Case Studies
Chapter 3: Case Study
Discussion: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
This discussion is based on a TED Talk by Simon Sinek, as well as drawing on readings from the management chapter. Fascinated by leaders with the capacity to inspire and have an impact in the world, Sinek has discovered some remarkable patterns in how these leaders think, act, and communicate. He wrote Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action to explore the idea of the “golden circle,” which is what he calls “a naturally occurring pattern, grounded in the biology of human decision-making, that explains why we are inspired by some people, leaders, messages, and organizations over others.”
Discussion Questions
- Select the portion of Sinek’s TED Talk that made the greatest impact on you personally as you listened. You can read the transcript to find his exact words and make sure you capture his message. Why did you select this portion?
- Thinking about what you learned from the readings in this chapter, answer the following question: How important is it for managers and leaders in business to understand Sinek’s concluding statement, below?
“Because there are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves.”
3. In what ways do you think Human Resources Specialists can support good leadership within a project?
Attribution
“Discussion: How Great Leaders Inspire Action” in Introduction to Business by Linda Williams and Lumen Learning licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
“Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action” by TED Talks licensed under CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives