You must watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk video on ‘Starting from Why.’ It is required viewing for my entrepreneurship students, and for my executive team at the Montessori schools. The premise is simple but novel. Too many companies focus their time and energy on WHAT they do and HOW they do it. They spend no time talking about the WHY behind their operations.
This paradigm shift is not just an issue of semantics. Focusing on the ‘why’ allows companies to hone in on the underlying driving force behind their business. Mr. Sinek rightfully points out companies do not operate to make money — and that money is the reward for following their ‘WHY’.
As the CEO of the Montessori schools, my wife, Rohini, assures me that her ‘why’ is the total development of the child. As an educator, my ‘why’ is the ability to prepare my students to be ready for the workplace and to prepare them to be good citizens.
The million dollar question for you is a simple one — what is your ‘why’?
About Hemant Rustogi