MSNBC: Are you a leading company or a company that leads?

there is a difference between being the
leading company and a company that leads
or so says our next guest
Simon Civic is the author of the new
book start with why how great leaders
inspire everyone to take action he’s
here to tell us why entrepreneurs may be
equipped to lead better than any other
group hey Simon it’s great to see it’s
been a long time so explain to me the
difference a leading company a company
that leads so leading companies sell
more than everybody else you know GM is
a leading company they sell more cars
than everybody else but they’re not a
company that leads a company that leads
is somebody that sets the pace that’s
the sets the direction for the entire
industry and there’s a huge difference
don’t you want to be the leading company
and the company that leads they don’t
often go together amazingly because the
leading companies are so driven about
their market share and being number one
that they forget that profits are
actually more important okay and you
know in business everybody’s really a
follower and Apple you hear me talk
about them all the time virgin Harley
Davidson these companies aren’t the
leading companies Southwest Airlines
doesn’t have more routes than everybody
else maybe they set the tone and they
set the direction that everybody else
follows and so when you say to be one of
these leading companies one of the
things you need to have is a clarity of
why what do you mean by that absolutely
every single company that leads knows
why they do what they do and by why I
don’t mean to make a profit that’s
always a result I mean what’s your
purpose what’s your cause what’s your
belief was why was your company founded
and very often and you look at
entrepreneurs the most successful
entrepreneurs it was some sort of
personal experience that had them start
their company in the first place their
parents couldn’t get good home care and
so they started a home care business you
know I couldn’t get a good burger so I
started my own burger company you see
this all the time so it’s important for
the founder to understand that or for
the company to understand that well if
the founder doesn’t understand it then
no one in the company will understand it
Thanks so absolutely it starts with the
founder and there’s a huge importance in
the ability to communicate what you
believe you know this is it’s it’s very
closely linked you know those people who
have the ability to communicate what
they believe clearly are the ones who
lead and it’s an inextricable connection
between leadership and communication
it’s about passion but then other people
share in your passion then you say they
get there why then they have to have the
discipline of how
so that’s how you get your product out
there or your service out there it’s
even it’s I think it’s deeper than that
okay you know every company has guiding
principles and values the question is
how do you hold yourself accountable to
them you know very often you hear
companies talk about we believe in
customers first but then when you go
look at the way they actually do
business you very often see that they
don’t put customers first a lot of
promotions for example are designed to
trick the customer you know we you fill
out all of this crazy paperwork and
we’ll send you a rebate and they know
that most people aren’t going to fill it
all out that’s a trick how
customer-focused are you if you’re
tricking your customer to do business
with you you have to really hold
yourself accountable to things then the
third thing you talk about is the what
which is interesting because because I
often in our conversations have said
well when you say what is your company
do I would say what my company does you
say you I should say why they do it but
then here what is important as well
absolutely we live in a tangible world
why you do what you do is just to
believe that’s all it is it’s intangible
and if the most important thing is what
you believe then the things you say and
the things you do you have to believe in
in other words your products your
packaging your marketing your people
they all have to embody what you believe
otherwise no one will know what you
believe in essence you draw people in
and then you deliver well this is the
concept behind authenticity everybody
says you have to be authentic but what
does that mean things you’re saying the
things you do you actually believe well
congratulations on the new book and
thank you so much for coming by to tell
us about it thank you very much