13. What Is Your “Why?”

December 7, 2020

This week our heroes get a bit philosophical. Tune in as Derek and Jeremy ask themselves "Why do we do what we do?" Find out what makes them roll out of bed every morning.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
– Antoine de Saint Exupéry

What motivates you to get out of bed every morning? What motivates you to keep going when times get tough? Have you ever thought about the “why” that drives your “what?” If you are one of the few who have, have you ever thought about all the ways your passion can inspire others to join you on your journey?

Simon Sinek has several books that discuss finding your “why.” Your “why” isn’t what you do, or how you do it, but what drives those things that we do every day. It’s what motivates us to keep going when things aren’t going our way.

Taking it one step further, the author Antoine de Saint Exupéry says that if you want to build a boat, don’t just find workers and give them orders, but teach them to long for the immensity of the sea.

If we want to build great software, we can’t just spin up a pod and expect great results. If we want to build great software, we need to motivate our team to want to build great software. If we can figure out how to motivate our teams to want to build great software, there’s no stopping us.

Topics:
• 00:25 – Wash your hands
• 00:55 – Simon Sinek is smart
• 01:45 – Why do we do what we do?
• 02:45 – Apple vs Others
• 04:30 – Is your organization a good fit?
• 05:20 – Why are we still here?
• 07:30 – Finding your “why” opens your options
• 08:00 – How to build a boat
• 08:32 – How does this relate to software?
• 09:49 – Finding shared a shared “why” builds a coalition
• 12:15 – Your “why” can be strengthened by your experience
• 12:50 – Your strong “why” can influence other’s “why”
• 13:00 – Influence is not about Coercion
• 13:15 – Your passion can spread
• 14:05 – You can lead without being the “leader”
• 14:29 – Your emotional intelligence matters
• 16:55 – How do we find our “why”?
• 18:00 – Now might be a good time for a reset
• 21:15 – Podcast Soulmates

Helpful Links:
Simon Sinek
Start With Why
How Great Leaders Inspire Action
How to build a boat

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