Start with why — on the sales floor
Most people start with what — a new dashboard, a new checklist. Starting with why changes what gets built and who it actually helps.
Simon Sinek's Start with Why has been sitting with me, especially when I think about the tools and processes I build.
Most people start with what. New dashboard. New checklist. New huddle format. I've been forcing myself to ask why first. It changes what ships.
Why this dashboard? Not "we need better visibility." That's still a what. Usually the real why is: so a rep can see their own game clearly enough to coach themselves before I have to. So they feel ownership instead of just being managed. So the coaching conversation can happen now, not as another meeting we never schedule.
Why the morning readiness checklist? Not just "so we don't forget stuff." Because when the opener knows where they stand in under two minutes, the shift starts with less friction and more control. That feeling compounds.
Why systems at all? Because I've watched people live in permanent reaction mode. They burn out. Good reps leave. The ones who stay get good at surviving instead of winning. I don't want that for my team.
Starting with why doesn't mean the metrics don't matter. The number still has to move. When the why is clear, the how gets more obvious — and more human.
The tools that stick are the ones where the why was obvious from day one. The ones that feel like they were built by someone who's stood in the same spot at 8:55 a.m. wondering what's about to hit them.
I'm trying to build from that spot more often.