Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
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Review : Finally in paperback: the New York Times bestseller by the acclaimed, bestselling author of Start With Why and Together is Better . Now with an expanded chapter and appendix on leading millennials, based on Simon Sinek's viral video "Millenials in the workplace" (150+ million views). Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why? The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. "Officers eat last," he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care. Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside. Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking. Read more
Review : Once I finished "Leaders Eat Last", I noticed that most of the highlighting I had done in the book was in the first 1/4-1/2. That's not to say that the book wasn't well rounded, but I took more away from the front half than I did the back half. Throughout the book, you'll read about a number of studies/stories that Sinek uses to drive home several of his points. To me, this way of teaching really helps to solidify the lessons being taught. I started this book thinking it would be heavily focused on business and how to be a better manager. Once I completed the book, I was surprised to find that the intent was about being a better person, not simply a better leader. There are a number of key points in the book where I had to stop for a moment and look to my past organizations and day dream about how Sinek's lessons seemed to ring true in my own working life. "Leaders Eat Last" helped to open my mind to show what organizations (and leaders) in my past did well, did poorly, and how it changed the culture within the given organization. "Leaders Eat Last" is a great read for anyone looking to improve on their leadership qualities, and in return, improve their organizations. There are several videos online featuring Sinek. These videos incorporate a number of the same stories and studies mentioned in "Leaders Eat Last" (some word for word). Watching these videos after I completed the book helped me to understand many of the points that Sinek was making. "Leaders Eat Last" is a much easier read than a number of management style books on the market. The featured stories are exciting, the studies mentioned are relevant (and different than what other books mention), and Sinek's style of writing kept me engaged. I do wish the ending of the book was as strong as the beginning, but I believe "Leaders Eat Last" should be on the shelf of anyone looking to rank up in their given profession. If you ever have looked at a book after I got done reading it, you'd notice I am "one of those readers". The books are filled with random highlights and Post-It bookmarks, that point to things I found interesting or that I wanted to remember. Here are some of my favorite highlights from "Leaders Eat Last"-some spoilers possible. These highlights are just some of my takeaways. Just because I highlighted a thought, does not mean I share this same belief or that I am in agreement: "I know of no study in history that describes an organization that has been managed out of a crisis. Every single one of them was led" "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader" "As employees or members of the group, we need the courage to take care of each other when our leaders don't. And in doing so, we become the leaders we wish we had" Sinek points to the nomadic Mongolian families as an example showcasing that certain groups who, "may not have much", share what little they do have with others because it's in their best interest (and survival) to do so. I found Chapter 13 "Abstraction Kills" to be the best chapter in the book. In this chapter, Sinek goes into detail about how the trial of horrible experiment(s) in Nazi Germany, resulted in individuals pleading innocence because they were simply following orders. Sinek couples this story with the Milgram Experiment. In this study, we see that people will push the limits simply to obey orders. I found Chapter 13 to be relevant to a number of fields still today. We often watch the news and find someone did something (or lack of action) simply because a higher power advised them to do so. The lack of connection between the two parties often resulted in unfortunate circumstances. In Chapter 15 "Managing the Abstraction" Sinek does a terrific shop in showing that numbers aren't always the best way to tell a story. Sinek describes the optics of the brutality of a government on its own people (a large number) vs a detailed story about the death of a young female (one person, but with detail). Both are horrible and sad situations, but in most cases a connection is stronger with a small number and a story, then a number that is almost too big for us to comprehend. "At some point the numbers lose their connection to the people and become just numbers, void of meaning. Sinek details a story about Captain Marquet who was set to take command of the most efficient crew in the US Navy. Captain Marquet was moved to take command of the lowest ranking crew (but with one of the newest subs). Through a series of events Captain Marquet had to change his management style and admit that it was not about his command, rather it was the crews ability to work together that resulted in a complete turnaround. Lastly, one of my favorite highlights of "Leaders Eat Last", was Sinek's take on the idea of participation trophies and rewards. "Rewards for basic participation have other adverse effects as well. They not only deny children the chance to learn important lessons about adversity, loss, and resilience, but they can also encourage complacency and overconfidence.
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