http://www.edudemic.com/ted-talks-for-teachers/
Simon Sinek gives a wonderful TED Talk regarding “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. He asks how are some people successful and some are not? How is Apple continually so much more innovative than there competition? How was MLK Jr. able to be so successful in the Civil Rights Movement when there where many others with the same concerns? Sinek believes that there is a pattern, which can explain things. Sinek has codified this pattern he says. He explains that it is very simple and refers to it as “The Golden Circle”. This circle has three layers with the inner most being “Why”, the next being “How”, and finally “What”. Sinek believes that all inspiring leaders have had similar thought processes, which push them to think from the inside out. For example, Apple creates their products with a belief of challenging the status quo; they then do this by creating products that are beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. Thus people do not buy what you do but how you do it. Dell made MP3 players at one point and were qualified to do so but guess what, no one bought them. “Thus the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe” (Sinek). So, can this ideology be carried over to education? By all means, YES! As an educator we should all first and foremost know why we “do” what we “do”. We need to rally around others who believe what we believe. If someone is doing something because it is what they believe in, they will do it and give blood sweat and tears to complete the job. Students can pick up whether or not a teacher is passionate and believes in and is sincere about why they are doing their job. Educators need to focus and remember why they started teaching and always keep that belief alive. Always remember, MLK Jr. said he had a “dream”, not a “plan”. This goes to show that he was focused on the “why”, not the “what”. “There are leaders and then there are those who lead” (Sinek).
Simon Sinek gives a wonderful TED Talk regarding “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. He asks how are some people successful and some are not? How is Apple continually so much more innovative than there competition? How was MLK Jr. able to be so successful in the Civil Rights Movement when there where many others with the same concerns? Sinek believes that there is a pattern, which can explain things. Sinek has codified this pattern he says. He explains that it is very simple and refers to it as “The Golden Circle”. This circle has three layers with the inner most being “Why”, the next being “How”, and finally “What”. Sinek believes that all inspiring leaders have had similar thought processes, which push them to think from the inside out. For example, Apple creates their products with a belief of challenging the status quo; they then do this by creating products that are beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. Thus people do not buy what you do but how you do it. Dell made MP3 players at one point and were qualified to do so but guess what, no one bought them. “Thus the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe” (Sinek). So, can this ideology be carried over to education? By all means, YES! As an educator we should all first and foremost know why we “do” what we “do”. We need to rally around others who believe what we believe. If someone is doing something because it is what they believe in, they will do it and give blood sweat and tears to complete the job. Students can pick up whether or not a teacher is passionate and believes in and is sincere about why they are doing their job. Educators need to focus and remember why they started teaching and always keep that belief alive. Always remember, MLK Jr. said he had a “dream”, not a “plan”. This goes to show that he was focused on the “why”, not the “what”. “There are leaders and then there are those who lead” (Sinek).