Start with why: and answer with motivating

language
William T. “Toby” Holmes

imon Sinek, in his book Start With Why, writes to inspire leaders to take leadership William T. “Toby” Holmes is

S actions by working in a “naturally occurring pattern, a way of thinking, acting, and

communicating” (p. 1) consistent with great companies and great leadership. He
based at Department of
Educational Leadership,
University of Wyoming,
calls this WHY and identifies the pattern as the Golden Circle. He describes The Golden
Laramie, Wyoming, USA.
Circle within the context of companies and leadership as WHAT, HOW, and WHY.
According to Sinek (2009, p. 39):
When most organizations or people think, act or communicate they do so from the outside in,
from WHAT to WHY. We say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but we rarely say
WHY we do WHAT we do. But not the inspired companies. Not the inspired leaders. Every single
one of them, regardless of their size or their industry, thinks, acts and communicates from the
inside out.

Thus, the most effective companies start at the core of their business and the head of their
organization the CEO, and clearly define WHY they do WHAT they do - with this clarity
comes trust, authenticity, empowerment, and innovation (Sinek, 2009). Next, for companies
and leaders is the HOW they do WHAT they do – not only is the HOW the systems and
processes needed to for a company to do WHAT they do it is also the people of the
company and their worth, integrity, honesty, and value (Sinek, 2009). Finally, WHAT
companies do – this is their result, their outcomes, their bottom line where what they say
and what they do come together for all to see. These are the tangible things, information,
and products of a company and a leader (Sinek, 2009).
Motivating language theory (MLT) (Mayfield, 2009; Holmes, 2016; Holmes and Carr, 2017;
Holmes and Scull, 2018 for more information) is the strategic use of leader communication
and corresponding action/behavior influencing employees and organizations to positive
outcomes in areas such as performance, innovation, retention, and organizational
commitment (Mayfield and Mayfield, 2018). MLT is composed of antecedents, constructs,
motivating language, and outcomes. Constructs are forms of leader language that build
knowledge and understanding (direction-giving language), emphasize human over
bureaucratic practices (empathetic language), and support culture and sense-making
processes (meaning-making language). They are akin to Sinek’s WHAT, HOW, and WHY.
However, MLT goes one step further; when leaders intentionally combine all three of the
constructs in a situationally and environmentally advantageous manner, they give rise to
motivating language. Motivating language maximizes leader communication and
supporting/connecting action by targeting in or zeroing in which of the constructs should be
used when [for maximum impact/influence] or in this case which of the WHATs/HOWs/
WHYs should be emphasized and in what manner. Thus, the purpose of this article is to
provide leaders with a MLT-based framework to implement Sinek’s Start With Why concept
to maximize implementation effectiveness illustrated in Figure 1.

DOI 10.1108/DLO-12-2019-0281 j
© Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1477-7282 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL j
 Figure 1 A Double Loop Organizational Learning Model Combining Motivating Language
Theory and Start with Why Concepts

Organizations have overarching visions that guide their work and can stimulate internal
processes and drive outcomes. Process leads to outcomes; typically, the better the
process, the better the outcome. Thus, with vision as a guide, a process for organizational
learning and problem-solving begins with data gathering and analysis. Sinek (2009, p. 189) says,
“What gets measured is what gets done.” Thus, with vision as a roadmap, leaders and
organizations take data and begin with WHY and meaning-making language to build culture,
connect individual employee aspirations to organizational ones, lead meaningful change and
innovation processes, and support risk-taking behaviors leading to high levels of trust,
engagement, and commitment by stakeholders. Next, as leaders and organizations use HOW
and empathetic language to establish emotional connections, demonstrate caring and concern,
and build human relationships as opposed to bureaucratic structures and barriers that stifle and
derail action. Finally, as leaders and organizations focus on WHAT and direction-giving language,
they provide information, improve clarity, and reduce uncertainty leading to implementation of
their beliefs. When visionary leaders begin a process with good data and accurate metrics; have
high levels of trust, engagement, and commitment by their internal and external stakeholders; are
able to take highly effective action with minimal barriers; and communicate with great clarity that
results in the operationalization of their beliefs, they are going to have successful outcomes.
As soon as a systematic practice of reflection that focuses on outcomes and/or internal
processes for intervention/improvement is coupled to outcomes, a double-loop organizational
learning improvement model is created that establishes a continuous cycle of organizational
learning and development. It is through the use of data, outcomes, and reflection that leaders
and organizations can leverage the strategic nature of motivating language and know when to
maximize their WHY through meaning-making language, emphasize their HOW through
empathetic language, or reinforce their WHAT through direction-giving language and in this
way make the most of beliefs, actions, and results. Therefore, it is not only a straight one-to-
one application of WHY/meaning-making language, HOW/empathetic language, and WHAT/
direction-giving language, but also a nuanced, situational, and reflective decision by leaders
and, at times, entire organizations to implement ML so that:

j DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL j

䊏 Each form of WHY/MEANING-MAKING LANGUAGE, HOW/EMPATHETIC LANGUAGE,
and WHAT/DIRECTION-GIVING LANGUAGE is not implemented in a way that
contradicts another;
䊏 WHY/MEANING-MAKING LANGUAGE, HOW/EMPATHETIC LANGUAGE, and WHAT/
DIRECTION-GIVING LANGUAGE are used in a coordinated fashion to maximize their
influence; and/or
䊏 By “reading the terrain” using environmental or contextual clues to stress one form of
WHY/MEANING-MAKING LANGUAGE, HOW/EMPATHETIC LANGUAGE, or WHAT/
DIRECTION-GIVING LANGUAGE over another increasing their impact.
In this way, leaders and organizations can align themselves with Sinek’s (2009, p. 171)
crucial assertion, “What companies say and do matters. A lot.”
Thus, for leaders in practice and scholars alike, the key takeaways are to work:
䊏 from a core organizational culture connecting people and processes that lead to effective
actions resulting in high-quality outputs and opportunities for stakeholders engagement,
Keywords:
䊏 within a system of data-driven reflection that supports continuous improvement and Reflection,
organizational dialogue/development; and Motivating language theory,
Double loop,
䊏 with the understanding that the talk is the work thus emphasizing effective leader Sinek,
communication through frameworks such as Motivating Language Theory. Why

References
Holmes, W.T. (2016), “Motivating language theory: antecedent variables – critical to both the success of
leaders and organizations”, Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, Vol. 30
No. 3, pp. 13-16.

Holmes, W.T. and Carr, M. (2017), “Motivating language and self-mentoring: a training program
supporting the development of leaders in organizations”, Development and Learning in Organizations:
An International Journal, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 4-8.

Holmes, W.T. and Scull, W.R. (2018), “Reframing organizations through leadership communications: the
four-frames of leadership viewed through motivating language”, Development and Learning in
Organizations: An International Journal, doi: 10.1108/DLO-09-2018-0107.

Mayfield, J. (2009), “Motivating language: a meaningful guide for leader communications”, Development
and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 9-11.
Mayfield, J. and Mayfield, M. (2018), Motivating Language Theory: Effective leader talk in the workplace,
Palgrave Macmillian, Cham, Switzerland.
Sinek, S. (2009), Start with Why. How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Penguin, New York, NY.

About the author

William T. “Toby” Holmes is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the School
of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy & Design at the University of Wyoming. He is a former
principal of a five-star elementary school. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of
Oklahoma focused on research and teaching in the areas of leadership communication,
motivating language theory, and culturally sustaining instructional leadership. William T.
“Toby” Holmes can be contacted at: wholmes4@uwyo.edu

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