The Way To Lead — Connect Why To How
The Way To Lead — Connect Why To How
The Way To Lead — Connect Why To How
The Way To Lead — Connect Why To How
The late Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders have successfully led with their core beliefs in the spotlight — allowing their beliefs to define their “why” and guide their “how.” Connecting their purpose to their practice has enabled Jobs and Sanders to extend their impact far beyond the confines of their respective organizations and areas of expertise.
What sets successful leaders and organizations apart?
Well led organizations connect their “why” to their "how.” Organizations that accomplish great things extend their purpose or “why” to the way they operate and “how” they do everything. This requires incredible alignment in everything an organization thinks and does — their reason for being and core beliefs feed all major goals and strategies.
The late Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders have successfully led with their core beliefs in the spotlight — allowing their beliefs to define their “why” and guide their “how.” Connecting their purpose to their practice has enabled Jobs and Sanders to extend their impact far beyond the confines of their respective organizations and areas of expertise.
While the organizations and personalities of Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders are very different, they both began their biggest challenges with the end in mind and have allowed their beliefs to guide them, even in the face of their biggest obstacles.
Steve Jobs — Think Different
Steve Jobs led Apple this way. He saw a major gap in the way computers were being designed versus what he thought was possible, and he believed Apple could provide the technology people needed most by revolutionizing an industry. He led by wondering what was possible, pushing back against the status quo, and convincing others to believe what was possible. Think Different was the “why” of Apple and every single major strategy and process — every “how” — followed Apple’s core belief.
Perhaps nothing summarizes Jobs’ and Apple’s beliefs better than the unforgettable commercial from 1997. After a 11 year hiatus, Jobs’ returned to the company he founded and believed the first thing he needed to do was to get Apple's “why” and “how” back on track. At the celebration of Job’s life at Apple in 20011 they played the version of the commercial he narrated.
Transcript: “Here's to the crazy ones — the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
In hindsight we can see just how prophetic these words were. Steve Jobs, with the help of Apple, did in fact change the world because he was crazy enough to believe he could. Commonly referred to as Steve Jobs’ manifesto, nothing summarizes his leadership better than this commercial. Steve had other beliefs too. These beliefs included:
- Jobs believed he was special. He believed he was chosen. This belief led Apple to break down many barriers in technology.
- Jobs believed in the fundamental power of belief itself — he believed that he could do almost anything he set his mind to, and he believed others could too.
- Jobs believed you should live every day as if it is your last. “If you live every day as your last, eventually you will be right.” Death was a motivator for Jobs.
And, while it is true that Jobs’ beliefs changed the world, some of his beliefs and the way he carried them out also had extreme downsides. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Steve Job’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, did not shy away from speaking into the deficiencies in Job’s leadership.
“He could be very mean to people at times, and, whether it was to a waitress in a restaurant or to a guy who had stayed up all night coding, he could just really just go at them and say, “You're doing this all wrong; it's horrible.” And you'd say, “Why did you do that? Why weren’t you nicer?” And he'd say, “I really want to be with people who demand perfection, and this is who I am… “At the root of this reality distortion was Jobs’ belief that he was special and chosen and that the rules didn’t apply to him. He has a Mercedes Benz with no license plate. He felt the normal rules shouldn’t apply to him. He had everyday acts of rebellion that showed he was a little bit different — like parking in handicap spots. He never wanted to succumb to authority.”
By connecting his core beliefs to the everyday work happening at Apple, Steve Jobs changed the world. However, as evidenced by the quote above, the leadership of Steve Jobs was plagued with problems that were deeply rooted in his personality and beliefs. As we consider his leadership it is imperative to understand that some people who followed Steve Jobs flourished and others did not.
