no manipulations
no celebrity endorsements all I did was
reverse the order of the information
when it starts to show us is that it’s
not what you do that matters it’s why
you do it people don’t buy what you do
they buy why you do it and what you do
simply serves as the tangible proof of
what you believe this is the reason why
every single person in this room is
perfectly comfortable buying a computer
from Apple we’re perfectly comfortable
with the idea that Apple makes mp3
players and phones and DVRs news flash
Apple is just a company that’s all they
are it’s a corporate structure they have
some good products and some bad ones all
of their competitors have equal and open
access to the same resources the same
agencies the same consultants the same
media the same talent it is a zero-sum
game every single one of their
competitors is equally qualified to make
every product that Apple makes and yet
how is it that this one company has an
unbalanced amount of influence an
unbalanced ability to innovate an
unbalanced amount of profitability an
unbalanced amount of loyalty amongst
their customers and in their employees
the difference is they haven’t defined
themselves by what they do they’ve
defined themselves by why they do it and
what they do simply serves the tangible
proof of what they believe Dell is a
good company that makes good products
and as every little bit qualified to
make every product that Apple makes a
few years ago that came out with PDAs
and mp3 players and nobody bought one
why would we buy an mp3 player from a
computer company it doesn’t make sense
but we do it every day
the difference is Dell has defined
themselves by what they do and Apple has
define themselves by why they exist
for this little idea to work you have to
have three things one you have to know
why you do what you do if you don’t know
why you do what you do how will anyone
else – you have to have discipline of
how you have to hold yourself and your
people accountable to your values and
your guiding principles and thirdly you
have to have consistency of what
everything you say and everything you do
everything must prove what you believe
at the end of the day or why is just a
belief that’s all it is house are the
actions we take to realize that belief
and what’s are the results of those
actions the things we say the things we
do our products and services and
marketing etc and if what you say and
what you do doesn’t show what you
believe that no one will know what you
believe this is the concept behind
authenticity I’m tired and bored of
people standing on stages telling us all
we have to be authentic how do you
implement authenticity if you would when
you go back to your office a little more
than to see everything you do appreciate
it thanks no clue what authenticity
means is that the things you say and the
things you do you actually believe this
is caveman stuff the reason the human
race is so successful is not because
we’re the strongest it’s not even
because were the smartest it’s because
we’re social animals it’s because we
have the ability to form cultures and
communities
what’s a culture what’s a community it’s
a group of people with a common set of
values and beliefs
what’s a company it’s a group of people
with a common set of values and beliefs
our need to be amongst people who
believe what I believe what we believe
is essential our survival depends on it
we cannot survive on Arps by ourselves
out in the wilderness
it is our communities that protect us
and look after us and are the reason the
human race succeeds when you are
surrounded by people who believe what
you believe something remarkable happens
Trust emerges
make no mistake of it trust is a feeling
it is a human experience simply doing
everything you promised your going to do
does not mean people will trust you just
means you’re responsible we all have
friends were total screw-ups and yet we
still trust them
Trust is a feeling and it comes from
that common set of values and beliefs
and when you are surrounded by people
who trust you and you trust them more
likely to take a risk you’re more likely
to explore you’re more likely to
innovate you’re more likely to leave the
cave to go hunting saber-toothed Tigers
with the confidence that those in your
community will look after your stuff and
protect your children while you’re gone
your survival depends on your ability to
form trust and trust can only be formed
when you’re surrounded by people who
believe what you believe and you can
only be surrounded by people who believe
what you believe if you know why you do
what you do how many of you either love
your macintosh computer or know somebody
who loves their macintosh computer ok
good bunch of you
you can always tell people who love
their max because when you try and
convince them that they actually bought
substandard computers they start foaming
at the mouth rationally speaking apples
are substandard they are there at least
25% more expensive sometimes double the
price of their PC counterparts there’s
less software there’s fewer peripherals
and I know because I switched to a Mac
they are absolutely slower than PCs
substandard and yet people who buy them
don’t even compare to the competition
they don’t do market research and try
and figure out which is the best
computer they’ve decided they’re only
gonna get a Mac and they buy them over
and over and over again and there are
young kids living on cup of noodles
because they can’t afford anything more
and yet it’s totally ok to spend $2,000
on a laptop this doesn’t make sense
there’s something deeper there’s
something deeper happening here Apple
