Why good leaders make you feel safe (video)

We’ve explored many sides of leadership, and each one has its place in the bigger picture. One of them, maybe the most important, comes down to safety, trust and cooperation inside the organization itself.

In this talk, Simon Sinek shares his take on good leadership in business, which, he argues, has a lot in common with leadership in the military. As he puts it: “In the military, they give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may gain. In business, we give bonuses to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we may gain. We have it backwards.”

That contradiction keeps good leaders from making the most of their strengths. And here’s the thing: great leaders aren’t born that way. The right environment can turn (almost) anyone into a good leader.

So what really matters inside an organization? A deep sense of trust, safety and cooperation among its people. The catch is that building that feeling takes real effort from the leader. You can’t simply order your employees to feel it.

Think about it for a moment and you’ll see it’s true. Picture the organization you work for as a family. You’re safe there, you feel you belong, and trusting and working with the people around you comes naturally. In a world full of modern threats (economic instability, volatile markets, new technologies, competition and so on), safety inside the organization is exactly where a good leader should focus to get better results. “When a leader makes the choice to put the safety and lives of the people inside the organization first, to sacrifice their comforts and sacrifice the tangible results, so that the people remain and feel safe and feel like they belong, remarkable things happen.”

According to Sinek, being an authority figure isn’t enough. He suggests we think about leadership the way we think about parenting. So what makes a good leader? Someone who gives their people enough opportunity, education and discipline (when it’s needed). Someone who knows how to build the team’s self-confidence and gives you the freedom to try, to fall and to get back up on your own.

Hear more from Simon Sinek on leadership and why good leaders make you feel safe: