Simon Sinek's TED Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Simon Sinek, in his TED Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, explained why some people are able to inspire and others cannot.  He used the “golden circle” to explain his theory and focused on the innermost part of the circle, the “WHY” as the key differentiator between those who lead and those who do not. 

He used strong examples of leaders such as Apple and Martin Luther King, Jr. to illustrate his points.  Apple knows what they believe and so people go out and buy their products.  Martin Luther King knew what he believed and people from all over came out to hear his words.  


Hearing Sinek say “Your beliefs determine your actions” really resonated with me because “what you do simply proves what you believe.”  


A wise individual once told me, do not pay attention to one’s words, rather pay attention to their actions.  That was a hard lesson for me to learn, but it is a principle that I now live by.  Sinek’s talk further prompted me think about what I believe in other areas of my life -as a mom, as a friend, as a human being. And I asked myself, do my actions align with what I believe? and if not, what changes can I make with my actions to reflect what I believe?

So... if teachers KNOW what they believe, their actions will follow.  A lightbulb moment has happened for me and I am discovering the true purpose of this class:


  If we can figure out whatever it is about teaching and learning that we BELIEVE, our work in the classroom will reflect those beliefs... 

And we can be intentional in what we do in the classroom if we truly know what it is that we believe...  

We can create what we believe.

https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-960

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 2, 2020 at 1:43 PM

    Leigh, I love how you related this not only to teaching, but to life in general. What great advice you got, to pay attention to one's actions rather than their words! It's important for us all to remember this, about others and ourselves. Are we acting in a way that shows what we believe in? Thank you for this thoughtful post.

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  2. LesleyJuly 5, 2020 at 9:02 PM

    I remember my lightbulb moment with Sinek -- he blew my mind and I have not been able to see the world the same way since. I hope that this stays with you well beyond this class!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Elyse PflegerJuly 11, 2020 at 12:31 PM

    I totally agree with you (and Sinek) that the "what" comes naturally if the "why" is strong. Students, especially, can see whether or not we're excited to be at school each day. What's the point of doing the "how" and the "what" if the "why" is undefined or unimportant to us? Thanks for sharing!

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