Context Builds Connection

In Portugal, I finally sat down to read Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why.

Sinek gave one of the top 25 more popular TED talks. He spoke about how the most successful brands and change-makers get people on board by leading with their WHY, the reason they are in business as opposed to leading with what they do.

He is one of the two people most frequently referenced when I talk about my work, which is helping artists and purpose-driven entrepreneurs find their authentic voice. I also believe that stories build around one’s motivation and intention to move others into action. 

But while I had watched his TEDx talk many times, I had never read his book.

So, finally, the book came through on my Libby app (where I get my library eBooks) and I made time to read it before it disappeared.

HERE IS MY BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY…

The purpose of his entire book is to build context.

There are hints of how to use a why but no strategy or exercises on how to find the why. 

Because our why is often buried deep under societal, family, and personal expectations.

Not only that, but through working with clients I’ve also discovered that our artistic or entrepreneurial why often feels in conflict with our personal and/or our audience why.

And while I love Sinak’s TED talk I had a hard time reading his book.

The entire book was building an argument for why starting with why, your reason, purpose, passion, is important for long-term success in a large corporate business.

So the examples he used in his book were of white male CEOs, war strategies and mega-corporations that do not relate to me as a purpose-driven entrepreneur.

I wasn’t his audience. And I didn’t need as much convincing, I would have preferred to ‘get to the good stuff,’ the strategy, which never came.

But I’m sure his audience needed all of this convincing because their walls of resistance to starting with passion would be 10x thicker because of the conditioning from Wall Street, their board of directors, business gurus, and other CEOs with who they spend their time with.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT.

What this made me realize is the importance that context plays in sharing one’s work, especially for artists and purpose-driven entrepreneurs.

As a teacher, I love to jump in and share my ideas. But I’ve realized over time that people can’t hear them until they understand the logic that came before. We need to give our audiences context.

WE USE CONTEXT TO INSPIRE PEOPLE.

I see this as the ripple of whys.

I believe in X. I came to believe in X because of Y. I learned of Y because of W. etc.

This is the way most TED talks themselves are structured. The speakers take us on a journey of how they discovered their big idea.

The experience of reading his book brought this home at a deep level.

CONTEXT BUILDS CONNECTION.

Because artists and purpose-driven entrepreneurs are sharing ideas and solutions that go against the grain. They potentially go against the grain of societal norms or understandings, of individual beliefs, and or

You need to take the time to explain your whys and go back and back until you find that point of connection, that aha reaction from our audience, and only then bring them forward.

This is where things get interesting. 

SHARING CONTEXT IS NOT OUR NORMAL IMPULSE, AND IT TAKES TIME.

Many times, what you want to share is as easy as going to an exhibition or changing one habit.

Once people show up or try the practice or product, they will be interested, feel intrigued, gain benefits that will improve their life in some tangible way.

Yet, getting them to make the decision might take more words, more time, more creative output than the work you are sharing.

Sinek did a top-rated TED talk, then wrote a book, and does speaking engagements around the world.

He has an idea that can change the way corporations are run, how they positively impact employees, customers, even the planet.

But are the few people he is targeting following his advice? Are CEOs rushing to implement his strategy?

A few.

There is no mass corporate make-over because of Sinak’s work.

IN FACT, SHARING CONTEXT MIGHT TAKE MORE TIME THAN IMPLEMENTING THE IDEA YOU WANT TO SHARE.

We know exercise creates better health and saves lives but people still resist exercising.

We know the same about eating healthy.

Knowledge is not the issue.

Time is not the issue.

The feelings that come up when we think about making change, that is the issue.

The context when told through story, has the power to break through resistance.

We all know so much but we need the context, reassurance, reasons and inspiration to act upon what we know. 

The context connects us to the idea.

CONNECTION LEADS TO CONVERSION.

In this sense, when people feel connected to the idea, they are more apt to try it.

If they feel connected to the topic of the exhibition, they are more apt to schedule time to attend. 

If they feel connected to a piece of art, they are more apt to purchase it.

If they feel connected to an idea, they are more apt to try implementing that idea.

If you look back at the major decisions in your life, you can probably see this pattern.

When I tried to be a vegetarian even though I loved hamburgers and pepperoni pizza at the time, it is because a friend who was vegetarian told me about the time when she was at her grandparent’s farm looking for her favorite lamb and it had disappeared and became dinner.

When I decided to try bike camping even though I had never camped and hated being dirty, it was because I couldn’t afford to take vacations and when biking with friends on all-day adventures which I didn’t want to end, I learned about bike camping and thought I could at least try.

CREATING CONTEXT. 

I read Start With Why already having a strategy to help artists and purpose-driven entrepreneurs to find their why.

I also knew the value of having a why based on my own journey.

But what I learned is the importance of sharing the ripple of whys. And the importance of sharing one’s why more than inside a program.

So I am planning to change up my content strategy.

All the places where in my courses I hear people saying, aha, I get it, that makes sense.

Those are the pieces I’ll share with you.

And if you can learn and run with these ideas, that is wonderful. We need more of your work in the world.

Also, I know that getting it and taking action are very different.

And I realize if you ‘get it’ before entering my courses or coaching, our process together will be much faster.

The time we spend together will be focused on helping you implement and take action, rather than about teaching. 

And I love seeing results!

SO FOR YOU, SHARE YOUR CONTEXT.

Tell people why you are doing what you are doing, why you believe what you believe, and what inspires you.

Tell people why you see the world the way you do, and why you do things the way you do.