Simon Sinek
“The primary ingredient for progress is optimism. The unwavering belief that something can be better drives the human race forward.”
- TED Talk Start with Why (60+ million views) and interview on millennials (100+ million views)
- Author Start with Why, Leaders Eat Last & The Infinite Game
- Podcast A bit of Optimism
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect”, Simon Sinek is an unshakable optimist who believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. He envisions a world where the vast majority of people wake up every single morning feeling inspired, safe, and fulfilled by the work they do.
As a trained ethnographer, Sinek is fascinated by the people and organizations that make the greatest and longest lasting impact. Over the years, he has discovered some remarkable patterns about how they think, act, and communicate, and also the environments in which people operate at their best.
Sinek may be best known for his TED Talk on the concept of “WHY”, which has been viewed over 60 million times, and his video on millennials in the workplace — which reached 80 million views in its first week and has gone on to be seen hundreds of millions of times.
Sinek’s unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership have attracted international attention, and he has met with a broad array of leaders and organizations in nearly every industry. He frequently works with different branches of the US Armed Forces and agencies of the US government, and is an adjunct staff member with the RAND Corporation — one of the most highly regarded think tanks in the world.
Sinek is the author of several bestselling books, including the global bestseller Start with Why and New York Times bestsellers, Leaders Eat Last and The Infinite Game. In partnership with Penguin Random House, Sinek publishes works by other inspiring thinkers and doers through his imprint, Optimism Press. He is also the host of the podcast, A Bit of Optimism, and the founder of The Optimism Company, a leadership learning and development agency.
In addition, Sinek is active in the arts and with not-for-profit work, or what he likes to call the for-impact sector. In 2021, he founded The Curve, a diverse group of forward-thinking chiefs and sheriffs committed to reforming modern policing from the inside-out. Their purpose is to build a profession dedicated to protecting the vulnerable from harm while advancing a vision of a world in which all people feel justice is administered with dignity, equity, and fairness.
Simon Sinek in quotes:
“Good leaders share the credit when things go well and take responsibility when things go badly.”
“Vision is the ability to talk about the future with such clarity, it is as if we are talking about the past.”
“Don’t show up to prove. Show up to improve.”
“If no one ever broke the rules, then we’d never advance.”