According to Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, the great leaders and organizations of the world, like Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright Brothers, all think, act and communicate in the exact same way. It helped them make groundbreaking changes, it’s the complete opposite of what most people expect, and it’s actually not that hard to do. Sinek’s 18-minute Ted talk gives a convincing overview of his findings and is worth checking out for students, teachers, counselors and parents. For now, here are two of his takes with my college admissions corollaries:
Simon’s take: People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
My college admissions corollary: If you’re taking challenging classes and committing to activities so you can get into a prestigious college, that’s not a “why” most colleges will be excited to buy.
Simon’s take: There are leaders, and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority. But those who lead inspire us. Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to.
My college admissions corollary: You don’t need a leadership position to lead people. Start by caring about something enough to get other people to join you. If you care about your softball team enough to organize trips to see your local collegiate team play, get going! People who care enough like you do will happily join in.