Simon Sinek Quotes about Leadership Done Right
If you like Simon Sinek quotes on leadership – this one is for you. What better way to be inspired than by reading just a few lines of inspirational and well-put words?
Great leadership and management quotes have that little sprinkle of magic dust so they inspire us to certain behaviors – either by planting new ways of thinking or by calling to the forefront of our attention that which we already know, yet have not brought into practice just yet.
Words can change the world – so let’s get started. The quote you’ll find high-lighted on Simon Sinek’s own homepage is this:
We achieve more when we chase the dream – instead of the competition
Simon Sinek – bio page at simonsinek.com
How versus Why you Do it
The most famous quote from Sinek is beyond any doubt the following quote from his early TedTalk speech – which has 80+ million views across sites: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. ”
He adds ‘… AND WHAT YOU DO SIMPLY PROVES WHAT YOU BELIEVE’.
– Simon Sinek
Articulate Values as Verbs for Greater Impact
“For values or guiding principles to be truly effective, they have to be verbs. It’s not ’integrity’, it’s ’always do the right thing.’ It’s not ’innovation,’ it’s “ ’look at the problem from a different angle.’ Articulating our values as verbs gives us a clear idea – we have a clear idea of how to act in any situation”
– Simon Sinek
Compete Against Others or Against Yourself?
“When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you”
– Simon Sinek
Work Resulting in Stress or in Living your Passion?
“Working hard for something we do not care about is called stress, working hard for something we love is called passion”
– Simon Sinek
The Ego Leader versus the Generous Leader
“A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top”
– Simon Sinek
Manipulation versus Inspiration
“Two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it”
– Simon Sinek
Motivation to do a Great Job or Motivation to Move on?
“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them. People are either motivated or they are not. Unless you give motivated people something to believe in, something bigger than their job to work toward, they will motivate themselves to find a new job and you’ll be stuck with whoever’s left”
– Simon Sinek
Victim or Architect of the Situation
“We are not victims of our situation. We are the architects of it”
– Simon Sinek
The Courageous Leader
“Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow”
– Simon Sinek
Poor Leaders versus Good Leaders
“Under poor leaders we feel like we work for the company. With good leaders we feel like we work for each other.”
– Simon Sinek
The Caring Leader
“The leaders who get the most out of their people are the leaders who care most about their people”
– Simon Sinek
Networking
“The value of networking is not measured by the number of people we meet but by the number of people we introduce to others”
– Simon Sinek
Be onto others as You Want Them to Be to You
“Be the leader you wish you had”
– Simon Sinek
A Leader’s Job: Doing the Work versus Facilitating Solutions and Success?
“A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible”
– Simon Sinek
Phone Etiquette
“When we break eye contact to check our phones we degrade trust. Let’s keep our phones away from meals & meetings”
– Simon Sinek
Feeling Inspired, Safe, Fulfilled, and Grateful – is it a Luxury?
“Returning from work feeling inspired, safe, fulfilled and grateful is a natural human right to which we are all entitled and not a modern luxury that only a few lucky ones are able to find”
– Simon Sinek
Caring for Numbers Versus People
“And when a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that that leader’s vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way”
– Simon Sinek
Recognition for Results or Effort?
“A boss wants to pay for results, an employee wants recognition for effort. If a boss recognizes effort, they will get even better results”
– Simon Sinek
References for Quotes
The quotes by Simon Sinek are mainly from his speeches and his books:
Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t
Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Have we missed a quote or a book – please tell us your favorite quote by Simon Sinek – we’d love to hear it and get inspired.
