Simon Sinek, popular thought leader, helps USAFA find its ‘why’
Simon Sinek addresses audience in Arnold Hall. (U.S. Air Force Academy photo)
By Laurie Wilson, Nov. 3, 2017
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY — At first handshake, his grin and the twinkle of genuine curiosity in his eyes grab you. He engages immediately and makes you his focus. You know you matter. His voice cadence invites you to simply chat with him. So you quickly relax. Don’t let the casual nature fool you. You aren’t just trading small-talk with the neighbor. You’re hanging with a real thought leader.
Simon Sinek is regarded as an innovative visionary with unconventional intellectual views on cultures and human nature. An anthropologist, specifically an ethnographer, he’s devoted his life to sharing his ideas in order to help other leaders and organizations inspire beneficial action.
Sinek first spoke to the Air Force Academy at the 2015 National Character and Leadership Symposium where he connected with the audience through his spot-on description and explanation of the millennial generation.
This time, he came at the invite of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, to talk to Air Force senior leaders about building a cultural path to stronger leadership and long-term, lasting outcomes.
Sinek spent day two steeped in the Cadet Wing. It was here among the cadets that he demonstrated his passion for developing and inspiring leaders. He blew the planned itinerary schedule, patiently remaining on the stage wings afterwards, to personally speak with each waiting cadet. This spoke volumes about his commitment to inspire them to lead in great ways.
We had a few moments to visit in the green room after his Oct. 31 talk. I turned on my recorder and we simply chatted with each other, while Simon, as he prefers to be addressed, candidly let his thoughts flow.
Q: What is the most important thing you believe tomorrow’s generation of Air Force leaders need to remember as we move forward in this era of global and civil unrest?
A: I think that we have to remember that we can’t do anything significant alone. That goes for us as individuals as much as it does for the uniformed forces. You know, the uniform forces compete against each other for money and funding and yet they need each other. And we as a nation can’t do anything alone. We need others. So I think, even for individuals, our jobs, our careers, our missions, as human beings we’re just not good enough or strong enough to do things all by ourselves. We need help. I think we just need to get comfortable with asking for it and accepting it and recognizing when we need others. And that we need others.
Q: What type of leadership example do you believe those in global power during the past 30 years have had on the perceptions of today’s cadets?
A: I think future leaders – millennials and such – have the right to be cynical because they’ve grown up in a world in which selfishness has been prioritized over selflessness, where putting one’s self ahead of others has been taught to be most important, where money has been prioritized over people. So I think they are right to be cynical and I think they’re right to question the leaders that we have in all facets of our society, in business and entertainment and politics and military, you name it.
Q: Do those examples make it harder or easier for millennials to become the type of leaders that will benefit the planet and country?
A: I mean, there are good leaders everywhere, of course there are. But I think overall there’s been too much focus on the short-term over the long-term and the self over the group. And for sure that’s been exampled by the world leaders over the past 30 years. And by many things, everywhere.
Q: Address narcissism. Is it increasing due to more self-centeredness?
A: Well, narcissism is a personality disorder and I’m not qualified to diagnose whether people are narcissistic as a medical definition, but the excessive focus on self over others is a societal problem. And you know, we live in a world where social media is about promoting ourselves. There’s a great documentary called “Teenage Paparazzo” by Adrian Grenier. His entourage goes to try and explore fame and he says when people take pictures with him, it’s not that they want it with him so much but that they want a picture of themselves to show off to others. It actually isn’t really fandom as much as it is the opportunity to show off. And they want to make sure that they look good in the picture, not that he looks good in the picture. That’s a very interesting dynamic happening.
Q: It’s been said one significant drawback to a rank and file system is the practice of automatically promoting people to levels of incompetence. How could the military system incorporate these points regarding leadership that you make to ensure we develop better leaders?
A: I think the military is aware of it and I think they’re trying slowly to address it. I think the Air Force is probably very forward thinking, more than the other branches, and they are attacking it head-on. They also recognize there are intangibles that go into leadership that are hard to quantify yet should be considered in the advancement of someone’s career. It’s an imperfect system but, um, yeah, I think they are aware of that. And, they are doing something about it. It’s important. It’s definitely important.
Q: Of your three core theme messages (leaders eat last, find your “Why”, together is better), which one would you want the cadets to hold on to the tightest and incorporate the deepest into their psyche?
A: Together is better. Together is better.
Q: You touched a little previously on cynicism. How do you avoid a culture of cynicism in an institution like a military academy?
A: Well I think there’s a narrative, right? Which is, if you focus on all of the things that give one cause to be cynical, then it’s a culture of cynicism. But if you focus on the examples that give us cause to celebrate and be inspired, then you’ll create a culture of inspiration. Yes! Of course, there are always poor examples, and they should be addressed and they should be called out, but to excessively focus on them makes us cynical of everything. It’s why police are the most cynical people you’ll ever meet because all they do is meet people who break the law. Well, you know, if that’s your focus then that’s how you see the world. So, I think there’s a narrative, and we get to make our own narrative. So, perhaps some of the cynicism is well-founded, but some of it is also just a misdirected narrative.
Q: What are the differences you take into account when you address a millennial or Gen Z audience versus older generations to make your points stick?
A: My message is my message. It will strike those who agree with me and it will annoy those who disagree with me regardless of their age. To each their own.
(Author’s Note: Simon Sinek is best known for popularizing the concept of “Why” in his first Ted Talk in 2009, currently the third-most watched episode of all time on Ted.com. He ‘s the author of four best-selling books outlining how to create more positive and beneficial organizational cultures. His writing has garnered international attention and earned him invites to meet with an array of global leaders and organizations including the U.N., Congress and senior leaders at the Defense Department. Sinek is an adjunct staff member at the policy think tank, RAND Corporation.)