Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

No institution has been "managed" out of a crisis.

Leadership is placing the needs and service of their followers above their own.

(Tao Te Ching says this too; "the sage stands behind.")

Organizations which place value on individuals survive good and bad times.

"If your actions inspire others to dream, do, and inquire more, you are a leader."

Prioritizing the wellbeing of the minions.

Having empathy for the workers is required to elevate jobs above simple work.

Environments which match the environment humans evolved to survive have higher performance; they feel safe inside the tribe and competitive with the outsid world.

80% of employees are dissatisfied with their jobs

Circle of Safety: when people feel safe within their working group--the group is not part of the world's threats.

Circles of safety must extend the entire organization for maximum benefit.

Weak leaders only include senior management in the circle of safety.

Whitehall Studies: workers do not feel stressed by a job, but by the amount of control exerted over them. And the imbalance of reward for work given.

A third of employees would like to leave their jobs but do not.

Applying internal pressure is a common tactic by leaders but could be counterproductive. People work harder when they feel like they belong.

Constant stressers (a lack of circle of safety, hostile office politics, etc) contribute to cortisol in the employees.

Cortisol inhibits oxytocin; preventing bonding with coworkers.

Mass firing puts employees in to self-preservation (siege mindset.)

Barry-Wehmiller: put everyone in the company on mandatory 4-weeks of unpaid leave, for all positions including executives, rather than layoffs.

Rules are to ensure daily, normal operations go smoothly. Expertise is knowing when to break them.

The more "analysts" a company reports to the less patents are ultimately filed and the less impact the patents have.

Focus on metrics and performance instead of people, character, and values, tends to destroy social fabric and lead to feckless management and employees.

Managers who insist on performance-based bonuses but still expect golden parachute when they leave a company in disgrace.

The more the leader focuses on their own wealth and power--the more they become a tyrant.

The goal of a leader is to give no orders; only direction and intent.

morale is put first, productivity follows. if people feel good they will do a good job. costco succeeds because they treat their employees well and shareholder price follows suit.

leaders eat last #book lifeguards who read stories about how other life guards saved lives were more motivated than hearing about how the job could help themselves. people want to see the difference their job makes, and just being told how important their job is by management does not mean very much.

costco hires from within and not from business school; hoping the culture that benefited the bottom employee is appreciated and continued on their way to management