Want To Be A Better Human? You Need THESE Skills | Simon Sinek on Finding Mastery

Imagine a world where you wake up inspired, feel safe throughout the day, and go to bed at night feeling fulfilled by the work you do.
Sounds like utopia, right?
Well, Simon Sinek has not only imagined such a world, but he's also dedicated his life to making it a reality.
Known for his viral TED Talk on finding your WHY, and his groundbreaking insights on leadership, Simon's ideas have reached millions. As a best-selling author and founder of The Optimism Company, he's on a mission to help us all think, act, and communicate better.
In this conversation, Simon distills his journey into actionable insights on impactful leadership, the power of empathy, and the significance of authentic connections. His work challenges us to re-think modern leadership and shift from traditional success metrics to fostering a culture of service and infinite thinking.
It was an absolute joy to sit down with Simon. I think you are going to love what he has to say, and our back-and-forth on what it takes to live a flourishing, fulfilled life.
I hope this conversation ignites your passion, challenges your thinking, and inspires action toward a more optimistic and impactful world.
This episode is brought to you by Facet! Facet is the next generation of personalized financial planning, on a mission to make expert financial advice accessible to the masses. To learn more and check out their limited time offer for our audience, just head to www.facet.com/FM
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:00 The Infinite Game
08:21 The Importance of Metrics and Milestones
09:17 The Decline of Trust, Cooperation, and Innovation
10:14 The Recipe for Sustained Success and Joy in the Infinite Game
12:10 The Importance of Vision and Purpose in the Infinite Game
13:08 The Value of Investing in Human Skills
14:35 The Need for Discipline and Avoiding Shortcuts
17:22 The Promise of Building High-Performing Teams
18:17 Psychological Safety and Team Bonding
19:12 Navigating Challenges and Adapting
20:10 The Importance of Having a Clear Vision and Flexibility
21:35 Vulnerability and Trust in Building Great Teams
22:34 Rewarding Selfish High Earners
24:29 The Essential Human Skills for Modern Leaders
28:38 The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback
30:03 Differentiating Between Groups and High-Performing Teams
34:22 Coaching and Developing Individuals in Teams
37:20 Recognizing Uncoachable Individuals
40:10 Applying Basic Psychology in Modern Leadership
43:01 The Power of Being Seen, Heard, and Understood
44:20 Difficult Conversations
45:49 The Importance of Feedback
46:18 The Danger of Gossip and Narratives
50:08 Practicality and the Invisible World
53:30 The Purpose of a Business and Individual Purpose
01:02:29 Agency and Boundaries
01:05:23 The Paradox of Being Human
01:08:18 The Team is More Important than the Individual
01:15:52 The Complexity of Leadership and Human Skills
01:21:44 Acknowledging Feelings and Timing

[@alwaysbekindlove]

No matter how much money you make it only collects trinkets. When you love actually care about living and doing things for others, something shifts it makes life worth living.

[@jaredhulse9749]

What a refreshing, inspiring, and wonderfully intellectual conversation. It was a pleasure being a "fly on the wall" for it.

[@kassahunaberamolla3284]

I really appreciate how down-to-earth and confident this guy is. Your podcast is truly fantastic. Thanks a bunch!

[@annielleviney5929]

😊111 😊❤¹😊😊

[@marciandjohn6320]

As I near the end of this, I have deep gratitude to both Gentlemen. Gratitude for the sometimes nuanced discussion, gratitude for the manner in which both really listem=n to each other, and gratitude for the manner in which they serve their own respective "why". Please get these two back together again!

[@ryanhawks8864]

I love Simon Sinek! Really changed my outlook and leadership. Looking forward to watching this one!

[@leoriosan4860]

as a leader riding the leadership continuum, I found the back and forth incredibly helpful. as others have noted, I learned much from not only the content, but also the mode of the dialogue. thanks to you both! "we don't teach people how to look after other people" is one of my favorite takeaways.

[@jimmyrfarris]

This is a fantastic conversation. Michael, thanks for bringing Simon on. You two together made for a great conversation.

[@FindingMastery]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@silviaklose2493]

Help others, is what generations of women were trained to do.

[@mariahhelm5488]

I love Simon Sinek. As career coach, I'm always encouraging students to check him out. Also, the podcaster looks like the businessman version of Billie Joe from Green Day.

[@xzouix]

I am learning so much here. Thank you both

[@BenConsidine]

Hey Michael - your stuff has been helping a lot, I'm a longboard surfer, competed on the WSL Longboard tour last year and putting all my efforts into my mental game for 2024 as that's my biggest barrier competitively, appreciate all your work. Hope to chat some day, thanks again 🙏🤙

[@cdxyt3376]

Great discussion You've revealed the invisible to be clear and visible to create a masterpiece strategic plan it call "infinite games". Thanks.🙏😊

[@noapaz]

I want to hear the "don't forget the story" story, that you never came back to. 😅 Great talk!

