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1-Page Summary of Leaders Eat Last
Overview
Simon Sinek’s book, Leaders Eat Last, discusses a leadership style that focuses on serving others rather than pursuing shareholder goals or personal interests. Today, the majority of companies focus more on profits and executive salaries as opposed to healthy employee environments. By focusing on creating a corporate culture where employees feel like family, leaders can increase job satisfaction and engagement which will reduce stress and improve productivity because people will feel secure in their jobs. The US military is an example of this type of company structure (ie: if you work at McDonalds you are part of the family). In the Marines, lower ranks eat first while higher-ranking officers wait to ensure no one goes hungry during meal times.
The best leaders create a Circle of Safety that encompasses the entire company. This is accomplished by helping employees understand the impact they’re having on others, as well as creating small communities where everyone knows one another. Poor leaders just extend their Circle of Safety to their immediate supporters and leave other employees feeling like they don’t have job security.
Humans evolved to live in groups, and that’s why we have hierarchies. We give leaders more resources than others because they lead us well. Our bodies release hormones when we achieve things or feel pain. These hormones make us want to keep trying harder and tolerate the pain better so that we can succeed. Social media makes people addicted to cortisol, which is a hormone released when you’re stressed out or angry, because it gives a short-term high but inhibits selfless behavior like helping other people.
A corporate culture must support sharing ideas, learning from mistakes and integrity. A leader who has a strong safety net for all of his employees can delegate authority to those employees closest to the information about that decision.
Over the past few decades, leadership has changed. It used to be that leaders were more selfless and focused on serving others, but now they are more concerned with their own success. This is because of the shift in generations from World War II-era leaders (who were taught to serve) to Baby Boomers (who focus on themselves). The new generation of leaders may not be as selfish as the previous one, but it’s unlikely that they’ll have the same level of selflessness as those who lived through World War II.
Key Takeaways
Leaders should put their employees first and foremost. Good leadership is more like a family than anything else.
A good leader interacts with employees and invests his time in them. He also lets the employees know who they’re helping, and he doesn’t let fear of losing their jobs enter into it. A circle of safety is created between the leaders and the people they lead, which expands to include customers as well. Originally, leadership hierarchies came from human communities evolving over time; this can be seen in how people are wired to cooperate with other people at a deeper level than we would cooperate with something else or someone else not on our own team.
When hormones are balanced, people are more inclined to work together and achieve great things. When they’re not in balance, people may become selfish and prioritize short-term gains over long-term success. People who experience high levels of stress often have health problems that last for a long time. Employees who aren’t stressed out tend to be healthier and happier, which leads to greater productivity at work.
A healthy corporate culture is important in today’s world. It helps companies survive tough economic times and encourages employees to share ideas, learn from failure, and value integrity above all else.
