Leaders Eat Last: Why some teams pull together and some don’t?
This book is an inspiration for those who want to ‘lead’, not manage their people. Simon Sinek gives in detail, the qualities of a leader, which has inspired me personally to a great deal. Here I’m giving the key concepts of this book that will deliver to you the essence of this book.
Leaders are shelters
Simon hypothesize that Organizations can be more successful if they are led by a person who acts as a shelter for his employees. He himself faces danger for the security of his people. Employees focus on their work more when they feel secured.
Simon clarifies that leader can take benefits from his position but he must not use it for his personal gains only. He must support his people and help them in their personal growth.
Circle of Safety
“When organizations present threats from the inside the focus of the individual switches to self-preservation.”
It is mandatory to eliminate internal threat that may create a toxic environment for employees. Simon explains that safety is biological requirement for humans. Internal threats i.e. politics, backstabbing and conspiracies will make employees unable to fight with external threats. They will prefer to protect themselves from internal threats over protecting the organization from external threats. Toxic work environments will hinder employees to work efficiently. A leader must try to create a safe environment for his employees to work in.
E.D.S.O Hormones and Leadership Qualities
This book revolves around the role of these chemicals; Endorphin, Dopamine, Serotonin and Oxytocin, that how these chemicals define behavior and are responsible for leadership role.
Endorphins: Relieve pain and reduces stress
Dopamine: Released when some task is accomplished
Serotonin: Stabilizes mood
Oxytocin: Released during social bonding, also called love hormone
Selfless and Selfish Chemicals: Simon classifies Endorphins and Dopamine as ‘Selfish’ chemicals and Serotonin and Oxytocin as ‘Selfless’ chemicals.
Effect of these chemicals in leadership roles: To make things simple I may conclude from the whole discussion that Simon believes that release of selfless chemicals like Oxytocin is more important for leadership as it is responsible for social bonding and creating an environment of empathy and love for others. If you focus only on accomplishing tasks, increasing production level, it will increase the amount of Dopamine that is a ‘Selfish’ chemical, and it may create a stressful environment. He further says that in a stressful environment in which Cortisol is released which hinders the release of Oxytocin, consequently the feeling of empathy and love will be reduced which is more important for leadership.
Leadership at the Cost of Self Interest:
Simon believes that a hierarchy is necessary for proper management and to avoid conflicts. The important thing here is, all the perks and benefits of leadership are meant for the position of the leader not for the leader’s self. He has to play the role of leader, and for me the role of leader is actually ‘to sacrifice’. A leader should not serve his interests first. He should sacrifice for the interests of his people. He should face the danger to save his people. This thing gives the sense that Leaders ‘literally’ Eat Last.
Leaders Give Trust:
Leaders do not give importance to the rules more than people. In great organizations people break rules when they find it good and beneficial. They have confidence to do what is the best. This confidence comes when leaders trust their people. However, they make sure that rules are not broken for personal gains.
Leaders Develop Sense of Responsibility:
“The goal of a leader is to give no orders. Leaders are to provide direction and intent and allow other to figure out what to do and how to get there.”
Leaders make their people responsible and let them do what they can for the best results. Simon here uses a term “destructive abundance”, too much burden on employees is destructive for the organization. If they are forced to do abundant tasks, they will lose sense of responsibility and it will ultimately harm the organization.
Leaders Inspire Integrity, Friendship and Comradeship:
Leaders are not just politicians. Their integrity and high moral value make them trustworthy. They inspire people to be honest. Leaders also inspire people to develop an affinity with their workmates. They work together and achieve big things and are enabled to accomplish hard tasks together.
Becoming a Leader:
Becoming a leader is all about sacrifice, empathy and care for others. Leader is like a parent who has courage to sacrifice his/her desires for his/her child. Leader is a shelter under which people work, grow, and achieve big things.
Let Us be the Leaders:
“Let us all be the leaders we wish we had”
In fact we all should try to become like leaders. We should create a safe environment around us for other people. We should develop in us the courage to sacrifice.
How this Book Inspired Me:
Everyone has a yearning deep inside the heart to be on top, to lead others rather to be lead, so do I. In this age of materialism, these qualities, mentioned in the book, are very hard to develop but I personally would like to be like a leader sketched by Simon Sinek in Leaders Eat Last.