Benchmark for Business

World Class Thinking

Simon Sinek and Steve Radcliffe

February 6th 2014

Leadership and the Golden Circle

A Day of Inspirational Learning 

At the Landmark Hotel in London, two renowned thought-leaders will take centre-stage to share their extraordinary thinking on leadership for a full day of learning and inspirational insights.

Key Learning Points from Simon Sinek’s Presentation

In a rare visit to the UK, Simon Sinek, author of the global best-seller, Start with Why, will explain his idea of The Golden Circle and how it contains three distinct and interdependent elements (Why, How, What) that makes any person or organisation function at its highest ability. It provides insight on how to turn an idea into a social movement. The Golden Circle is an alternative perspective that explains why some people and organisations are more innovative, more influential, command greater loyalty and are able to repeat their success over and over.

Based on the biology of human decision making, it demonstrates how the function of our limbic brain and the neocortex directly relate to the way in which people interact with each other and with organizations and brands in the formation of cultures and communities.

To better understand how the Golden Circle works inside an organisation, we must adjust the 2-dimensional idea to fit our 3-dimensional world. The Cone shows us how a Why filters through an organisation. The Cone is a 3-dimensional representation of the Golden Circle (i.e. the Golden Circle being the top-down view). It illustrates how the levels of the Golden Circle exist inside an organisation. The top of the Cone represents the Why, the middle of the Cone represents the How and the bottom of the Cone represents the What level.

This view helps us understand the flow of information through an organisation and the relative roles and responsibilities. For example, those that operate at the top of an organisation are responsible for keeping the Why clear. Those in the middle of the organisation are responsible for figuring out how to advance the Why and those at the What level are responsible for delivering the tangible goods - the products and services.

For an organisation to operate at its maximum potential it must function like a cone...like a megaphone. That is to say, for the megaphone to work properly it must be loud and clear. Volume represents the amount of publicity or goods and services sold and clarity represents how well all those things are connected to the Why.

Before Simon begins his presentation, you will have the opportunity to learn from andchallenge the thinking of the inimitable Steve Radcliffe. His UK best-seller, Leadership Plain and Simple introduced us to his universally acclaimed FUTURE ENGAGE DELIVER model of leadership.

Key Learning Points from Steve Radcliffe’s Presentation

First, leading always starts in the FUTURE.

Leading always starts with ideas and thoughts about what you’d like to see in the Future, how you’d like things to be, where you’d like to get to or what you’d like to build.

We have many words to describe these ideas; they include ‘goal, target, ambition, aspiration, dream’ and from the world of business you can add words like ‘vision, mission, direction and strategic intent’. These are all ways of describing the Future you want.

Powerful and effective leaders are guided by the Future that they want. And more than this, the leader is strongest when that future is powerfully connected to what he or she cares about.

Why does this matter? Because the more commitment the leader has for the desired future, the more they will persist, the more energy they’ll bring along the way, the more they’ll stay ‘up to something’. Additionally, when the leader has this powerful relationship to the Future they care about, it can also have an extraordinary impact on others … sparking innovative thinking, giving people a reason to go the extra mile, providing hope in times of difficulty and, most importantly giving meaning to people’s work. In essence, a strong connection to the Future you want can create a mood of optimism, hope and possibility that can ignite human creativity and build confidence.

Second, if you want the help of others to create that Future, you’ll need to ENGAGE them.

That is, you will interact with them in a way that has them want to build the Future with you. Engagement is central to a leader’s ability to build alignment, involvement, ownership, unity and team. Crucially, it is absolutely distinct from ‘communicating to’, ‘presenting at’, or ‘telling’.

Engaging others is all about interaction and it’s something that happens inside your relationships. To be fully effective, you’ll need to engage people in yourself, as well as in the Future you want to create, and this calls for qualities like integrity, openness and consistency. When engagement occurs, not only is an enormous sense of possibility generated but people will be ready to knock down barriers as they pursue what they have helped to invent. What’s possible for a group or organisation when people are really engaged can be immense.

And third, in DELIVER, you make things happen.

This is where words like ‘performance, execution, implementation and results’ live. Leading doesn’t stop with ‘vision’ or ‘team’. It ends with delivery.

So for the birthday party, you start with ideas about how you’d like the party to be – you start in the Future. Then you chat with others you’d like to organise it with – you Engage them. Then you encourage and support them to make it happen, to Deliver. And if you’re really being a leader rather than a doer, the other people who you’ve engaged will make most of it happen.

Whatever the ambition or goal, this is what’s involved: Future – Engage - Deliver.

If you want to be truly effective:

• You have to be guided by a future you want,
• You have to Engage others, and
• You have to Deliver

Conference Registration Fees:

• Single Place: £695 plus VAT (total £834)
• Two or more Places: £595 plus VAT (total £714) per place

How to Register or Enquire:

• Click on the REGISTER NOW link and follow the instructions
• Email team@benchmarkforbusiness.com
• Call us on +44 (0)1224 636 200

For group bookings of 5 or more places please call us for
additional discounts.