OTTAWA, Canada — It is no secret that a credit union's success starts from the top down, according to Simon Sinek, author of “Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action,” who was the closing speaker for World Council of Credit Unions' World Credit Union Conference here.
The secret to corporate leadership, he said, lies in a lesson on the primary chemicals responsible for happiness.
"Inside our bodies are incentives trying to encourage us to repeat behavior that is in the best interest of ourselves and of our groups," said Sinek, who is best known for his theory of the "Golden Circle," a naturally occurring pattern that is grounded in the biology of human decision making and explains why we are inspired by some people and organizations more than others. "We are naturally cooperative animals when we are in the right environments."
Through a crash course on the brain's endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, Sinek revealed that human beings perform best together when they all experience a balance of endurance, accomplishment, pride, trust and safety in the workplace. Leaders, he said, become responsible for instilling this type of work environment at their credit unions.
"If you want to enjoy the perks of leadership, you must be willing to sacrifice yourself to protect your people," Sinek said. "The best leaders are the ones who act like parents. What do we want as parents? We want to provide opportunity, education and discipline as necessary, all so that our kids can grow up and achieve more than we ever thought was possible for ourselves. It's the exact same thing for a good boss. We commit ourselves to protection and love, and give our time and energy to see that our employees do well."
