Module 4: Learn the Process of Effective Leadership

One sentence, that’s all it took to completely flip how I thought about marketing

upside down. In a TED Talk back in 2010, Simon Sinek said “people don’t buy what you

do, they buy why you do it” (TED, 2010). He repeated it several times throughout his

presentation, and it hit home a little bit more each time. He started out by discussing

what he called “The Golden Circle,” and illustrated it by drawing 3 circles inside each

other similar to a bullseye on a target with a word inside each new layer. Most people

start on the outside and think in terms of working their way from the “outside in,” starting

with what they do, then how they do it, before finally discussing why they do what they

do. But for those that lead, they tend to approach it from the “inside out,” meaning they

start with the why first.

I never realized before that the way I marketed my photography business aligned

more with the “most people” category rather than the more inspired people. So why do I

do what I do? Weddings are often one of the best days on someone’s life, and getting to

spend that day with them is an honor. I love seeing genuine expressions of love and

being able to freeze that moment in time for them to be able to re-experience later. The

goal is not just to capture the moment, but to help them “live their fantasy” (as the drag

queens say). My approach needs to focus more on this rather than just “we shoot

weddings.”
 References

TED. (2010, May 4). How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4&t=1088s