April's book is Start With Why by Simon Sinek, and we'll be following his weekly Q&As on YouTube, where he's going through the book one part at a time.
Whilst Simon does talk about the book, he also talks about facing these uncertain Covid-19 quarantine times.
I found the book a slow start, despite the hype and success it continues to receive sine its publication over ten years ago, although Sinek was clever enough to hook me in by testing my assumptions. We all believe we know best, or are at least quick to apply or previous knowledge to a situation. Sinek proves the flaw in that very swiftly and elegantly.
Sinek looks at some cases of successful businesses that have been driven by their "Why" and others that have failed because of their flawed assumptions. He talks about GM Motors in the US used a rubber mallet to make the doors close properly once they'd been fitted, whereas Japanese manufacturers planned to have the doors fit perfectly from the off. He contrasts the reactive actions of GM Motors to the careful planning of the Japanese engineers, borne out of their Why.
Other examples include Nokia and Motorola who - once upon a time - made successful mobile phones, but finally tried to sell them as devices tech spec (a What, not a Why), whilst Apple were dominating with their lifestyle Why-driven iPhone.
He talks about how Colgate now have so many different types of toothpaste (32 at the time of publication) that they had to launch a website to help consumers choose one. They, like Motorola and Nokia, were too busy using novelty; fluoride, stripes, whitening crystals, thinner, lighter, faster processor, more buttons... all whats; to sell more products.
Over this week, we'll be reading part two; The Golden Circle of Why, How and What, and joining Simon's YouTube live Q&A on Friday night.
You too can read along on the #StayAtHome Book Club Discord server. You don't have to be reading Start With Why as there are channels for discussing whatever you're reading. It's a place to share and motivate one another, and everyone is welcome!May's #StayAtHome Book Club book will be Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
May's #StayAtHome Book Club read will be 'Reasons to Stay Alive' by @matthaig1— The Last Palabra podcast (@TheLastPalabra) April 7, 2020
You can join us on the Discord server: https://t.co/nggADrbfz0 pic.twitter.com/ykKIGBUdia
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