The

Golden
Circle
Stay inspired.
Inspire others.

Imagine a world in which the vast majority of us wake up inspired, feel safe at work, and return home
fulfilled at the end of the day. We feel as though we are contributing toward something greater than
ourselves. We believe The Golden Circle can help bring us closer to this brighter world.

Discovered in 2006 by Simon Sinek, and popularized in his TED Talk and book Start With WHY, this
presentation is designed to share the concept of The Golden Circle with you, and to help you share it
with others.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

So, why is it that some organizations are able to inspire greater loyalty and engagement among their
customers and employees alike? How are they are able to achieve and sustain tremendous amounts of
success year after year? It turns out that all great and inspiring organizations think, act, and
communicate in the same way...and it happens to be the exact opposite way from everyone else. Every
single organization on the planet functions on three levels: WHAT they do, HOW they do it, and WHY
they do it. This is The Golden Circle.

The ideas The Golden Circle illustrates are certainly not new. Simon did not invent purpose. What he has
been able to do is capture this idea, that has been around for millennia, in a way that is simple, easy to
understand, and actionable. The hope is that people use and share these ideas with others so that,
together, each of us can change our world for the better.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

Every organization knows WHAT they do—these are the products it sells or the services it offers.

Oliver and Jemma here work for Strong Foundations, a construction company that specializes in building
homes. Some of their WHATs include: new builds, remodeling, additions, and residential developments.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

Some organizations know HOW they do what they do. HOWs are meant to communicate what makes us
special or sets us apart from others who do something similar. HOWs are an organization’s strengths
and guiding principles. They can also include our differentiating value proposition, proprietary process, or
unique selling proposition (USP).

For example:

Say you have two educators who teach the same subject, at the same school and for the same age
group. The content in their curriculum—their WHAT—is identical. The way in which they teach—their
HOWs—might differ.

One educator approaches the content from an analytical perspective, and the other approaches it from
an interactive and collaborative perspective. Different students will be attracted to different approaches.

While you may do or sell the same things as another organization, the way in which you deliver that
product or service is unique. Strong Foundations builds houses like many other construction companies,
but they stand out because they’re committed to using top-of-the-line materials, as well as employing
reliable and experienced team members (like Oliver and Jemma).
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

Though they know WHAT they do and HOW they do it, very few organizations can clearly
articulate WHY they do what they do.

The WHY is the purpose or belief that drives every one of us. It provides a clear answer to the
questions:

● Why do you get out of bed every morning?

Making money is NOT a WHY. Revenues, profits, salaries, and other monetary measurements
are simply results of WHAT we do. The WHY is about our contribution to impact and serve
others. The WHY inspires us.

Oliver and Jemma are like many of us in that they aren’t sure WHY they do what they do.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

People naturally communicate from the outside-in. They typically go from the easiest thing to explain or
understand to the hardest thing.

They tell people WHAT they do, tell them HOW they are different or better, and then they expect some
behavior or result, like a purchase, a vote, or support.

Here is how most organizations market and communicate:

● WHAT: This is our construction company, Strong Foundations.

The problem is that WHAT and HOW do not inspire action. Facts and figures make rational sense, but
people do not make decisions purely based on facts and figures. Starting with WHAT is what
commodities do. Starting with WHY is what leaders do. Leaders inspire.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizations with the capacity to inspire all think, act, and communicate from the inside-out. They start
with their WHY.

When they communicate their purpose or cause first, they tap into the part of the brain that influences
behavior. This is why we say they inspire.

Here’s an example with Strong Foundations again, but starting with their WHY:

● WHY: To build safe spaces for all, so that everyone can make warm memories that last a
lifetime.
● HOW: We have specialized expertise in residential buildings.
We put our customers first and only use the best materials.
● WHAT: We are a world-class construction company that doesn’t just build houses; we build
homes.

If the people at Strong Foundations actually believe in their WHY and think, act, and communicate
starting with their WHY, they will attract people who believe what they believe and who want to be a part
of their cause. If they lead from the inside-out, then Oliver, Jemma, and the other employees will feel
inspired and rally together. And that feeling always makes its way to customers.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

None of this is opinion. The concept of WHY is grounded in the tenets of biology. The Golden Circle
aligns exactly with how our brain works. A cross-section of the human brain shows that its layout
perfectly correlates with the three major components of The Golden Circle.
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Neocortex
The part of the brain responsible for
all of our rational, analytical
thoughts and language.

Limbic Brain
The part of the brain responsible for
all of our feelings, like trust and
loyalty. It’s also responsible for
behavior and decision-making, but
has no capacity for language.

The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

The outside of the brain is the neocortex, which corresponds with the WHAT level of The Golden Circle.
The neocortex is the newest brain or Homo sapien brain. It is responsible for all rational and analytical
thought. It helps us understand facts, figures, and features. The neocortex is also responsible for
language.

The middle two sections of The Golden Circle—the WHY and HOW—correspond to the middle section of
the brain, the limbic system. This is the part of the brain that drives our behavior and decision-making.
It’s also responsible for our feelings, like trust and loyalty.

