Think from the Inside Out
TED Talk Reveals How Great Leaders Inspire Action
How do we explain how others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all assumptions?
A TED talk featuring Simon Sinek explores this question. Why is it that Apple continues to become more innovative year after year, when it is just a computer company with the same access to consultants, technology, and other resources as everyone else? Why did the Wright Brothers figure out human flight, when there were other people who were better qualified and better funded?
Check it out:
Sinek discovered that all great organizations and leaders follow the exact same pattern. They all think and act the same way…and it’s the complete opposite of everyone else.
The pattern is simple, but it explains why some organizations are able to become excellent leaders who are able to inspire. The idea is called “The Golden Circle,” and it looks something like this:
Every organization knows what they do. Some know how they do it (e.g. differentiating value proposition). Very few know why they do what they do. What’s your call? What’s your purpose? What’s your belief?
“Why” is the one word that sets apart an organization that inspires others from your average organization. It’s also the most difficult to understand. Most people think from the outside in–from the clearest to the fuzziest. However, the leaders who inspire–no matter the size of their organization–think from the inside out.
Sinek mentions a powerful phrase: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
At HUMAN, the “why” is the most important part of our business. It’s more important than what we do or how we do it. We always say “we are a health and nutrition company with a vending problem.” Vending is how we do it, but it isn’t why we do it. Our goal is to create universal access to healthy foods, drinks, and snacks, and we give 10% of our proceeds to charities that help this cause because we believe in this mission.
Healthy vending has been such a success because all of our operators, locations, and customers believe in what we do.
No matter what you do, ask yourself “why am I doing this?” The answer might not be as clear as you think, but when you know it, you know it.
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A Day in the Life of a HUMAN Healthy Vending Team Member
How HUMAN’s Operations Manager Crushes It, Day In and Day Out
Although we’ve talked a lot about what we do from the outside, never before have we shown our readers an inside-look at HUMAN from the perspective of our team members.
A lot goes on behind the scenes here, and we have a lot of different “departments.” From sales and marketing to the actual machine installations themselves, there is a lot that goes into the daily happenings at HUMAN. Our Operations Manager, Patrick Sanders, gives us a rundown of his day and his responsibilities at HUMAN.
1. What’s your routine like after you wake up?
The very first thing I do is chug an enormous glass of water. I’ve found that that wakes me up faster than anything else. Then I go for a run outside to get my blood flowing.
2. What’s the first thing you do when you get to work?
I do the thing that I dread doing the most first, which is my highest leverage activity. For example, if there’s a tough conversation I need to have with someone, I get it out of the way first.
3. What kinds of projects do you handle?
I handle planning all logistics (including machine delivery and installations) for HUMAN, managing customer service, planning out our manufacturing process, ordering parts, etc. If it’s behind the scenes, chances are I handle it!
4. What do you enjoy most about your job?
The best part about my job is working with people who are passionate about what they do. Everyone here puts in 110% and believes in what HUMAN does. We’re a close-knit team…basically, it’s like going to work with my friends.
5. How do you exemplify “Crushing It?”
I crush it by managing complexity…wearing a wide variety of hats and dealing with challenges that make every day different. I’m also very customer facing, which I LOVE!
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