Careers Hub | “Leaders Eat Last”. What we can all learn from Simon Sinek.

We all ask ourselves what makes a good leader, especially if we find ourselves in a position of leadership. It’s a universal question that has very complicated answers, why some people choose to follow and believe in another. This question also has huge implications for the workplace. Good leadership is essential to enable your employees and drive success. Simon Sinek is a businessman with a twist. Simon refers to himself as an optimist and has written several inspirational books on what creates a leader.

Simon’s first book was “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” this hit the market and created waves. His second book “Leaders Eat Last” made just as many waves as his first. The idea of this book was based in the concept of how can your team perform if you are not inspiring them. Simon explores the concept of investing in everyone on your team first, before yourself, or as the title alludes to, you let your team reap the rewards first and you as a leader eat last, even if it’s just scraps. This book is full of unique analogies, from the marine core where teams die for one another, to understanding the biology of the workplace. While I won’t bore you with chemical balances in the brain I would highly recommend this read, but if you don’t have time here are my favourite takeaways:

• Good leaders build their teams to function on their own, even when they are no longer leading that team.
• “Empathy is the single greatest asset to your job”.
• Create a culture of workplace safety, connection, caring and commitment.
• Don’t be a numbers man (or woman), invest in your people as your main concern and your numbers will improve in the long run.
• If your actions inspire others to better themselves, to learn and to grow, then you are a leader.
• “It is not the genius at the top giving directions that make people great. It is the great people that make the guy at the top look like a genius”

The biggest thing that we can learn from Simon Sinek is that in a cutthroat corporate world remember how to care for your employees and value their input! Everyone wants someone to lead them.

If you aren’t one for books hear him speak about leaders eating last here…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReRcHdeUG9Y