Simon Sinek on How Authentic Behavior Builds Trust

In Chapter 7 of 16 in his 2009 Capture Your Flag interview, "Start With Why" author and leadership expert Simon Sinek answers "What is the takeaway from being authentic and what is the stuff we should set aside?" Sinek shares why it is important and valuable being authentic in one's actions. Sinek highlights how truly authentic behavior - believing in what you say and do - builds trust, creates support, and strengthens relationships. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen: What is the takeaway from being authentic and what is the stuff we should set aside?

Simon Sinek: The word authenticity is too loosely used. Go ahead, today Erik, I want you to be more authentic.  What are you going to change?  You have no clue.  What authenticity means is the things you say and things you do you actually believe.  We are social animals and trust comes from the feeling we have when you get a sense of somebody. We are social animals and the reason the human race has been successful is because we have the ability to form cultures.  We are good at figuring people out.  It is what makes us successful as a species.   So when you are authentic, when you only say and do the things you actually believe, people will trust you.  When you don`t say the things you believe, you are just trying to get some short term behavior, people will not trust you.  So the importance and value of being authentic is that it is your long term interest that people will support you and stand by you.  People will put up with your failures.  People will help you for no other reason than it helps them. 

Simon Sinek on How to Find a Job You Love and Where You Excel

In Chapter 8 of 16 of his 2009 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, "Start With Why" author Simon Sinek asks why do we choose one job over another and why do we believe what we believe? Finding the right job, interviewing well, and enjoying work requires authenticity and reflection. Sinek advises others to find a job where you can naturally excel. This approach and questions propel both interviewees and interviewers to find the right fit.

Simon Sinek is a trained ethnographer who applies his curiosity around why people do what they do to teach leaders and companies how to inspire people. He is the author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". Sinek holds a BA degree in cultural anthropology from Brandeis University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How does being authentic help you find the right job?

Simon Sinek: When people write their resumes it is like what I've done, what I've done, what I've done. The question is "why did you show up to work?"  Why do I even have this resume?  Why did you choose to work there?  Why did you choose to work there?  Why did you choose to quit and go there?  It is not a bad thing to quit a job.  If you realize you are a bad fit, get out of there and go somewhere else.  So, the ability for us to talk about what we believe, why organizations exist, and why we choose one job over another increases the likelihood we will find jobs and employees that are good fits for the organization.  You should apply for the jobs where you have a weird visceral reaction to the organization.  Sometimes that means going to meet them.  When you go on an interview, just as much as you are they are interviewing you, you are interviewing them.  This is where you are going to spend more time, in a week or in a day, than with your family or in your own home.  If you don’t want to go there every day, don't go there every day.  Wanting to go somewhere has nothing to do with how much money they will pay you. That will wear thin quickly when you hate your life.  The question is who are you going to work with, I'd like to meet the people I will have direct contact with, who is going to be my boss, who is going to be my mentor?  What culture do you have here?  You have to ask them questions, not about how much are you going to pay me and what are the benefits?  Ask them what life is going to be like and if this is a place where you naturally excel?

How to Use Confidence to Close Real Estate Deals - Brett Goldman

In Chapter 9 of 9, Brett Goldman discusses the role confidence plays in his work.  While sourcing, structuring, and closing deals, regardless of market condition, Goldman, a real estate developer, relies on preparation and resulting confidence to secure partner and client trust, comfort, and, ultimately, commitment.