But unlike the neocortex, the limbic system has no capacity for language. This is the biological reason we
sometimes find it difficult to put our feelings into words (“I love you more than words can say.”), explain
our actions (“The devil made me do it!”) or justify our decisions (“I don’t know, it just felt right.”).

This is where “gut feelings” come from. It’s not our stomach that has decision-making receptors. It’s a
feeling we get about a decision we have to make that we struggle to explain. That comes from the limbic
brain and our neocortex rationalizes the feeling, behavior, or decision in language.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

In other words, communicate from the outside-in and people can understand vast amounts of
complicated information, like features, facts, and figures. You simply won’t inspire or drive human
behavior.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

Communicate from the inside-out and you speak directly to the part of the brain that drives emotions,
behavior, and decision-making. But, if asked the reason they choose one product or service over the
other, the decision-maker often cites the features, facts, or figures. What’s the reasoning behind that?

The neocortex, the thinking part of the brain, is always trying to understand and make sense of the world.
This is the reason we think we are rational beings when we are really not. If we were, we would never
buy a product or service simply because of how it makes us feel. We would never be loyal; we would
always choose the best deal. We would never care about trust or relationships; we would only evaluate
the numbers. We know we don’t do that. We do choose one product, service, or company over another
because of the way it makes us feel.

The limbic system drives our emotions, feelings, and decision-making, but remember it has no capacity
for language. We make decisions based on the feeling generated by our limbic system and the neocortex
helps us to rationalize and communicate those decisions. This idea plays out in the difference between
repeat business and loyalty. Repeat business means that someone is willing to do business with us more
than once. It’s a transaction, or maybe even a series of transactions. There is little to no feeling
associated with this type of activity. Perhaps your prices are a little cheaper, maybe you provide some
level of convenience, or your client hates you less than the other place. As soon as one or more of those
things no longer holds true, the customer complains or leaves to meet their needs elsewhere.

Loyalty is quite different. Loyal consumers may choose to suffer some sort of inconvenience to continue
doing business with you. They will pay more, travel farther, proudly defend and champion your brand,
even if your product or service is more expensive, farther away, or somehow less convenient. From a
purely rational perspective, that doesn’t make sense. However, loyalty comes from feelings like trust,
love, and commitment (among others), which are driven by the limbic brain.
 People don’t buy
WHAT you do,

they buy WHY

—Simon Sinek

This is the reason we can say that people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. And WHAT
you do simply serves as the tangible proof of what you believe.
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Clarity of WHY
Your purpose, cause, or belief

Discipline of HOW
Your strengths, values, or guiding
principles

Consistency of WHAT
Products, services, or work roles

The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

For The Golden Circle to work properly, you must have:

1. Clarity of WHY
2. Discipline of HOW
3. Consistency of WHAT

No one section of The Golden Circle is more important than the other. The most important thing is
balance across all three.

• WHY

If you don’t know WHY you do WHAT you do, how can you expect anyone else to know? For others to
know your organization’s WHY, you must first have that clarity yourself.

• HOW

In order to bring your WHY to life, you must be disciplined in living your HOWs. You organization must
behave in ways that are aligned with your values, guiding principles, and strengths.

• WHAT

Everything you say and do must be consistent with what you believe. After all, we live in the tangible
world. The only way people will know what your organization believes is if you say and do the things you
actually believe. This is what it truly means to be authentic.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

The Golden Circle is not just a communication tool; it also provides some insight into the way great
organizations are structured. If we imagine The Golden Circle as a three-dimensional model, it’s a
top-down view of a cone. The cone illustrates how an organization functions.

● At the top of the system, representing the WHY, is a leader. The leader articulates the WHY
and points to a vision of a better future.
● The next level down, the HOW level, includes the people who are inspired by the leader’s
cause. They are willing to give their discretionary effort and to sacrifice in order to bring the
vision to life.
● The bottom of the cone is the WHAT, or the things the organization says and does that
breathe life into the WHY. They make it tangible.

An organization communicates its WHY through everything they say and do—marketing, the products
and services the company provides, and the decisions its leaders make.
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The Golden Circle for Organizations ©2021 Simon Sinek Inc. All rights reserved.

The cone also serves as a megaphone. For a message to spread, it must be loud AND clear.

Loud is easy, just drive sales or buy marketing. Clear is harder. Clear requires the leader to communicate
and exemplify the WHY as the mouthpiece of the megaphone and to cascade that communication and
action throughout the organization in a consistent way.

When an organization is clear about its purpose, its WHY, everyone—from employees to
customers—can understand it. This clarity invites everyone who interacts with the organization to
become champions of the cause, should they so choose. It can inspire people to create products,
services, solutions, and marketing that bring the WHY to life. When everything you say and do echoes
what you believe, you end up with a message that’s loud AND clear.

Strong Foundations is now clear on their WHY: To build safe spaces for all, so that everyone can make
warm memories that last a lifetime. What’s your WHY?
 Visit simonsinek.com
for more resources
to feel inspired and
to inspire those around you.

A movement only exists when people are inspired to move, to do something, to take up the cause as
their own. On behalf of Simon Sinek and the team at Simon Sinek, Inc., we thank you for progressing the
movement to inspire and living in service to others.

Inspire on!