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  • Start with Why

  • How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
  • Written by: Simon Sinek
  • Narrated by: Simon Sinek
  • Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,417 ratings)

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Start with Why cover art

Start with Why

Written by: Simon Sinek
Narrated by: Simon Sinek
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Publisher's Summary

The inspirational best seller that ignited a movement and asked us to find our why.

Discover the book that is captivating millions on TikTok and that served as the basis for one of the most popular TED Talks of all time - with more than 56 million views and counting. Over a decade ago, Simon Sinek started a movement that inspired millions to demand purpose at work, to ask what was the why of their organization. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, and these ideas remain as relevant and timely as ever.

Start with Why asks (and answers) the questions: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with why. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the why behind it.

Start with Why shows that the leaders who have had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way - and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with why.

©2017 Simon Sinek (P)2017 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"Start with Why is one of the most useful and powerful books I have read in years. Simple and elegant, it shows us how leaders should lead.” (William Ury, coauthor of Getting to Yes)

"Start with Why fanned the flames inside me. This book can lead you to levels of excellence you never considered attainable.” -General Chuck Horner, air boss, Desert Storm)

“Each story will force you to see things from an entirely different perspective. A perspective that is nothing short of the truth.” (Mokhtar Lamani, former ambassador, special envoy to Iraq)    

What listeners say about Start with Why

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A well narrated, deep dive into a simple theory

I had high expectations starting this book, expectations which I realize were a bit too high. Simon Sinek is a good writer, a very good narrator, a good researcher, a great storyteller but an average thinker.

His theory, the "Golden Circle", is so simple that millions of people thought about it and wrote about it, albeit in different terms than Why, How and What. Vision, Mission, Operationalization. Mission, Process, Results. Intention, Hard Work, Gains. His Golden Circle is yet another nomenclature for "what drives you", "how you intend translate that into action" and "the actual results".

But this book IS interesting. 16 chapters worth of examples of how this is critical to a business and to an individual. Easy to listen, easy to follow, easy to understand, this is a great airplane book.

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16 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mediocre

The concept is fascinating. Great to practice and sound advice for anyone in marketing or future entrepreneurs. That being said, if you trust the title concept there's no need to listen to this. The content and examples are repetitive. Its written like a c grade highschool essay on the similarities between Apple and Harley Davidson.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Only 2 pages worth of of information

Very repetitive. The author could simply publish an article saying what he wanted to say.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Waste of time

Repetitive and boring, interspersed with far too many cute motivational sayings used over and over

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Good but not great

I was really looking forward to this book but found that it was quite repetitive in substance. This won't be a book I come back to but am glad I read it. #Audible1

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

good message, but very repetitive.

it seemed almost like it was endorsed by Apple. I like Simon's work, but this one seemed to drag on a little.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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very good perspective on why

really enjoyed this book. very insightful thoughts on why the people that change the world start with why and also make it there purpose. I found it hard to stop listening and finished on two three nights.

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3 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Not convincing enough

Good stories of other companies success. But trying to draw a conclusion saying they are successful because of their why doesn't make any sense.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Meh

A somewhat useful synopsis of what drives some successful firms - as Chrissie Hynde would say, "Gimme a sense of purpose, a real sense of purpose" - that pretty much sums up the thesis.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Informative and Inspiring!!!

An outstanding breakdown of how our 'why' can our greatest asset. Expertly dissects human behaviour in the context of leadership, consumerism, the artistic and the corporate world. An incredible study of what makes a trailblazer and why the rest are compelled to follow.

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1 person found this helpful