Picture of Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek is an American author, inspirational speaker, and proponent of the "the golden circle".
Sinek is widely described as a visionary thinker with rare intellect. He is an unshakable optimist who believes in a bright vision of the future and our ability to build it together.
He envisions a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are, and end the day fulfilled by their work.
Simon may be best known for popularizing the concept of "WHY", which he described in his most famous TED Talk in 2009.
That talk has become the second most-watched TED Talk of all time, with over 50 million views, and is still in the top five. His insightful 2016 interview on millennials in the workplace, shock the world and has been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
Here are some of Simon Sinek’s quotes that have been a source of inspiration to professionals around the world over the years:
1. “It is better to disappoint people with the truth than to appease them with a
lie.”- Simon Sinek
2. “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” - Simon Sinek
3. “Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.” - Simon Sinek
4. A leader's job is not just to get the best out of their people-a leader's job is to make more leaders.”- Simon Sinek
5. When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders. - Simon Sinek
6. A team is not a group of people that work together. A team is a group of people that trust each other. - Simon Sinek
7. “It doesn’t matter when we start. It doesn’t matter where we start. All
that matters is that we start.” - Simon Sinek
8. “Leaders don’t look for recognition from others, leaders look for others to recognize.” - Simon Sinek
9. “The primary ingredient for progress is optimism. The unwavering belief that something can better drive the human race forward.” - Simon Sinek
10. “Emails get reactions. Phone calls start conversations.” - Simon Sinek
11. “Bad leaders believe that they have to project control at all times.”- Simon Sinek
12. “Let us all be the leaders we wish we had.” - Simon Sinek
13. “Henry Ford summed it up best. ‘If I had asked people what they wanted,’ he said, ‘they would have said a faster horse.” - Simon Sinek
14. “It is like when a player has a slump, we do not trade them, we coach them. It is the same with our employees. The best leaders come to the aid of their people, whose performance is down. Not come down harder on them.” - Simon Sinek
15. 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
16. When we help ourselves, we find moments of happiness. When we help others, we find lasting fulfillment. - Simon Sinek
17. Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion. - Simon Sinek
18. “At well-led companies, people talk about the strength of the values. A poorly led companies, people complain about the pay & benefits.” - Simon Sinek
19. “Under poor leaders we feel like we work for the company. With good leaders we feel like we work for each other.” - Simon Sinek
20. “Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly,
a way of communicating.” – Simon Sinek
21. “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
22. “Quality effective leaders have the confidence to trust others to try, succeed, and sometimes to fail. We very often confuse personality with leadership. In other words, leadership is not about being a nice person or not a nice person.” - Simon Sinek
23. “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” - Simon Sinek
24. The goal is not to be perfect by the end, the goal is to be better today. – Simon Sinek
25. Self-confidence is the ability to exercise restraint in the face of disrespect and still show respect in response. – Simon Sinek
26. “A star wants to see herself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around her become stars.” – Simon Sinek
27. “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” – Simon Sinek
28. “No matter when or where, always bring your ‘A-game, because you never know when it will open doors for you.” – Simon Sinek
29. “The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.” – Simon Sinek
30. “If you can clearly articulate the dream or the goal, start.” – Simon Sinek
31. “The bad leaders are the ones that push hard so they can gain, who browbeat us so that they can receive the benefit of our hard work, not so we can enjoy the success”- Simon Sinek
32. There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. – Simon Sinek
33. Dream big, start small. But most of all, start. – Simon Sinek
34. If no one ever broke the rules, then we’d never advance. – Simon Sinek
35. “If you want to feel happy, do something for yourself. If you want to feel fulfilled, do something for someone else.” – Simon Sinek
36. “A boss has the title. A leader has the people.” – Simon Sinek
37. “The more people you inspire the more people will inspire you.” – Simon Sinek
38. “The cost of leadership is self-interest.” – Simon Sinek
39. “There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.” – Simon Sinek
40. “There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak.” – Simon Sinek
41. “The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.” – Simon Sinek
42. “Time and energy. Those are the most valuable sacrifices leaders can make.” – Simon Sinek
43. “Greatness is not born from one success. Greatness is born from persevering through the countless failed attempts that preceded.” – Simon Sinek
44. If you want to achieve anything in this world, you have to get used to the idea that not everyone will like you. – Simon Sinek
45. Don’t show up to prove. Show up to improve. – Simon Sinek
46. “Too many people confuse being rich or famous with being a leader. Wealth and fame are byproducts, not qualifications to lead.” – Simon Sinek
47. “We are not victims of our situation. We are the architects of it.” – Simon Sinek
48. “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” – Simon Sinek
49. “And it's those who start with why, that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.” - Simon Sinek
50. There is a difference between working together and working in the same office. – Simon Sinek
Now that you’ve been inspired by all of these Simon Sinek quotes, Are you ready to start your business? Or check out these more powerful insights.
Starting a business in an emerging market such as Botswana can be exciting. Looking for information, knowing where to start can be a challenge. We understand that. We’re here to empower you with the tools need to start, grow and lead in the Botswana market.
