{"product_id":"leaders-eat-last-isbn-9781591848011","title":"Leaders Eat Last","description":"\u003cb\u003eFinally in paperback: the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller by the acclaimed, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStart With Why\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTogether is Better\u003c\/i\u003e. Now with an expanded chapter and appendix on leading millennials, based on Simon Sinek's viral video \"Millenials in the workplace\" (150+ million views).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. \"Officers eat last,\" he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care.\u003cbr\u003e      \u003cbr\u003eToo many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a \"Circle of Safety\" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.\u003cb\u003eSimon Sinek \u003c\/b\u003eis an optimist and the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStart With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together Is Better\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFind Your Why\u003c\/i\u003e. He is working to build a world in which the vast majority of us will wake up inspired, feel safe at work, and return home fulfilled at the end of the day. His TED talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” is one of the most widely viewed of all time. Learn more about his work at SimonSinek.com.Chapter 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Protection from Above\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A thick layer of clouds blocked out any light. There were no stars      and there was no moon. Just black. The team slowly made its way      through the valley, the rocky terrain making it impossible to go      any faster than a snail's pace. Worse, they knew they were being      watched. Every one of them was on edge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A year hadn't yet passed since the attacks of September 11. The      Taliban government had only recently fallen after taking a      pounding from U.S. forces for their refusal to turn over the Al      Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. There were a lot of Special      Operations Forces in the area performing missions that, to this      day, are still classified. This was one of those teams and this      was one of those missions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e All we know is that the team of twenty-two men was operating deep      inside enemy territory and had recently captured what the      government calls a \"high-value target.\" They were now working      their way through a deep valley in a mountainous part of      Afghanistan, escorting their high-value target to a safe house.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Flying over the thick clouds that night was Captain Mike Drowley,      or Johnny Bravo, as he is known by his call sign or nickname.      Except for the whir of his engines, it was perfectly peaceful up      there. Thousands of stars speckled the sky, and the moon lit up      the top of the clouds so brightly it looked like a fresh layer of      snow had fallen. It was beautiful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Johnny Bravo and his wingman were circling above in their A-10      aircraft, waiting should they be needed below. Affectionately      known as the Warthog, the A-10 is not technically a fighter jet;      it's an attack aircraft. A relatively slow-flying, single-seat      armored plane designed to provide close air support for troops on      the ground. Unlike other fighter jets, it is not fast or sexy      (hence the nickname), but it gets the job done.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ideally, both the A-10 pilots in the air and the troops on the      ground would prefer to see each other with their eyes. Seeing the      plane above, knowing someone is looking out for them, gives the      troops below a greater sense of confidence. And seeing the troops      below gives the pilots a greater sense of assurance that they will      be able to help if needed. But given the thick cloud cover and the      mountainous terrain that night in Afghanistan, the only way either      knew the other was there was through the occasional radio contact      they kept. Without a line of sight, Johnny Bravo couldn't see what      the troops saw, but he could sense how the troops felt from what      he heard over the radio. And this was enough to spur him to act.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Following his gut, Johnny Bravo decided he needed to execute a      weather letdown, to drop down below the clouds so he could take a      look at what was happening on the ground. It was a daring move.      With the thick, low-hanging clouds, scattered storms in the area      and the fact that Johnny Bravo would have to fly into a valley      with his field of vision reduced by the night-vision goggles,      performing the weather letdown under these conditions was      extremely treacherous for even the most experienced of pilots.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Johnny Bravo was not told to perform the risky maneuver. If      anything, he probably would have been told to hang tight and wait      until he got the call to help. But Johnny Bravo is not like most      pilots. Even though he was thousands of feet above in the safe      cocoon of his cockpit, he could sense the anxiety of the men      below. Regardless of the dangers, he knew that performing the      weather letdown was the right thing to do. And for Johnny Bravo,      that meant there was no other choice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Then, just as he was preparing to head down through the clouds      into the valley, his instincts were confirmed. Three words came      across the radio. Three little words that can send shivers down a      pilot's neck: \"Troops in contact.