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Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t

I am on a quest. It is to replace the word “management” with leadership in anything that has to do with people. Simon Sinek speaks the same language. In Leaders Eat Last, his premise is simple--every employee wants to feel valued, trusted and have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I would agree with Sinek. Wouldn’t you as well?

You manage budgets, projects, and costs, but you lead people. Management seeks to put everybody in simple, neat little bundles. That way you can manage them better. Question is, do you like to be managed? Does anyone?

And that is the disconnect. As “managers”, we believe people are fulfilled, happy, almost robotic. We see them as part of a system, not as Phillip or Danesha. We believe it because we want to believe it, because not believing it is messy. Leaders know their people, and know that dealing with them is messy. Leaders want the best for their people, and often eat last, as the title suggests.

Leaders Eat Last explores the role of biochemistry of leadership. Sinek explains how leaders who have and communicate a sense of purpose and involvement to their people encourage the release of social chemicals in the body. These chemicals, such as dopamine or endorphins, induce a feeling of well-being. Sinek uses this background to describe the steps a leader takes in changing mindsets: from going through the motions to engagement; letting things happen to making them happen.

Simon is one of my favorite authors. He is always on point. If you have read “Start with Why”, you know why. His TED-x talk in 2009 is a real classic. I hope you enjoy this book.

Author:

Simon Sinek

Publisher:

Portfolio

Published:

2014

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