Discover Your “Team Why” Workshop

(inspired by Simon Sinek’s book "Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action")

Read time: 4 minutes

"Start with Why" by Simon Sinek is a fantastic resource for understanding the power of purpose-driven leadership.

It emphasizes that great leaders and successful organizations often communicate from the inside out, starting with a clear understanding of their purpose (or their "Why").

Sinek introduces the Golden Circle framework, which consists of three concentric circles: Why (the purpose), How (the process), and What (the result).

He argues that while most people focus on the What, the most influential leaders inspire action by articulating their Why first—their deeper reason for existence.

By communicating Why they do what they do, they attract like-minded individuals who share their values and beliefs.

Sinek illustrates his points with compelling examples, demonstrating how companies like Apple and individuals like Martin Luther King Jr. achieved remarkable success by leading with Why.

"Start with Why" encourages you to identify your own purpose and use it as a guiding principle for decision-making and leadership.

While focussed on leaders and their organizations, it’s just as important for a team to know, understand and articulate their Why.

Here's a simple 3-step workshop based on insights from the book you can run with any team or organization to help them get there:

Objective

To help participants understand the concept of purpose-driven leadership, uncover their personal WHY, and develop strategies for applying their purpose in their personal and professional lives.

Step 1: Understanding the Concept of "Why"

Objective: Develop Awareness of Purpose-Driven Leadership

In this step participants gain an understanding of the significance of purpose-driven leadership and its impact on motivation and success in both personal and professional contexts.

Step 2: Discovering Personal Why

Objective: Uncover Personal Motivations and Values

In this step participants engage in reflective exercises to uncover their personal motivations, values, and passions, gaining clarity on their individual purpose and direction.

Step 3: Creating the Team Why

Objective: Translate Purpose into a Team Manifesto

In this step participants learn to translate their personal WHY into an actionable team manifesto, empowering them to align their actions with their purpose and make meaningful contributions in their work.

Tip: Throughout the workshop, create a supportive and collaborative environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Encourage active participation, and don’t shy away from providing opportunities for self-reflection and group discussion.

This is supposed to challenge them and the discussions will likely reflect that.

Conclusion

I promise that if you run this workshop and help your team understand their WHY, they will not only work better with each other but their relationship with other teams and departments will also improve.

You’ll then have the nice problem to have of being asked to roll it out across the organization.

I hope you give it a try!

See you next week.