stands for something the people who are
drawn to Apple the people who believe in
the same things that Apple believes do
so not because the computers rationally
better it’s because it becomes a symbol
one of the things that they do that
reflects their own beliefs every
decision we make in our lives as
individuals or organizations is a piece
of communication it tells the outside
world something about who we are it’s
the way we get the word out there are
people who walk around with
harley-davidson logos on their bodies
it’s a corporate logo some of them don’t
but it’s no longer a logo because Harley
is so clear and why they do what they do
and what they believe and they’re so
disciplined and how they do it and
they’re so consistent in what they do
what ends up happening is everything
they say and everything they do their
products their logos become symbols
symbols of a set of values and beliefs
and the person who puts that Harley logo
there it’s nothing to do with the
motorcycle they’re telling you something
about who they are this is the reason
why people with Apple laptops love
opening their laptops on airports they
want everybody to see and you’ll never
see somebody with an Apple laptop put a
big tiger print sticker over the top of
their computer it’ll never happen
take a PC we don’t care what computer
you’re using and you put stickers all
over it make it pretty never it’s a
piece of communication the clearer you
are about what you believe the more
disciplined you are about how you do
things and the more consistent you are
and what you do everything you say and
everything you do then becomes a symbol
for that set of values and beliefs it’s
biology
it’s biology
if you look at a cross-section of the
human brain looking from the top down
the human brain evolved into three major
areas that corresponds with this little
idea the outside area the what level is
our newest brain our Homo Sapien brain
called our neocortex the neocortex is
responsible for all of our rational and
analytical thought and language the
middle two sections wine how make up our
limbic brains our limbic brains are
responsible for all of our feelings like
trusts and loyalty it’s also responsible
for all human behavior all
decision-making and it has no capacity
for language in other words you can’t
ask your customers why do you do
business with us they can’t tell you the
part of the brain that controls behavior
does not control language so we
rationalize price service quality
features right but if you invest all
your money in price service quality and
features how come you don’t win all the
customers and how come sometimes when
you’re not the best price service
quality features you still have loyal
customers there’s something deeper going
on this is the reason when you ask those
people who love their max why do you
love your Mac they can’t tell you what
you see I’m the kind of person who likes
to challenge the status quo so it’s very
important for me to surround myself with
the people and the products the brands
that proved
world who I believe I am
and biologically that’s what happened
but have happened on the part of the
brain that controls feelings but not
language the part of the brain that
controls decision-making
so they rationalize it’s the user
interface it’s a simplicity it’s the
design I’m a creative person whatever
it’s the same for us it’s the same for
other circumstances why do you love your
husband why do you love your wife that’s
a difficult question why do you love
your wife I don’t know that’s usually
where most people start right and then
they start rationalizing she’s fun she’s
always been there for me I can count on
her it sounds like a golden retriever
and those aren’t necessarily the
conditions for marriage my sister says
of my brother-in-law I love this it’s
supposed to be a compliment this is my
brother-in-law I never imagined I’d
marry a guy like him what she’s saying
is when I was younger and I made a
checklist of all the things that I
wanted my future husband what what he
has none of them but I love him and I
want to have children with him
and I want to spend the rest of my life
with him it’s not rational we just think
it’s rational and again the part of the
brain that controls behavior and
decision-making and feelings doesn’t
control language this is where gut
decisions come from this is why we say I
don’t know just felt right why do we use
the verb to feel to describe a decision
it’s because the part of the brain that
controls feelings controls
decision-making that’s why there is no
part of your stomach that controls
decision-making and it didn’t happen in
your blood and it’s not in your bones
and you’re not following your heart we
ascribe it to all different parts of the
body because we can’t find the words it
just feels right and we all know that
those are higher quality decisions
anyway when all you can give her the
facts and figures as to why you should
or shouldn’t do in some do something the
highest level of confidence you can give
is I think this is the right decision
that would be biologically accurate but
we all know
they were cut there were decisions we
make in our lives that I know the facts
and figures say that we should do that
just doesn’t feel right though and you
ask the most successful entrepreneurs in
the world what’s your secret they all
say the same thing
trusted my gut trusted my gut and when
things didn’t go well I knew I should
have trusted my gut problem is it’s not
scalable not scalable we all have the
innate ability to find people who
believe what we believe our survival
depends on it we are human animals we
know how to do this
