Start with Why

This book could have been a tweet. The message (always have a reason for doing something and learn to communicate the reason) is important to warrant an essay even. But halfway through the author literally starts repeating himself. I also found the Apple worship off putting. The author also reuses too many of the same examples throughout the book and presents absolutely zero evidence for any of his claims.

Uncomfortably pro-capitalism

Simon Sinek talks about how our brain works when we make decisions. He explains that the limbic system is the part of the brain that controls our feelings and decisions based on emotions, like trust and loyalty. This part of the brain doesn't use words—it just feels. That's where the “Why” in the Golden Circle connects, because it speaks to our emotions and purpose.

Another part of the brain, the neocortex, is where logical thinking, facts, and language come from. This part handles the “What”, like the details of what we do or the information we share. Sinek says people are inspired more by the emotional connection of the “Why” than by facts and details from the “What”. That's why starting with a strong purpose is so powerful—it speaks to people's hearts, not just their heads.

I like Simon as a guest on podcasts. He has a lot of good things to say and the empathy and kindness with which he approaches disparate topics while still remaining informative and sharp is enviable. 

BUT I did not like this book. I feel bad because it is an older piece of his and he has probably come a long way since this was published, but this book was repetitive to the extreme. The only point it made was the titular point: start with why. You could have stopped there instead of hashing out myriad ways in which this same concept can be described from a different perspective. The central idea is solid and a good one, but a book based on it was not merited in my opinion. I didn't learn much after the first chapter.

There are lots of sort-of outdated scenarios in the book as well, as much of the content is centred around 1990s-2000s era tech companies.

Lastly: There is some pseudoscience in there as well. I really do not think for a second that Simon knows much about neuroscience and I hope no one else thinks he does either. Get your neurosci bits from people who are qualified to dispense them :)

The message and the core concepts in this book are very interesting, extremely useful and very well explained. There is much more value than in the corresponding TED talks as more details and relations to the concept are explained. But overall this book has very much repetition. Especially, the examples are repeated over and over. I could live with that repetition quite well and I don't think that should stop anyone from reading this otherwise great book.

A strong DNF, I would be kind and give it two stars since the idea of having an intrinsic motivation is a nice idea, but the examples he gives are so wildly selective and innaccurate I can't forgive it.

He also includes a concept that was so dumb it might have melted my brain. He claims people in the past believed the world was flat so they didn't explore because they were scared of falling off the edge.

That's why they didn't explore.

Not because of a lack of sufficient naval technology. Not because of societies needing to reach a certain size to have the ability to fund and man risky exploratory missions. No.

The reason sailors didn't explore was because they were scared of falling off the edge of the map.

I can't.

Did not like this book. Just watch the Ted Talk. Cannot recommend.

This is a must-read book for any one whom wants to start a business, organisation, charity or even if you are an Author, History Researcher, Film or Podcast producer, you name it. this is your book. the moment you know your “The Golden Circle” - the why, how, and what clearly, then you know your purpose of why you are doing what you are doing and how to do it better.... now read this book and know your WHY.... Thank you Simon Sinek.

Totally inspiring and useful. Directly applicable to everything, other than entrepreunership.

Recommended to me by my marketing mentor, Start With WHY is an interesting collection of business case studies exploring the underlying motivation to work for and purchase from brands. This is very much an examination-style book, with Sinek's unique voice (recognised from all those LinkedIn/ Instagram videos) infused into every sentence.
Unfortunately, the book suffers from repeating many ideas around WHY-driven leadership, processes, customer buying patterns and business decisions. This definitely could have been a lot shorter, and ultimately is more of a presentation rather than an introspective experience for the reader. It seems like my own homework to now find my WHY, although I am grateful that I better understand the differences between successful businesses and those that struggle.
Full book summary here.

This book is everything that is wrong with many books these days.

In it's core it has a great idea. Everyone that saw Simon's video on YouTube would agree. But to communicate this idea, you need 20 minutes or 100 pages with examples and stories. But adding another 150 pages that repeat the mantra, provide extra examples, most of which are quite obvios, adds nothing to the book.

To editors: Please stop asking authors to write 250 page books. We, the readers, will buy 100-page books if they are good!

I had high hopes for this book, given how much I enjoy watching Simon speak. As I began this book I found myself engaged and enjoying the book right away. However, as the book progressed I began to check out mentally, progressing that way until completion. The message is driven home early on in the book, and then it begins to feel like content was just piled on in an effort to increase the length of the book.

Additionally, I just couldn't connect with most of the analogies and metaphors that Simon attempted to use in order to drive a point home. The introduction of the “celery test” was almost comical, and then for the remainder of the book it was used as a validation for almost every point.

Yes, I almost completely agree with his push to “start with why”, but did not enjoy 70% of this read.

Extrêmement intéressant, même si fort répétitif à plusieurs moments, ce livre devrait être mis dans les mains de tout entrepreneur ainsi que de toutes les firmes. A lire absolument pour toute personne désireuse de porter un projet.

Simon Sinek within “Start with Why” talk about you gotta know where you are heading as individual or organization in order to be successful. He analyze several companies as well as individuals to illustrate his point. I've been through the audio book read by the author and learned some from his insights.

Absolutely transformative book. A must read.

It could've been a 30 page essay.

Good, but redundant.

Sinew seems self-congratulatory and smug in most books. The message was good, but could have been conveyed with less redundancy. Similarly, typing “where”, “what”, and “why” in All caps was irksome.

01/28/2023:
The principle of starting with and never forgetting the reason WHY you started doing something is solid. And I appreciated the examples of multiple businesses (like Dell, Southwest Airlines, Apple, Costco, Walmart, etc.) and how their choice to follow or deviate from their initial WHY changed their entire business. And I can feel the author's passion for the subject matter with every paragraph.

However, like many have already stated in their reviews: the book is just too repetitive. Unless you truly want to do a deep dive and are as just as passionate about the topic, the TED talk would be more than enough to get the point across.

This was my second time reading this book. And I don't know if I would recommend this as a book to read cover-to-cover during 1-2 weeks like I did. It almost feels like each chapter could just be its own blog post that should be consumed little by little over time. If I could go back in time, I would probably read a chapter once every few weeks just as a refresher.

Too verbose. Could have been written in 5 pages.

One of the top recommendations by Aaron Skonnard, I knew I had to read this one. The premise is that great leaders lead by asking why to get to the bottom of something. I hadn't realized it before, but I'd already seen Simon Sineks TED talk. His talk focuses around working from the outside in, asking questions more tied to emotion than to superficial results.

One of the top recommendations by Aaron Skonnard, I knew I had to read this one. The premise is that great leaders lead by asking why to get to the bottom of something. I hadn't realized it before, but I'd already seen Simon Sineks TED talk. His talk focuses around working from the outside in, asking questions more tied to emotion than to superficial results.

Interesting ideas. Like the overall theme. Support could have been stronger.