Inspire with why

Have you ever heard of the Golden Circle? Simon Sinek, the author of Start With Why explains that leaders such as Martin Luther King and the Wright Brothers were successful because they communicated from the inside out. They didn't just say what to do or how to something, they explained why they wanted to do something and why you should want to too. Sinek calls this process the Golden Circle.

When you get to why, your intrinsic motivations inspire you to give more than time to your endeavors. You will act with blood and sweat and tears. If you can speak to others' intrinsic motivations, you will inspire them to do the things that inspire them and according to Sinek, together, we can change the world.

As this blog focuses on membership and participation in service clubs, I thought that Sinek's TedxTalk, "How great leaders inspire action," might give you some ideas for recruiting more people to your cause.




In social media, we know that in order to get readers and followers, we have to be relevant. Our service clubs need the same mindset. There are so many causes, ideas and opportunities participating for our attention, relevance isn't always obvious and extrinsic motivations or rewards are often substituted for what is considered good behavior or actions.

If we rethink why we do the things we do and look for meaning, we'll find that we don't need external rewards. When our actions make a difference, that becomes the reward; and it feels good. I believe that we should always help others find their intrinsic motivations so they can feel good too.