if I ask you to go out in the street and
find all the people who believe what you
believe you know exactly what to do
you’re gonna go up to somebody and
you’re gonna strike up a conversation
maybe have good chemistry right maybe
you have to talk them a little longer
you’ll get a feeling for them and it’ll
either be right or wrong right it’s
called dating it’s called making friends
it’s called interviewing we know how to
do this we know how to do this
it’s not skill
but if I asked you to go out on the
street and find all the people wearing
red hats easy there’s one there’s one
there’s one there’s one there’s one
instantaneously you can find the people
who believe what you believe because
they’re putting out symbols of their own
beliefs you people who love your Apple
computers don’t lie to me I know when
you’re walking through the airport you
see some sixteen year old sitting on the
floor you know on her Mac laptop you
walk past you go okay why’d you do that
leave her alone some stranger just said
hi to me tweet it’s because when you see
that symbol that Apple that glowing
Apple you’re like oh how many of you are
from the Las Vegas area anybody a couple
of you okay are you friends with
everybody from Las Vegas why not but
when you go to Texas and somebody says
I’m from Las Vegas you’re like hey hey
I’m from Las Vegas and you’re best
friends and when you were in France and
you’re in vacation and you happen to
hear an American accent and you go hey
away from we’re from Texas we’re from
Las Vegas and you’re best friends and
the reason is is because the most basic
human desire on the planet is to feel
like we belong our survival depends on
it and when we are in an environment
where we know we don’t belong we seek
out anyone who may have some of the same
values and beliefs that we have so we
can form trust
and rely on each other watch each
other’s backs simply because we share
the same values and beliefs and as you
get closer and closer and closer you
want to find those people who believe
what you believe
knowing what you believe means that you
can look for the symbols that Apple logo
says something that harley-davidson logo
says something and you’re either drawn
leadership is when you have the ability
to stand on the street corner and put on
your own red hat and simply stand there
and go I got a red hat
I got a red hat I got a red hat
and all the other people walking past
even though they can’t see their own red
hats even though they don’t know their
why they’re eerily drawn to you you’re
really drawn to you there’s an
inextricable link between leadership and
communication those who lead are the
ones who can clearly communicate what
they believe and those who can clearly
communicate what they believe are the
ones who lead the reason is simple
because when you talk about what you
believe and you put your beliefs and
your values and clear words or symbols
consistent enough authentic enough that
I know that everything you say and do
represents what you believe I will be
drawn to you for myself for my own
survival doing business with you working
for you being your friend says something
about Who I am the goal is not to do
business with everybody who needs what
you have the goal is to do business with
people who believe what you believe
people who believe what you believe will
work for you with blood and sweat and
tears people who don’t believe what you
believe work for your money the same is
true for customers those who believe
what you believe will go out of their
way to do business with you those who
don’t believe what you believe just
wanted cheaper there’s a huge difference
between repeat business and loyalty
repeat business means I’m willing to do
business with you over and over and over
again
loyalty means I’m willing to turn down a
better product at a better price maybe
even suffer inconvenience
to continue to do business with you the
ones who you just happen to meet some
price standard you happen to meet some
of rational objectives that they’re
looking for
they’ll do business with you anyway if
you happen to meet them why would you
ever focus on trying to appease them
they come and go it’s the loyal ones the
people who believe what you believe that
ones who stick would use the thick and
thin because doing business with you
says more about them than it does about
you those are the ones that matter most
and the reason is simple it’s because of
something called a law of diffusion of
innovations the bell curve if you don’t
know the law of diffusion you definitely
know the terminology if you look at the
Bell it says the first two-and-a-half
percent of our population are our
innovators the next 13 and a half
percent of our population are our early
adopters the next thirty four percent
are our early majority the next thirty
four percent are a late majority and the
last 16 percent at the end of the bell
are our laggards the only reason the
laggards by touch-tone phones because
you can’t buy rotary phones anymore we
all fit at various times or various
reasons across the scale the law of
diffusion tells us is that early adopter
an innovator population the left side of
the bell right the early adopter an
innovator side of the population they’re
very comfortable trusting their guts
they’re very comfortable making
intuitive decisions and they’re willing
to pay premiums and suffer inconvenience
to be a part of something that reflects
their beliefs these the people that
bought that stood in line for six hours
to buy iPhones when they first came out
even though you could just walk into the
store the following week and just buy
one off the shelf these the people who
