Simon Sinek biography, quotes and books

Simon Sinek biography - Toolshero

Simon Sinek (1973) is a leadership guru, professor at Columbia University, founder of SinekPartners (Corporate Refocusing) and author. Simon Sinek is best known for popularizing the concept of the golden circle and to “Start With Why”. Simon Sinek is also an adjunct staff member of the RAND Corporation.

Who is Simon Sinek? His biography

Education

Simon Sinek earned a Bachelor’s degree (BA) in cultural anthropology from Brandeis University and he attended City University in London with the intention of becoming a barrister, but left law school to go into advertising.

Prior to co-founding Sinek Partners, Simon held lead account positions at global advertising agencies Euro/RSCG and Oglivy & Mather, both headquartered in New York City.

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While there, he developed strategic communications platforms for OppenheimerFunds, JPMorgan Chase, EchoStar’s Dish Network, MCI and Northwest Airlines, all for their ultra-competitive Asia-Pacific business.

Today Simon Sinek, together with his organization SinekPartners, teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home every day feeling fulfilled by their work. He is also known for the concept of the Golden Circle.

His unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership have attracted international attention and have earned him invitations to meet with an array of leaders and organizations, including: Microsoft (founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen), GE Silicones, AOL, New York City Ballet, Members of the United States Congress.

He is an active speaker at large conventions and corporate gatherings around the globe.

Additionally, Simon Sinek has written and commented for local and national press, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, FastCompany, CMO Magazine, NPR and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

He is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, BrandWeek, IncBizNet and makes regular guest appearances on MSNBC’s Your Business. Simon Sinek is also active in the arts and not-for-profit world, working with charity: water, an organization devoted to helping bring clean water to the over 700 million people around the world who don’t yet have it.

He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, one of America’s fastest-growing companies. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Notario Dance Company in New York City.

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Famous quotes

  1. “I try to find, celebrate and teach leaders how to build platforms that will inspire others.“
  2. “Great leaders don’t need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.”
  3. “There is no decision that we can make that doesn’t come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.”
  4. “Corporate culture matters. How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything – for better or for worse.”
  5. “Believing that your competition is stronger and better than you pushes you to better yourselves.”
  6. “Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly, a way of communicating.”
  7. “A friend is an emotional bond, just like friendship is a human experience.”
  8. “Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options.”
  9. “The trick to balance is to not make sacrificing important things become the norm.”
  10. “Money is a short-term result that incentivizes short-term decision making.”
  11. “If we were good at everything we would have no need for each other.”
  12. “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”
  13. “There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”
  14. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Publications and books of Simon Sinek

  • 2022. Understanding the power of “Why”: a mind-opening positive analysis to getting things done.‎ Independently published.
  • 2020. The Infinite Game. Penguin.
  • 2019. The infinite game. Penguin.
  • 2017. Find Your Why: A Practical Guide to Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team. Portfolio
  • 2016. Together Is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration. Portfolio.
  • 2014. Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. Portfolio Hardcover.
  • 2011. Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220491.
  • 2009. How great leaders inspire action.
  • 2009. Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Penguin Books.

How to cite this article:
Van Vliet, V. (2014). Simon Sinek. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/toolsheroes/simon-sinek/

Published on: 04/13/2014 | Last update: 03/19/2024

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Vincent van Vliet
Article by:

Vincent van Vliet

Vincent van Vliet is co-founder and responsible for the content and release management. Together with the team Vincent sets the strategy and manages the content planning, go-to-market, customer experience and corporate development aspects of the company.

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