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Do you wake up in the morning energized and return home looking forward to the next day?

According to Simon Sinek, great leaders and great companies communicate to their employees a great purpose or WHY that employees and customers buy into. A great example is Apple, which has lines of evangelistic customers show up for its new product introductions. These customers have a common cause to "think differently" or "challenge the status quo."

Another is Southwest Airlines, which has empowered and prioritizes its employees, who become enthusiastic advocates of their company. Southwest Airlines is the "champion for the common man."

These customers and employees think of these companies as a "cause" to support.

In most cases, people think of companies as "what" they produce, such as General Motors as a "car and truck" company.

In other cases, companies distinguish themselves by "how" they interact with their customers, such as the customer service at Nordstrom.

Sinek describes these parts as the "Golden Circle." "What" is delivered and "How" it is delivered radiating from "Why" or the purpose of the organization or individual.

The "Why" should be actionable and descriptive of the present state, instead of being an ideal or aspirational statement. Sinek suggests the structure of a "Why" statement to be "To ________________ (contribution) so that ________________ (impact). His "Why" statement is "To inspire people to do the things that inspire them so that, together, we can change our world."

You can discover your "Why" or an organization's "Why" by sharing pivotal stories in your life or experience at the company and observing common themes in the stories. It's usually best to work with someone independent who will notice these themes and not be lost in the emotions.

The "Why" is a statement that stirs emotions and "feels right," inspiring yourself and others to take action on it every day.

If you have the desire to become a leader in your company or community and make the world a better place, Start With Why can give you a path to follow.

Buy it on Amazon: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.

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