spent 40 or 50 thousand dollars on
flat-screen TVs when they first came out
even though the technology was
substandard and had nothing to do with
the technology it had to do with them
they wanted to be first people who
bought iPhone fours why couldn’t they
just keep their phone in their pocket
when the phone rings onto the phone when
they’re off the phone and put it away No
I got one did you get one you didn’t get
one I got one they have to show you the
reason they have to show you is because
they’re telling you something about who
they are and other people who got one
first and they’re like oh you got one –
me – look isn’t it cool look you both
have one why’d you have to compare it’s
because that come instead of values and
beliefs you found somebody like you this
is good this is good right that’s that
early adopter an innovator population
they’re willing to pay a premium or
suffering convenience to be a part of
something that reflects their beliefs
now the rest of the world the majority
is absolutely more cynical and more
practical absolutely they absolutely
care more about things like price and
quality and service and features
absolutely the problem is according to
the law of diffusion you cannot have
mass market success or mass market
acceptance for an idea until you’ve
achieved 15 to 18 percent market
penetration that is the tipping point
and the reason is is because the early
majority that first 34 percent will not
try something until someone else has
tried at first this is the reason we
have to drop our price and offer
promotions and offer value added because
we have to reduce their risk to do
business with us
the innovator and the early adopters
happily pay premiums and suffering
convenience to do business with you the
goal is to get to that tipping point
it’s easy law of averages so you says
you can get 10% I promise you right now
you have 10% who are loyal how do we
describe them they just get it
don’t know what that means get what
what’s it oh you know there’s other guys
that guy he doesn’t get it that’s how we
describe him it’s like gut feelings get
what how do you find the people who get
it before you do business with them how
do you identify the it’s how do you find
the people wearing the red hats before
you waste all your time and energy you
talk about what you believe
I’ll give you two examples of famous
failure and a famous success first the
famous failure TiVo if you ask most
companies
why did your product fail or why did
your company fail they usually give you
some combination of the same few reasons
right undercapitalized didn’t have
enough money that’s a big one
bad market conditions we have the wrong
people poorly executed that pretty much
explains every failure there is some
combination of those those factors which
means if you have all of those that
means you should be successful right
okay so TiVo TiVo was introduced into
marketplace about nine or ten years ago
from the date was introduced to this
current day it is the single best
quality product on the market hands down
undisputed is technologies way beyond
any other DVR system the best execution
flawless venture capital up the wazoo
money no problem brilliant engineers on
board had good people market conditions
remarkable the unaided awareness of
t-bo’s through the roof we have TiVo as
a verb my Tivo stuff on my piece of junk
cable DVR right and if you want to throw
in first mover’s advantage throw that
into because they had that as well TiVo
is a commercial and financial failure
they’ve never made money and when their
stock went public it launched about 40
or 50 dollars very quickly plummeted and
except for a couple little blips has
never traded above $10 T throws a
commercial and financial they
and the reason is because when they
launched this brilliant product they
attempted to tell the mass the but the
majority what their product does they
said to the majority we have a product
that pauses live TV skips commercials
memorizes your viewing habits and
records on your behalf without you even
asking and the cynical practical which
already said I don’t need it I don’t
like it I don’t believe you you’re
scaring me by one a few did few early
adopters did 10% you know to this day
they love their t-bo’s but it was enough
to make the system tip you see now
imagine if TiVo had told that left side
as early adopters as innovators they had
just talked about why the product even
exists imagining who they have said if
you’re the kind of person who likes to
have total control over every aspect of
your life
boy do we have a product for you
it pauses live TV it skips commercials
it memorizes your viewing habits of a
course on your behalf of that
in this instance what the product does
serves as the tangible proof of why it
exists is not the reason you use to
convince people to do business with you
in the first place people don’t buy what
you do they buy why you do it and what
you do serves as a tangible proof your
company is one of the things that you’re
doing in your life that proves who you
are the more you talk about what you
believe the more you talk about what you
actually believe the more likely you are
to attract people who believe what you
believe and they will help you because
in the summer of 1963 250,000 people
showed up on the mall in Washington to
hear dr. King give his famous I have a
dream speech there were no invitations
sent out there’s no website to check the
date how do you do that how many emails
did you get just a show up here today I
[Music]
dr. King was not the only man in America
who knew what had to change to bring
about civil rights in this country dr.
