Summary: Have you ever wondered why in our society, there are people who wield more authority than others, and some of us that follow them, even to our detriment? There are those people who run towards danger to serve and protect others, sometimes without regard to their own well-being. Simon Sinek the author, while working as a consultant with the US Marine Corp, posed this very question to a Marine General, when Major William Swenson received the Medal Honor, the highest honor given to those who distinguished themselves with acts of gallantry and selfless service for the country. He wanted to figure out why some individuals, had that selfless determination, to lead and save others. The general said, our "officers eat last. " Eat Last meant - Leaders, sacrificing themselves for others. We all know the story of the 300 Spartans lead by King Leonidas. Sparta a relatively small city state was a “warrior society”, they had a small army, but were among the most feared in the ancient world, because of their courage and discipline. They also had this very strict custom from the lowest rank to the king that losing a sword or helmet was acceptable. But, reserved their toughest punishment, which was to lose their Spartan citizenship, which was their most prized possesion, to those who lost their Shield, because it meant, they would not be able to protect the man to their left or to their right. Spartan mothers would popularly say. , "Come back with your shield - or on it”. Simon drives home the idea that an organization is only as strong as the trust its team hold for each other. To relate this to today’s modern society, Simon shares why some people hate their work and why some people love it. And he finds that work satisfaction is directly related to the culture that we, leaders establish. As a leader, we must not be too concerned about our title and importance, we must focus on making our organizations culture, a place where our team members feel safe and belong, he introduces us, the concept of the Circle of Safety, which empowers our teams to grow, learn and become real contributing assets to the organization. We are informed that true leadership – is the ability to infuse those who we lead, with an unshakeable trust in our intentions. Giving them zero reasons to believe we have anything than their best interests in mind. So let's dive deep into some of the roots of human biology and psychology to find out what make us great leaders.