Deion Sanders — My Kids Play (and stay) For Me
Deion Sander is an extraordinary coach making headlines today with his beliefs and his approach to football. ESPN reports, “Colorado had been the story of the season through two weeks, with Sanders proudly announcing he was keeping receipts on all the doubters.” And, in a recap from the recent showdown with Colorado State, ESPN also reports, “Shedeur [one of his two sons on the team] engineered a drive to cap regulation that will live in Colorado mythology for generations now… Overtime inexplicably began with Colorado winning the toss and still getting the ball first in OT, flouting conventional wisdom. Why? Because Colorado isn't beholden to the rules that govern the rest of mankind. Shedeur found the end zone twice more in extra frames and delivered a ridiculous pass for a two-point conversion in the second OT. In the end, the Buffs won 43-35 because that is the only way this could've ended.”
Sanders is the talk of college football because he is leading with his beliefs, and he isn’t afraid to tell you about them. In a recent interview with 60 minutes, Sanders had his beliefs on full display. These beliefs include:
- Deion believes who you are coached by matters more than the university you play for. “My kids play for me… they didn't choose a university, they chose me — that's the difference. It is my job to make sure I have what we need to win.”
- Deion believes, “To be great, you have to be resilient.” And, certainly they have been resilient, never giving up, fighting all the way through 2 overtimes. The team is following their coach and their beliefs impact how they approach every play.
- Deion makes clear he believes in God, in Jesus, and the grace Jesus provides. He often quotes parts of scripture and refers to the Bible. Yet, like all of us, he does not always extend grace to others and fails to approach situations with humility.
- Deion believes in giving your all today. “Stop saving yourself and give life your all. You're not giving today all you got, you're not all in and you're not emptying yourself completely. Let's go baby because Tomorrow ain't promised but today is here.”
Connecting these core beliefs to the football field, recruiting strategies, and team meetings has enabled Deion Sanders to achieve what was once believed to be impossible. Whether you love him or hate him, the effect Sanders has had on the University of Colorado is undeniable.
Like Steve Jobs, Deion Sanders is an extraordinary example of how to lead with your core beliefs. And, while Sanders' beliefs have propelled him to the top of college football, Sanders’ leadership is not without flaw.
Deion often points to himself as the solution, even as the greatest coach in college football. When asked who is the best coach in college football, Deion said, “Let me get a mirror so I can look at him”. Similarly, when asked whether he is the ultimate change agent, Deion responded by saying, “I make a difference… I make folks nervous, man, I get them thinking and second guessing. Have you ever been so clean that you walked in and somebody looked down at you then they looked at themselves and they had to check themselves because you were so clean? I have that effect.”
Sanders made similar claims before he bolted from Jackson State University to Colorado. Some fans and players who were left behind at Jackson State feel betrayed.
Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders are extraordinary examples of leadership. They both have achieved success, as defined by their beliefs. Both have been recognized and receive glory from many admirers. And, in pursuit of what they believed, both have caused various levels of damage.
Both men have an extreme focus on the here and now.
Jesus — I Am The Way
Jesus, the greatest leader the world has ever known, perfectly connected His why to how He did everything. He always extended His core beliefs to the way He led others. Everything Jesus believed, said, and did was for the glory of God (John 12:23-28). He always focused people on living an abundant life lasting far beyond the here and now (John 10:10). Some of the beliefs that influenced Jesus’ leadership the most include:
- Jesus believed He was the Son of God, sent by His Father to save people from their sins. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Jesus connected this belief to His leadership by constantly extending invitations for people to believe in Him.
- Jesus believed in laying down His rights and serving others. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28). We observe how this belief impacted Jesus’ leadership when we read how He repeatedly invited people to join Him by laying down their rights and privileges to serve others.
- Jesus believed in seeking and following the will of His Father. “Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” (John 7:18). Jesus never did anything inconsistent with the will of the Father. Jesus’ example of following the will of the Father serves as the perfect example for how we should live and work. Jesus even invites us to pray, “Thy kingdom come they will be done.”
- Jesus believed in love. His “why” and “how” were and are love, and Jesus displayed this love in everything He taught and accomplished. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 13:12-14). Jesus loved us perfectly in His life, death, and resurrection so that we could live with Him forever.
Jesus offers us His life to believe what He believed, live how He lived, and enjoy a life that never ends by becoming perfectly loved and connected to the Father (John 15:9 & John 17:21). This is an invitation we should accept. This is an invitation to live an abundant life now, not something that can wait for later.