King didn’t have all great ideas some of
his ideas were bad he was not the only
man who suffered in a pre-civil Rights
America in fact he suffered a little
less than some because he was off at
university and he wasn’t the perfect man
he had his complexities but we just
don’t talk about those things
the difference is dr. King didn’t go
around telling people what we need to do
what we need to do what we need to do he
went around and told people I believe I
believe I believe and people who
believed what he believed took his cause
and they made it their own and they told
people what they believed and those
people who believe what they believe
they took that same cause and they made
it their own
and they told people what they believed
and some built structures to get the
word out more efficiently and lo and
behold on the right day on the right
time a quarter of a million people
showed up to hear him speak how many of
them showed up for him
zero they showed up for themselves it’s
what they believed about this country
it’s the country that they wanted to
live in it’s the country that they
wanted to raise their children and that
inspired them to get on a bus travel to
a towers and stand in the Sun in the
middle of Washington simply to hear dr.
King speak simply coming to the rally
was one of the things they did in their
lives to prove what they believed by the
way he gave the I have a dream speech
not the I have a plan speech it’s not
business by yourself unscalable remember
you and your gut you can do very well
not scalable the only way to really grow
is to find those who believe what you
believe in are willing to work with you
with blood and sweat and tears to help
you get there do you know the story of
the two Stone layers these two stone
layers right you go to the first one and
say how do you like your job this is I
mean I like my job I’ve been working on
this wall for as long as I can remember
the stones are heavy work is
back-breaking it’s monotonous I stand in
the scorching hot Sun all day and I
don’t even know if I’m going to finish
this wall in my lifetime
it’s a job that pays the bills you grew
up to second guy and say how do you like
your job he says I love my job I’m
building a cathedral
sure I’ve been building this wall for as
long as I can remember sure the stones
are heavy and the work is back-breaking
and I stand on the scorching on Sun all
day that’s monotonous and I don’t even
know if I’m gonna finish this wall in my
lifetime but I’m building a cathedral
what they do is exactly the same this
guy might even be a champion stone layer
the only difference is that only one of
them knows why he shows up to work every
day and the guy who knows why does not
see himself as any more or less
important than the architect or the guy
doing the stained-glass windows a
landscaper they are all contributing to
building something that they believe in
that’s bigger than themselves a leader
is somebody who can put into words that
which does not exist yet the leader is
the one who stands there and says in
beautiful crystal clear words and he
describes that Cathedral that hasn’t
been built in word so clear that others
can take that image and they can pass it
on to others why are you working so hard
because I believe in that we’re building
a cathedral what Cathedral let me tell
are you describing your Cathedral you’re
just telling people the wall that you’re
building the reason everybody showed up
here is because together we’re gonna
build a cathedral we are all
contributing to a world that we would
rather live in it’s the leaders of this
organization that are describing that
world a world in which we are in control
of our own lives a world in which we
live the life that we believe we deserve
shouldn’t we all get that it’s the
reason I showed up here here’s a
statistic for you over 90 percent of
people go home feeling unfulfilled by
their work that’s a real statistic 90%
don’t feel fulfilled when they go home
at the end of the day I want to live in
a world in which the vast majority of
people love what they do I want to live
in a world in which the vast majority of
people do business with companies that
they trust and love they work with
people that they trust and love and they
go home happier because of it people who
go to work and love what they do
come home happier people and happier
people treat their spouses better and
they treat their kids better and they go
back to work happy the next day and they
treat their colleagues better and they
treat their customers better and those
people go home happier and they treat
their kids better and their spouses
better it’s called world peace and it
happens because of the likes of all of
there are leaders and there are those
who lead leaders hold a position of
power or influence but those who lead
inspire us and whether they’re
individuals or organizations we follow
those who lead not because we have to
but because we want to we follow those
this is for people who want to inspire
those around them or who want to find
somebody to inspire them I can say
without a doubt you inspire me thank you very much
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