Date:Posted By:
image2018-11-9_20-29-6.png

Notes from my December 2018 reading of Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

  • pg 16 – When we have to protect ourselves from other inside the company, it keeps us from protecting our company from others outside the company.
  • pg 18 – Our bodies are wired to perceive threats and seek safety.
  • pg 20 – AS a leader, are you willing to defend the company and those in it like they were your own family? What would it take to get there? Does MCX have a place in your own identity?
  • pg 28 – Taking on a new team member is like adopting a child.  At some point they will be expected to watch over the heard.
  • pg 25 – Circle of Safety
  • pg 28 – Weak leaders don’t extend their circle of safety beyond their close friends or execs.
  • pg 29 – Results of feeling safe can’t be forced without actual safety.
  • pg 33 – Having a job we hate is bad for our health
  • pg 35 – Less control = More stress.  Whitehall study shows less stress found the further up the ladder.
  • pg 38 – Children are less affected by the time a parent is at work than by the mood they are in when they get home from work.
  • pg 51 – If you don’t write down your goals you won’t accomplish them
  • pg 58 – Group sees the one who works the hardest to help others succeed as the “alpha” or leader.
  • pg 67 – Cortisol Response – We will try to find the source of our unease (real or not). Sometimes we blame things that aren’t really the cause.
  • pg 69 – Many work in an environment where the group doesn’t care about on another so no signal of danger is given & we must fend for ourselves.
  • pg 83 – Weak leaders try to enjoy the perks of their status without fulfilling the responsibilities.
  • pg 93 – No good is done when a manager trusts the workers, but they don’t trust the manager, or vice versa.  Leaders must teach the rules & trust people to follow them.  In weak orgs people will break rules for personal gain.  In strong orgs people will break rules only for the good of the org.
  • pg 116 – The more pressure from outside to meet expectations the more likely to produce better products and services.
  • pg 119 – We want someone to lead, but we need leaders we’re willing to follow.
  • pg 121 – Principle of Abstraction.  Illustrated by the Milgram experiment where people are told to shock other people.
  • pg 131 – Law vs. Morality.  Illustrated by trusting a cheating girlfriend or boyfriend.  They didn’t break a law, but you still don’t trust them.
  • Thought – Calling people resources is a form of abstraction and kills trust.
  • pg 147 – Connecting workers with those they affect will provide motivation. How can we do this at MCX? Sharing case studies?
  • pg 149 – Money is an abstraction and has no real value to our primitive brains.  Value is in those who commit time & energy.  Money is relative, time and effort have an absolute value. 
  • pg 150 – Cell phones kill trust.
  • pg 169 – Atmosphere of collaboration through tech forums
  • pg 169 – How do leaders affect/create culture
  • pg 181 – The role of the leader is to provide an environment for people to succeed.  
  • pg 181 – Permission vs. Intent
  • pg 182 – You can’t delegate legal responsibility, relationships, or knowledge.  You CAN delegate everything else.
  • pg 182 – Real leaders resist the urge to take control
  • pg 184 – Power of light bulb analogy.  Power should be transferred from the top of the organization to the people doing the work.
  • pg 186 – Leadership depends on character not rank.
  • pg 192 – Building trust requires nothing more than telling the truth
  • pg 213 – People as resources
  • pg 234 – Performance metrics drove AOL to give away service for a sign up, but those responsible for retention couldn’t keep people subscribed because it was too cheap to quit and sign up again.
  • pg 256 – Multi-tasking slows you down. PERIOD.
  • pg 278 – Too many leaders of organization throw away the good will of the people.  How long will that last?
  • pg 279 – The struggle to make something work gives it value
  • pg 283 – Great leaders frame a challenge (or vision) outside the current resources to achieve it
  • pg 285 – We are driven by a desire to help others
  • pg 288 – Leadership is the responsibility of all who belong to the group, not just those at the top.