Title: Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Author: Simon Sinek

Date of Publication: 2014

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Favorite Quote: Leadership is not a license to do less; it is a responsibility to do more.

Summary:

Leaders Eat Last is the second book by Simon Sinek, author, inspirational speaker, and business leadership expert. Following the success of his extremely popular TED Talk (“How Great Leaders Inspire Action”) and first book (Start with Why), Sinek dives into what it takes to be a great leader, examining the topic through the lens of anthropology, biology, and psychology. Sinek proposes that leaders can maximize the potential of their organizations through valuing the well-being, safety, and trust of their employees. Agreed!  

The book is divided into eight sections: “Our Need to Feel Safe,” “Powerful Forces,” “Reality,” “How We Got Here,” “The Abstract Challenge,” “Destructive Abundance,” “A Society of Addicts,” and “Becoming a Leader.” Readers can dive into a section that looks particularly appealing or read the sections in order, the latter of which takes obvious advantage of the intended flow of the book. In the first section, Sinek introduces “the circle of safety” (not to be confused with “the circle of trust” from the movie “Meet the Parents”!), which is a foundational element of the book and crucial in creating a healthy and thriving organization. In Sinek’s words, “when the Circle is strong and that feeling of belonging is ubiquitous, collaboration, trust and innovation result.” As the book continues, Sinek examines how leaders can build strong teams and, ultimately, create successful organizations by developing trust, putting their team’s needs ahead of their own, and challenging traditional notions of hierarchy, amongst other things. Sinek incorporates real-life stories from various sectors and industries. Throughout the book, I caught myself applying Sinek’s ideas not only to the organization for which I work, but to my family as well. The material is transferrable, highly relatable, and built on common sense and basic human goodness.

Overall, Leaders Eat Last is an inspiring and easy-to-digest book filled with practical advice for readers, especially those in leadership roles, who want to examine their workplaces and create positive change. I thoroughly enjoyed the refreshingly uplifting tone, which can be lacking in this genre, and found several nuggets of wisdom to apply at work and elsewhere. At the end of the day, Leaders Eat Last leaves readers with a considerable challenge, and one that has stayed with me— “to be the leaders we wish we had.” Thanks for reading!

Leaders Eat Last is available in print, eBook, and eAudiobook format. You can search the library’s catalog at gailborden.info/catalog to find this and other titles.

Submitted by: Rebecca Lapinski, Career Services (& Business) Librarian at Gail Borden Public Library. Please feel free to reach out to me at 847-695-3422 or rlapinski@gailborden.info.