The Golden Circle that Simon Sinek speaks about makes perfect sense. The inner circle is the "why" we do what we do which is the purpose, beliefe and cause, the inner circle is the "how" they do it, and the outter circle is the "what." What do these great peope/companies do? He said that Apple, Martin Luther King and the Wright Brothers had the "pattern of greatness." They all thought, acted, and communicated the same way. They thought from the inside out whereas most of us may think from the outside in. You have to start with the "why" do you do the things you do before you can say what you do to become successful.
Applying this to teaching math, my students are always asking me, "why do we have to learn this?" Its important for them to know why they need it first before they can go on to know what they are learning and the steps in doing so. You have to believe in what you are doing to be able to have other students believe in it, too. Applying this to leadership in a school system would be to believe in the mission statement of the school and constantly work for that. Its only in that way, that you can have others follow your lead.
Simon Sinek gave an awesome example about the Law of Diffusion of Innovation. He compared a success and a failure. The failure example was the popular TIVO. It failed because they would advertise what it does and the quality of it but didnt stress why would someone like this product. His success story was Dr. Martin Luther King's famous few words..."I believe..."
Amie Adams
Hi Amie, I read this also and enjoyed the way he explained the Golden Circle. It made so much sense. I often ask myself, why do I have to teach this in this way, how do I accomplish this with 27 little students, and what is the purpose. He reminded me that if I believe in something that my students will too. If I lead my classroom, my cheerleaders, my family, my school, in ways that I know why I believe in what I am doing, then they will follow. I hope as I leader that my delivery and behaviors are fitting of a good leader who attracts positive people to work for the common good of providing the best educational experience a little preschooler could have. I hope I can always lead by example and be able to answer the why to the question, "Why do we have to do things in this way?" A great leader will know the WHY!!
ReplyDeleteAmie,
ReplyDeleteI think the "Golden Circle" concept is golden.
It does make sense to compare a school to a business. After all, we are in the business of educating children. It can be difficult for us to sell education to children, because they don't understand how much or why they need a good education. That's why the "why" we do things is so important to connect with them.
We just went through the SACS accreditation process, a few of our school employees were not sure of our mission statement. That led me to wonder what mission they are on!?