Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

This is one of the most inspiring books on this list.

Simon’s basic premise: don’t start with what you want to do, or how you want to do it. That’s what most people do, and it leads to all sorts of uninspired efforts.

Instead, start with why. Get in touch with your purpose, and let that powerful motivation drive you through the what and the how.

Get this right, and you’ll create something—a product, a company, a marketing campaign—that stands out because it’s there to serve a clear and compelling purpose.

To get an idea of what this looks like, Simon makes a great example using Apple computers.

If Apple was like most other companies, their marketing message would say something like this:

“We make great computers. They’re beautifully designed, simple to use, and user-friendly. Want to buy one?”

It’s not particularly compelling. They start with what they do, then get into how they do it, then provide a call-to-action. Why isn’t even addressed.

OK, now here’s a better description of how Apple actually communicates:

“Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. And we happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”

This time, by starting with the why, then moving on to the how, and finally the what, Apple makes a much more compelling marketing message. This is just one example, obviously—for a deeper understanding, definitely check out Simon’s book.