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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalagiving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavaliedo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode four eleven and let me start this episode

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<v Speaker 2>with a single word.

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<v Speaker 1>Why.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a small word, just three letters, but it might

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<v Speaker 2>be the most important one in leadership. If you're leading

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<v Speaker 2>a team of business, a department, or even just yourself,

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<v Speaker 2>and you don't have a clear answer to the question why,

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<v Speaker 2>then everything else, your decisions, your strategies, your communications will

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<v Speaker 2>feel disconnected, forced or random. You might be moving fast,

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<v Speaker 2>but you won't know where you're going or why it matters.

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<v Speaker 2>So let's break this down. Why sets the direction. The

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<v Speaker 2>best leaders aren't just focused on what needs to get

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<v Speaker 2>done or how it should be done. They start with why.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's not just Simon Sinek's Ted talk. It's real

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<v Speaker 2>leadership strategy. Let me give you an example. Imagine telling

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<v Speaker 2>your team we need to cut over time hours. That's

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<v Speaker 2>the what. Now tell them we're cutting over time because

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<v Speaker 2>we're tightening the budget. That's the how. But now say

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<v Speaker 2>this we're cutting over time because it's affecting our long

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<v Speaker 2>term sustainability, and if we don't get a handle on it,

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<v Speaker 2>we risk downsizing in six months. This helps protect our jobs.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the why. Now the conversation changes. Now people understand.

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<v Speaker 2>They might not love the outcome, but they get the reason,

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<v Speaker 2>and that builds trust. Why unlocks commitment, not just compliance.

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<v Speaker 2>Leaders who only give orders get obedience. Leaders who explain

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<v Speaker 2>the why get commitment. If you're wondering why your team

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<v Speaker 2>is only doing the bare minimum, or why nobody seems invested,

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<v Speaker 2>ask yourself. Have you given them a reason to care?

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<v Speaker 2>Have you connected the dots between their work and the

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<v Speaker 2>bigger picture. People will work harder for a purpose than

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<v Speaker 2>they will for a paycheck. That's a fact. When they

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<v Speaker 2>know why they're showing up every day, they show up differently.

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<v Speaker 2>Why creates a feedback loop. The most dangerous thing a

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<v Speaker 2>leader can say is because I said so. That might

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<v Speaker 2>work in parenting, but in leadership it kills engagement. Encourage

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<v Speaker 2>your team to ask why back at you when someone

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<v Speaker 2>questions a process, an assignment, a goal, don't get defensive.

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<v Speaker 2>Use it as a temperature check. If people are confused

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<v Speaker 2>about the purpose behind your decision. It means your why

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<v Speaker 2>isn't clear. And on the flip side, ask your team

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<v Speaker 2>why they do what they do. Why do we keep

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<v Speaker 2>doing this step? Why are we solving the problem this way?

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<v Speaker 2>Why do you think that's the best approach? Those kinds

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<v Speaker 2>of questions make people think, and when they think, they grow.

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<v Speaker 2>Why is the anchor during chaos? When everything is falling apart?

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<v Speaker 2>Deadlines are missed, budgets are tight, emotions are high. Your

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<v Speaker 2>team needs a center point, and that center point is

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<v Speaker 2>the why. If the team's why is strong enough, they

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<v Speaker 2>can survive. Anyhow, When people lose sight of the mission,

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<v Speaker 2>it's like a boat with no rudder. They drift fast.

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<v Speaker 2>So if your team is burned out, divided, or confused,

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<v Speaker 2>go back to the why and why starts with you

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<v Speaker 2>Before you lead anyone else, answer your own why. Why

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<v Speaker 2>do you want to lead? Why are you in this role?

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<v Speaker 2>Why does this organization matter to you? Why do you

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<v Speaker 2>still care even on the hard days. If you don't

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<v Speaker 2>have that nailed down, your leadership will always feel shaky

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<v Speaker 2>because when your people are watching you, and they always are,

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<v Speaker 2>they want to know you believe in something deeper than

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<v Speaker 2>just hitting numbers. Your daily leadership audit start with why.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me give you a simple trick. Every day, before

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<v Speaker 2>you start your shift, your meeting, or your to do list,

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<v Speaker 2>ask yourself one question, why does this matter today? Do

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<v Speaker 2>this with your priorities, your conversations, your emails, your calendar.

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<v Speaker 2>If you don't have a reason, maybe you shouldn't be

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<v Speaker 2>doing it. So the word why is the thread that

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<v Speaker 2>runs through every great leader's playbook. It creates perpose, it

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<v Speaker 2>builds buy in, it aligns your people, and it keeps

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<v Speaker 2>you grounded. So the next time you're about to tell

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<v Speaker 2>someone what to do, take one extra breath, connect their dots,

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<v Speaker 2>and then tell them why it matters. That's leadership. This

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<v Speaker 2>has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank

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<v Speaker 2>you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com