Why is it that so few individuals are able to claim, "I love my job"? That achieving fulfilment at work is like winning the lottery and that only a select few are fortunate enough to feel appreciated and like they belong in their organisations feels unjust.
Imagine living in a society where almost everyone is motivated to work when they get up, feels respected and trusted at work, and feels satisfied when they go home.
This is not an unrealistic, idealistic thought. Great leaders are now fostering settings in many prosperous organisations where people come together spontaneously to do amazing things.
Since the release of his best-selling book Start with Why, Simon Sinek has travelled extensively and observed that some teams were able to trust one another so completely that they would really risk their lives for one another. Other teams were destined for failure, disintegration, and internal strife regardless of the incentives provided. How come?
Speaking with a general in the Marine Corps revealed the solution.
He responded, "Officers eat last."
Sinek observed as the youngest Marines went to the front of the queue to eat, while the oldest Marines sat at the rear. On the battlefield, what is symbolic in the chow hall becomes deadly serious: exceptional leaders give up their own comfort, even their own life, for the sake of those under their care.
Since the earliest hunter-gatherer cultures, this idea has been true. It's biology, not business theory. Our bodies and minds have developed to aid us in finding food, shelter, partners, and most importantly, safety. Our world has always been perilous, with foes and predators waiting around every corner. Only when we felt secure in our group did we flourish.
Although our environment has changed over the last 50,000 years, our biology has not. There is a lot of scepticism, paranoia, and self-interest in today's workplaces. But because their leaders create what Sinek refers to as a Circle of Safety that divides the safety inside the team from the external difficulties, the greatest organisations cultivate trust and collaboration.
The Circle of Safety creates cohesive, flexible, self-assured teams where all members have a sense of belonging and are fully committed to taking advantage of significant chances and defeating the shared adversary.
Similar to his work in Start with Why, Sinek uses engaging actual tales from a variety of contexts—such as the military, manufacturing, government, or investment banking—to highlight his points.
The biology is obvious: leaders who are prepared to do without when it counts most are rewarded with very devoted subordinates who will do whatever it takes to further their leader's goals and the objectives of their company. It works very well.