[@MrSorins]

I knew they won't come back to it in the moment Dr. Mike said that 🤦‍♂🤣

[@MrSorins]

Fantastic talk! Thank you, Dr. Mike and Simon! One thing about Maslow, though (I'm a big fan of his theory too, Dr. Mike): cannot say he was wrong. He propose a theory, which actually laid the basis for all the the researchers that came later and worked on it to test it, improve it, fine-tune it, find the exceptions. The same thing happened with Freud's psychoanalytic theory: it was the first draft. To take even further Simon's words about Maslow's theory, there are so many cases in which the order changes. In cases of trauma, CSA, domestic violence survivors, they might give up their physical safety to feel even for a short time a feel of belonging, or love.

[@joryiansmith]

This was a really wonderful and insightful conversation, thank you both 🙏🔥 I think the discussion around betting on leaders was a good one. Leaders fall into the Pareto principle, meaning 20% of people have 80% of the impact. So betting on leaders is scientifically a fantastic bet.

[@Mike_Virata]

This is an awesome interview!

[@carolgerber6375]

What a GREAT conversation! Great banter! Loved it. Wish it was much longer!!

[@FindingMastery]

Us too!

[@ginger6803]

Oh I didn't expect I'd enjoy it so much! Great discussion!

[@zuleigaagulhas9740]

Stimulating and insightful, Great advice given, I've learned quite a bit. Thanks to Simon and Dr Mike💞💞✌

[@sebastianarias7042]

54:56 it really help me. It feels great. Thanks simon.

[@BibBobBibOnVacation]

Great empathic conversation ☘️

[@georgiaioannou3367]

Great conversation!!!.👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

[@brionna740]

This gave me so much insight and joy! Amazing video and love these two 🎉✨ so hilarious but inspiring and insightful 😂☺️

[@natezrimsek5704]

When thinking about agency. The poem "Our Greatest Fear" comes to mind. We all have an agent inside of us and depending on our environment we can choose how hard we can flex who we really are.

[@katarzynalindner594]

"We abandon process for shortcuts" Amen

[@avaleen]

Two things 1) Always love listening to Simon’s interviews so much brilliance. “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” Stay flexible. 2) Warning: I’m about to take the comments in a TOTALLY different direction - Simon Sinek is also SO HOT! #thatisall

[@spelaprislan3915]

absolutely ultimately awesome talk, ideas & their exploration to all spheres 👍🙏🏻

[@YaredFlores]

Both great minds, wondered why this coversation did not take place long ago!!

[@YaySammayy]

I skipped back 10 seconds about 4 times to laugh at this moment 59:08 - definitely an enjoyable episode!

[@AkeSatia1]

Insightful! Dynamic discussion. P.S. Agree it's best to avoid making guarantees in the people business, as Simon says. Would be like a coach guaranteeing an athlete will make it to the Superbowl if they follow their training plan :)

[@Dombollo]

Thank you guys, this was such an organic conversation. It made me realise how important it is to actually 'want' to have a conversation and not just lean on "it needs to happen". Thoroughly enjoyed the depth covered, and a highlight for me was the AGENCY part. ❤

[@user-zj1kz6mh6g]

Let my back to better saga be filled with wins and prosperity. In this era, let my success be directly siphoned from those who tired to harm me, delay me, lie on me, and stop me, at the university of Michigan college of pharmacy and its affiliates

[@audreyflett8719]

❤❤❤

[@marianasalles242]

“Save the Duck” it is a great brand 🌍

[@Gingersnaps50]

🩷🤍🩷love this so much

[@marciandjohn6320]

At about 23 minutes, the discussion turns to H2, H3. Please advise as to where I can read about this?

[@FindingMastery]

Here's a good outline: www.wellspring.com/blog/pulse-of-innovation-driving-h2-h3-innovations

[@marciandjohn6320]

Thank you!@@FindingMastery

[@shamimyousefi3361]

🙏🏻⭐️✌🏼💯💚🏆

[@lidiaelena4466]

I respect Simon, but the analogy with losing weight represents a simplistic view. Losing weight is not only about discipline, it is a about stress levels, insulin resistance, hormones imbalances, lack of sleep and other factors….

[@lovemyalaskaful]

Not true, it's possible to lose weight (fat) without addressing those individual categories. You're over complicating the way we gain/lose and maintain weight. It's a basic physics problem concerning energy (calorie) management.

[@abdulazizalmaneea177]

Does he look like Tom Cruise??

[@katarzynalindner594]

Better version😂

[@ErikaDelosa]

Wtf! I want to die knowing these. I'm always wrong about leadership. God forbid me for destructing someone's confidence. wtf! I think I'm always a winner. After watching these I realize what a loser I was

[@alexanderlugani9246]

Not picking but Simon Sinek shows his ignorance when he talks about Maslow. Maslow never created a pyramid. The pyramid was created by a business consulting company. He also never said you had to start in progress in a specific manner and he said transcendence (selfless service) was above self actualización.

[@DelmaRaySmithJr]

piggyback not a good look Simon

[@meghanguerriero5762]

Maslow’s “pyramid” concept was actually stolen from indigenous people and flipped upside down/changed. Have you heard of this? I highly recommend looking it up on Google. Which business created it according to your statement?

[@jasonwong1358]

Maslow needs are just a scientific study on human needs.. never a tools for management.

[@truth7555]

Doesn't matter

[@DJSTOEK]

❤❤❤