Earlier this week, my coach introduced me to an incredible TED Talk by Simon Sinek titled, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. (You're surprised that someone who runs a professional development and coaching organization has a coach? No shoemaker's children here!)
You may have already seen the video. After all, it has had 55.5 million views since it was posted in September 2009. The transcript is available in 48 languages. Apparently, it struck a nerve. Watch the video here. It's 17 minutes, 48 seconds, and worth every one of them.
Sinek, who is also the author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, presents a simple and clear premise. There are three key aspects: what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. His argument is that real leaders start with "Why."
I won't use this blog to recap Sinek's talk. As I said, it's only 17 minutes and 48 seconds and very much worth watching. The presentation, however, triggered a recognition in me: That's Quantuvos. Quantuvos starts with "Why."
This basic principle wasn't conscious, but it was purposeful. Nearly every Quantuvos presentation, piece of literature, email, and even casual conversation contain these words:
We believe there is extraordinary in everyone.
It is our responsibility to nurture that extraordinary.
That's it. That's our "Why." Everything we do at Quantuvos is in service of our "Why."
If you're like my wife, daughter, friends, and casual acquaintances to whom I've uttered these words, you're now thinking, "Yeah, okay. So what?"
Everything. That's what.
What does "Why" mean to Quantuvos, and why is it so critical? Because there is extraordinary in everyone. Not some people. Not a few people. Not only those who are male or privileged or white or American or smart or healthy. Everyone.
It is our responsibility to nurture that extraordinary. Responsibility is a heavy word. It's not a choice or an option. A responsibility is a requirement. If we are responsible to others, we are also accountable to them. We feel that at Quantuvos. We understand that. We accept that responsibility. Since there is extraordinary in everyone, then we are also responsible to everyone. And we don't take that lightly. In fact, it is the driver behind our Watering Seeds program.
What are we responsible for doing? We are responsible for nurturing the extraordinary in everyone. Nurture is another purposeful word. Per the Cambridge Dictionary, "nurture" means "To take care of, feed, and protect someone or something...and help him, her, or it to develop."
That's exactly what we mean at Quantuvos. We see it as our responsibility to take care of our clients and help them to develop. Quantuvos starts with our unique and specific "Why:"
We believe there is extraordinary in everyone.
It is our responsibility to nurture that extraordinary.
Everything we do as a company is built around that concept. We invite you and your company to work with us and experience our dedication to you, your team, and your development, and to experience our sense of responsibility for nurturing everyone's individual and unique extraordinary.