Jesus has given us the opportunity to accept and believe our true why and to connect our how to the same beliefs as His — transforming the way we lead so others can know The Way of Jesus and live forever in glory.
Resources
Worksheet: View and download
What sets successful leaders and organizations apart?
Well led organizations connect their “why” to their "how.” Organizations that accomplish great things extend their purpose or “why” to the way they operate and “how” they do everything. This requires incredible alignment in everything an organization thinks and does — their reason for being and core beliefs feed all major goals and strategies.
The late Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders have successfully led with their core beliefs in the spotlight — allowing their beliefs to define their “why” and guide their “how.” Connecting their purpose to their practice has enabled Jobs and Sanders to extend their impact far beyond the confines of their respective organizations and areas of expertise.
While the organizations and personalities of Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders are very different, they both began their biggest challenges with the end in mind and have allowed their beliefs to guide them, even in the face of their biggest obstacles.
Steve Jobs — Think Different
Steve Jobs led Apple this way. He saw a major gap in the way computers were being designed versus what he thought was possible, and he believed Apple could provide the technology people needed most by revolutionizing an industry. He led by wondering what was possible, pushing back against the status quo, and convincing others to believe what was possible. Think Different was the “why” of Apple and every single major strategy and process — every “how” — followed Apple’s core belief.
Perhaps nothing summarizes Jobs’ and Apple’s beliefs better than the unforgettable commercial from 1997. After a 11 year hiatus, Jobs’ returned to the company he founded and believed the first thing he needed to do was to get Apple's “why” and “how” back on track. At the celebration of Job’s life at Apple in 20011 they played the version of the commercial he narrated.
Transcript: “Here's to the crazy ones — the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
In hindsight we can see just how prophetic these words were. Steve Jobs, with the help of Apple, did in fact change the world because he was crazy enough to believe he could. Commonly referred to as Steve Jobs’ manifesto, nothing summarizes his leadership better than this commercial. Steve had other beliefs too. These beliefs included:
- Jobs believed he was special. He believed he was chosen. This belief led Apple to break down many barriers in technology.
- Jobs believed in the fundamental power of belief itself — he believed that he could do almost anything he set his mind to, and he believed others could too.
- Jobs believed you should live every day as if it is your last. “If you live every day as your last, eventually you will be right.” Death was a motivator for Jobs.
And, while it is true that Jobs’ beliefs changed the world, some of his beliefs and the way he carried them out also had extreme downsides. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Steve Job’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, did not shy away from speaking into the deficiencies in Job’s leadership.
“He could be very mean to people at times, and, whether it was to a waitress in a restaurant or to a guy who had stayed up all night coding, he could just really just go at them and say, “You're doing this all wrong; it's horrible.” And you'd say, “Why did you do that? Why weren’t you nicer?” And he'd say, “I really want to be with people who demand perfection, and this is who I am… “At the root of this reality distortion was Jobs’ belief that he was special and chosen and that the rules didn’t apply to him. He has a Mercedes Benz with no license plate. He felt the normal rules shouldn’t apply to him. He had everyday acts of rebellion that showed he was a little bit different — like parking in handicap spots. He never wanted to succumb to authority.”
By connecting his core beliefs to the everyday work happening at Apple, Steve Jobs changed the world. However, as evidenced by the quote above, the leadership of Steve Jobs was plagued with problems that were deeply rooted in his personality and beliefs. As we consider his leadership it is imperative to understand that some people who followed Steve Jobs flourished and others did not.
Deion Sanders — My Kids Play (and stay) For Me
Deion Sander is an extraordinary coach making headlines today with his beliefs and his approach to football. ESPN reports, “Colorado had been the story of the season through two weeks, with Sanders proudly announcing he was keeping receipts on all the doubters.” And, in a recap from the recent showdown with Colorado State, ESPN also reports, “Shedeur [one of his two sons on the team] engineered a drive to cap regulation that will live in Colorado mythology for generations now… Overtime inexplicably began with Colorado winning the toss and still getting the ball first in OT, flouting conventional wisdom. Why? Because Colorado isn't beholden to the rules that govern the rest of mankind. Shedeur found the end zone twice more in extra frames and delivered a ridiculous pass for a two-point conversion in the second OT. In the end, the Buffs won 43-35 because that is the only way this could've ended.”
