The “WHY” and the “WHO”
Today I had a chance to coach one of my clients, let’s call him Charlie. Charlie is a serial entrepreneur, who is working to bring in and innovative wearable technology to help maximize engagement at a networking event.
And as I asked him to give me his pitch he proceeded to do what, in my experience, most entrepreneurs and, I would argue, most business professionals do, when asked to talk about their business. Charlie launched into a description of “WHAT” he does and “HOW” he was going to do it. Or more specifically, he launched into a description of “WHAT” his company does and “HOW” they were going to do it.
As I patiently listened to his pitch, which lasted about five minutes, I realized that here is where I could make the most impact.
When he finished I asked him, “Charlie, how did that feel?”
Charlie paused, then said, “It felt Ok.”
“Did it feel engaging for you, did it feel fun and exciting?”
“No,” he said.
“Would you like to know why?” I asked him.
He nodded, “yes”.
It is at that moment that I felt I had the most power to engage him. For it is not the knowledge that someone like Charlie tries to share that makes the difference. It is ultimately the engagement of the heart. It’s an authentic story, which is told with a clear purpose, which engages the hearts and minds of the audience, in order to ignite their thirst for knowledge.
And so, I told him about the “WHO” and the “WHY”. Readers might be familiar with a book, Start with Why by Simon Sinek. In it, he very eloquently argues the questions of “WHAT”, “HOW” and “WHY” are usually taken up by entrepreneurs and business professionals and humans in general in the reverse order of “WHAT” is effective. Focusing on “WHAT” needs to be done and “HOW” to do it. And while I agree with him on the concept, I believe that the questions are actually missing one. And that is the “WHO”. So the “WHY” and the “WHO” are some of the post important questions one can ask, for the “HOW” and the “WHAT” does not inspire confidence and just creates arguments. But even more so, the “HOW” and the “WHAT” is not just uninspiring to those “WHO” listen. As Charlie has experienced, it’s uninspiring to the speaker as well.
So I ask you, how can one inspire someone, when they are not inspired themselves?
I have faced this very same challenge myself when I was fundraising for my company, Fitness Arch. And I realized that no matter how much I talk about the features and benefits, or the numbers, the connection was lost. What I realized then, is that building a strong enough “WHY”, the pain of “WHAT” is at stake, the opportunity cost and the story behind it has incredible power. In fact, it is the only power that human beings can yield without ever using a tool, and it’s the most powerful tool we have. In fact, it is the tool that made me a speech coach.
Now, the “WHY” is the story. So I asked Charlie, “When was it that you, personally experienced this problem?”
Then he told me about the event that he had attended just a few months ago where he paid $13,000 for an even that ultimately he did not get value out of. A smile spread upon his face. He clearly understood the “WHY”.
As we worked through, I mentioned to him that, aside from “WHY”, the next big questions is the “WHO”. For I believe that when you have strong enough “WHY” you will attract the right “WHO”. So I told him to talk about the people that he engaged with using names and quotes, as well as to talk about his team and the people who make up the success quotient in his organization. Charlie was able to see that the “WHY”, the opportunity cost and the story that demonstrates it drives the conversation and the “WHO”, building around that story a loyal group of managers, investors, customers, is the critical piece in creating a successful entrepreneurial startup.
I also believe this is a critical part of building any business or making any dream a reality.
Take the advice of Simon Sinek and Start with “WHY”. But build a story around it that is so engaging and so authentic that it builds around it the right “WHO”. The “HOW” and the “WHAT” will follow.
SPEAK with Power
Leo Novsky
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