Having recently attended the PCMA Conference in San Francisco, I came away feeling completely inspired and grateful to be part of this amazing industry and to hear speakers who have such an impact on people’s lives. Simon Sinek was one of the speakers who left a mark on me and was simply amazing!
Here are some of the points I took away from his presentation that I wanted to share.
Simon on Being Number One
“But what is the benchmark, what game are you playing?”
You can only be ahead or behind there is no winner in the infinite game. In reality, the only person you can beat is yourself and the goal should just be to do better every day.
When organisations are obsessed with winning and what the competition is doing, they lose trust and innovation.
Five areas to focus on:
1. Just Cause
You need a vision for the future - what are we advancing toward? Your teams need belief in the cause that gives our lives meaning. A vision should never include numbers, the vision should focus on how you are going to help or improve life.
2. Trusting Team
How do you create a team where people want to and can do their best? As leaders you need to be supportive, care about your people, allow them to be themselves, support openness and it is your job to be aware of what is going on within your team and ensure they are safe.
We should not always be focused on one number – numbers are important but it’s a journey, and you need to bring your team on the journey with you.
“A shared struggle can bring a team closer together.”
And remember, just because it’s hard to measure, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
3. Study Worthy Rivals
Not to be confused with trying to compete and being obsessed with how they are doing. Instead, find the ones you respect and are worthy of comparison and simply learn from them. Their strengths will reveal your weaknesses. Allow them to make you better!
4. Flexibility
Being able to change fast, fix issues fast, being flexible to change when required. What do you need to do to ensure you are delivering on point one and two?
5. Courage to Lead
Being able to do point one – four as a leader.
“Be the leader you wish you had.”
Simon on Work Life Balance
The number of hours you work has nothing to do with it. Balance is about feeling safe at home and safe at work, I can be myself at home and I can be myself at work. If you have that, hours are irrelevant. One is energising one is soul sucking!
And to conclude…
Simon on his wish for everyone for 2020
Take better care of others. We are all focused on self-help, but what about helping others! And the beauty is of course, this will also help you.
I love sharing knowledge with our industry partners and always keen to chat about all things speaker - so please feel free to get in touch with me on 09 308 3605 or [email protected]