Sanders is the talk of college football because he is leading with his beliefs, and he isn’t afraid to tell you about them. In a recent interview with 60 minutes, Sanders had his beliefs on full display. These beliefs include:
- Deion believes who you are coached by matters more than the university you play for. “My kids play for me… they didn't choose a university, they chose me — that's the difference. It is my job to make sure I have what we need to win.”
- Deion believes, “To be great, you have to be resilient.” And, certainly they have been resilient, never giving up, fighting all the way through 2 overtimes. The team is following their coach and their beliefs impact how they approach every play.
- Deion makes clear he believes in God, in Jesus, and the grace Jesus provides. He often quotes parts of scripture and refers to the Bible. Yet, like all of us, he does not always extend grace to others and fails to approach situations with humility.
- Deion believes in giving your all today. “Stop saving yourself and give life your all. You're not giving today all you got, you're not all in and you're not emptying yourself completely. Let's go baby because Tomorrow ain't promised but today is here.”
Connecting these core beliefs to the football field, recruiting strategies, and team meetings has enabled Deion Sanders to achieve what was once believed to be impossible. Whether you love him or hate him, the effect Sanders has had on the University of Colorado is undeniable.
Like Steve Jobs, Deion Sanders is an extraordinary example of how to lead with your core beliefs. And, while Sanders' beliefs have propelled him to the top of college football, Sanders’ leadership is not without flaw.
Deion often points to himself as the solution, even as the greatest coach in college football. When asked who is the best coach in college football, Deion said, “Let me get a mirror so I can look at him”. Similarly, when asked whether he is the ultimate change agent, Deion responded by saying, “I make a difference… I make folks nervous, man, I get them thinking and second guessing. Have you ever been so clean that you walked in and somebody looked down at you then they looked at themselves and they had to check themselves because you were so clean? I have that effect.”
Sanders made similar claims before he bolted from Jackson State University to Colorado. Some fans and players who were left behind at Jackson State feel betrayed.
Steve Jobs and Deion Sanders are extraordinary examples of leadership. They both have achieved success, as defined by their beliefs. Both have been recognized and receive glory from many admirers. And, in pursuit of what they believed, both have caused various levels of damage.
Both men have an extreme focus on the here and now.
Jesus — I Am The Way
Jesus, the greatest leader the world has ever known, perfectly connected His why to how He did everything. He always extended His core beliefs to the way He led others. Everything Jesus believed, said, and did was for the glory of God (John 12:23-28). He always focused people on living an abundant life lasting far beyond the here and now (John 10:10). Some of the beliefs that influenced Jesus’ leadership the most include:
- Jesus believed He was the Son of God, sent by His Father to save people from their sins. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Jesus connected this belief to His leadership by constantly extending invitations for people to believe in Him.
- Jesus believed in laying down His rights and serving others. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28). We observe how this belief impacted Jesus’ leadership when we read how He repeatedly invited people to join Him by laying down their rights and privileges to serve others.
- Jesus believed in seeking and following the will of His Father. “Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” (John 7:18). Jesus never did anything inconsistent with the will of the Father. Jesus’ example of following the will of the Father serves as the perfect example for how we should live and work. Jesus even invites us to pray, “Thy kingdom come they will be done.”
- Jesus believed in love. His “why” and “how” were and are love, and Jesus displayed this love in everything He taught and accomplished. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 13:12-14). Jesus loved us perfectly in His life, death, and resurrection so that we could live with Him forever.
Jesus offers us His life to believe what He believed, live how He lived, and enjoy a life that never ends by becoming perfectly loved and connected to the Father (John 15:9 & John 17:21). This is an invitation we should accept. This is an invitation to live an abundant life now, not something that can wait for later.
Jesus has given us the opportunity to accept and believe our true why and to connect our how to the same beliefs as His — transforming the way we lead so others can know The Way of Jesus and live forever in glory.
Resources
Worksheet: View and download