Are You Eating Last?

There have been many people who were called leaders yet they never truly led. They were only out for themselves and no one else.

Not their team. Not their coworkers. And sadly not even their family. The only one who mattered was covering their own butt, numero uno.

But, in his new book, Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek turns this leadership method on it’s head, and then kicks it hard to the curb.

The greatest question you’ll need to answer from Leaders Eat Last is “Am I eating last?”

Sinek really reinforced the notion that leadership is less about the leader and more about the leader watching out for the team. Leaders go above and beyond to keep their teams together rather than tearing the team apart through layoffs and petty office politics.

Leaders Eat Last was littered with great leadership quotes and takeaways. I wanted to share my favorites with you in the hope you’ll take the time to pick up this great read and discover why you need to eat last.

Inside a Circle of Safety, we feel like we belong.

The definition of love is giving someone the power to destroy us and trusting they won’t use it.

Fame is supposed to be a byproduct of alpha status, not a way to achieve it. Tweet This

When we opt to stay above the clouds, relying only on information fed to us instead of going down to see for ourselves, not only is it harder to make the right moral decisions, it makes it even hard to take responsibility when we fail to do so.

Our bosses telling us how important our work is, is nowhere near as powerful as us getting to see it ourselves. Share this

We will judge a boss who spends time after hours to help us more valuable than a boss who simply gives us a bonus when we hit a target.

In a weak culture, we veer away from doing “the right thing” in favor of doing “the thing that’s right for me.”

Responsibility is not doing as we are told, that’s obedience. Responsibility is doing what is right.

Leadership is about taking responsibility for lives and not numbers. Click to tweet

Remember, young leaders, leadership isn’t about you. Leadership is about taking responsibility for others, for guiding them, for putting them above yourself.

When you’re able to grasp this leadership principle, you’ll begin to change the world.

Question: Are you eating last? How could eating last change your organization? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

And if you want to purchase Leaders Eat Last, you can do so through Amazon (affiliate link). It’s a great book and one I would recommend every leader read.