The Optimism We All Need Right Now with Simon Sinek

Oprah Winfrey (0:01)

This episode of The Oprah Podcast is presented by our partner, Geico.

I'm so excited to welcome to the Tea House, Mr. Optimism himself, Simon Sinek. So you have truly changed the culture because we're now all familiar with the phrase of what is your why? What is the key to finding your why?

Simon Sinek (0:23)

This is how I help people find their why. I look at the past and I find the times where, for whatever reason, they were in flow.

They loved what they were doing no matter how hard it was. We can actually define, we can see that pattern and that is the why.

SPEAKER_3 (0:37)

I'm just feeling like I'm stuck in a cage and I have the key. What should my guiding question or my guiding light be?

Simon Sinek (0:44)

So I think task number one is you're asking yourself the wrong question, which is not what should I be doing next, but who do I want to be doing the thing next with?

Oprah Winfrey (0:53)

That's so key. I saw your lightbulb moment right there. I saw your big aha.

Hi, everybody, and a warm welcome. I'm really happy to be with you here on The Oprah Podcast. We know that there is a lot, a lot of anxiety going on with so many people, and what some say is an existential angst around jobs and around careers these days. Maybe you or your loved one has a feeling of disruption and unease. When you think about it, here's the truth. It's been most of our adult lives and waking hours at work and for some even a few more hours a day just getting to and from their jobs. On this episode of the podcast, we're asking this question, how can you feel more energized, more engaged? How can you feel more optimistic about work? And so I'm so excited to welcome to The Tea House, Mr. Optimism himself, Simon Sinek. Simon Sinek's landmark New York Times bestseller, Start with Why, transformed how leaders, entrepreneurs and employees think, inspiring so many people to shift their focus from what they do to why they do it. Simon brought this revolutionary concept to life with his TED Talk, which went viral and now ranks as the fourth most watched TED Talk of all time, with more than 90 million views.

Simon Sinek (2:21)

Why, how, what? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren't.

Oprah Winfrey (2:31)

Self-described as an unshakable optimist, Simon has continued to inspire people throughout the world with his organization, the Optimism Company, his podcast, A Bit of Optimism, and his most recent New York Times bestsellers, Leaders Eat Last and The Infinite Game.

It's hard to believe this is the first time we're sitting down together. First time, yeah. How did that happen?

Simon Sinek (2:53)

I mean, I blame you, but it's wonderful to be here, and it is surprising because you and I have a very similar worldview.

Oprah Winfrey (3:00)

Yes, very similar worldview.

Simon Sinek (3:02)

Which is we believe in the goodness of people, and we believe in sort of striving towards that. It's nice to finally be here.

Oprah Winfrey (3:08)

Yes, and you've written so many books. Your first book, Start with Why, sold over three million copies. Your Ted Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, is one of the most popular of all time. But you know what is so fascinating to me about, because this book is now 15 years old, 16 years old now.

Simon Sinek (3:27)

It's coming on 16, 17 years old now, yeah.

Oprah Winfrey (3:30)

16, 17 years old, and the golden circle that you introduced in Start with the Why applies now as it applied 16 years ago, as it will apply 16 years from now. Can you explain the golden circle for the 10 people who haven't heard it?

Simon Sinek (3:48)

Very simply, every single one of us knows what we do. It's the jobs we have, it's the things we do, right?

I'm a doctor, I'm a consultant, I'm a barista, like this is what I do. Yeah, some people know how they do it. These are the things that we think make us stand out or make us better than somebody else who does, also does what we do. But very, very few people can clearly articulate why they do what they do, that deep-seated purpose, cause or belief. And what I discovered is that the best leaders, everybody from Martin Luther King to Steve Jobs, every single one of them thinks, acts and communicates the exact same way. And it's the complete opposite to most other people. And every single one of them starts with why.