Why do leaders eat last? This question is the central theme of a new book by Simon Sinek called Leaders Eat Last. He is a popular expert on leadership, whose first book Start With Why became a bestseller and the topic for one of the most successful TED talks of all time. He subtitled his second book: "Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't". Leaders Eat Last has just come out and is available in Czech translation under the title Lídři jedí poslední (Jan Melvil Publishing, 2015).
In a recent interview for talentmgt.com Simon Sinek emphasizes that leadership is not an authority or permission to lead others, but a skill - a personal selfless choice of an individual to take care of others and put their interests before his own. This view is also reflected in the title of the book Leaders Eat Last. When writing the book, Sinek talked with a three-star general and asked him what makes marine corps good at what they do. His reply was: "Officers eat last." Although they have a higher rank and authority to eat first, they put their subordinates before themselves.
Create a circle of safety
According to Simon Sinek, a good leader must first understand that the strength of organizations "comes from the people in the organization, not from their own genius." A leader definitely does not have to be the smartest to win the trust of others. Instead, he must trust others who know more than he does and allow them to help him. The book describes this kind of cooperation as the "circle of safety", based on the original anthropological concept which shows that our ability to survive depends on our ability to trust and cooperate. Good leaders should create a safe environment in which people will not fear one another.
Simon Sinek recommends the organizations that want to turn their managers into leaders to stop seeing leadership as a job title or a skill that can be learned in a one-off course. Leadership is primarily a matter of practice. Good leadership training should not only describe what leadership is, but also provide participants with tools they can apply in practice.
Book
SINEK, Simon: Leaders Last Eat: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Do not. New York: Portfolio - Penguin Group, 2014. 256 p.
SINEK, Simon: Lídři jedí poslední. Proč některé týmy drží pohromadě a jiné se rozpadají. Brno: Jan Melvil Publishing, 2015. 288 p.
Video
A video in which Simon Sinek presents his second book is available on YouTube here.
TED talk: Why good leaders make you feel safe
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