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Troops in contact\" means someone on the ground is in trouble. It      is the call that ground forces use to let others know they are      under attack. Though Johnny Bravo had heard those words many times      before during training, it was on this night, August 16, 2002,      that he heard the words \"troops in contact\" for the first time in      a combat situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Johnny Bravo had developed a way to help him relate to the men on      the ground. To feel what they feel. During every training      exercise, while flying above the battlefield, he would always      replay in his mind the scene from the movie Saving Private Ryan      when the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy. He would picture      the ramp of a Higgins boat dropping down, the men running onto the      beach into a wall of German gunfire. The bullets whizzing past      them. The pings of stray shots hitting the steel hulls of the      boats. The cries of men hit. Johnny Bravo had trained himself to      imagine that that was the scene playing out below every time he      heard \"Troops in contact.\" With those images vividly embossed in      his mind, Johnny Bravo reacted to the call for assistance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He told his wingman to hang tight above the clouds, announced his      intentions to the flight controllers and the troops below and      pointed his aircraft down into the darkness. As he passed through      the clouds, the turbulence thrashed him and his aircraft about. A      hard push to the left. A sudden drop. A jolt to the right. Unlike      the commercial jets in which we fly, the A-10 is not designed for      passenger comfort, and his plane bounced and shook hard as he      passed through the layer of cloud.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Flying into the unknown with no idea what to expect, Johnny Bravo      focused his attention on his instruments, trying to take in as      much information as he could. His eyes moved from one dial to the      next followed by a quick glance out the front window. Altitude,      speed, heading, window. Altitude, speed, heading, window. \"Please.      Let. This. Work. Please. Let. This. Work,\" he said to himself      under his breath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When he finally broke through the clouds, he was less than a      thousand feet off the ground, flying in a valley. The sight that      greeted him was nothing like he had ever seen before, not in      training or in the movies. There was enemy fire coming from both      sides of the valley. Massive amounts of it. There was so much that      the tracer fire-the streaks of light that follow the bullets-lit      up the whole area. Bullets and rockets all aimed at the middle,      all aimed squarely at the Special Operations Forces pinned down      below.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In 2002 the avionics in the aircraft were not as sophisticated as      they are today. The instruments Johnny Bravo had couldn't prevent      him from hitting the mountain walls. Worse, he was flying with old      Soviet maps left over from the invasion of Afghanistan in the      1980s. But there was no way he was going to let down those troops.      \"There are fates worse than death,\" he will tell you. \"One fate      worse than death is accidentally killing your own men. Another      fate worse than death is going home alive when twenty-two others      don't.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And so, on that dark night in August, Johnny Bravo started      counting. He knew his speed and he knew his distance from the      mountains. He did some quick calculations in his head and counted      out loud the seconds he had before he would hit the valley walls.      \"One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand . . .\" He      locked his guns onto a position from which he could see a lot of      enemy fire originating and held down the trigger of his Gatling      gun. \"Four one thousand, five one thousand, six one thousand . .      .\" At the point he ran out of room, he pulled back on the stick      and pulled a sharp turn. His plane roared as he pulled back into      the cloud above, his only option to avoid smacking into the      mountain. His body pressed hard into his seat from the pressure of      the G-forces as he set to go around again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But there was no sound on the radio. The silence was deafening.      Did the radio silence mean his shots were useless? Did it mean the      guy on the radio was down? Or worse, did it mean the whole team      was down?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Then the call came. \"Good hits! Good hits! Keep it coming!\" And      keep it coming he did. He took another pass, counting again to      avoid hitting the mountains. \"One one thousand, two one thousand,      three one thousand . . .\" And another sharp turn and another run.      And another. And another. He was making good hits and he had      plenty of fuel; the problem now was, he was out of ammo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He pointed his plane up to the clouds to fly and meet his wingman,      who was still circling above. Johnny Bravo quickly briefed his      partner on the situation and told him to do one thing, \"Follow      me.\" The two A-10s, flying three feet apart from each other, wing      to wing, disappeared together into the clouds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When they popped out, both less than a thousand feet above the      ground, they began their runs together. Johnny Bravo did the      counting and his wingman followed his lead and laid down the fire.      \"One one thousand. Two one thousand. Three one thousand. Four one      thousand . . .\" On cue, the two planes pulled high-G turns      together and went around again and again and again. \"One one      thousand. Two one thousand. Three one thousand. Four one      thousand.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e That night, twenty-two men went home alive. There were no American      casualties.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Value of Empathy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e That August night over Afghanistan, Johnny Bravo risked his life      so that others might survive. He received no performance bonus. He      didn't get a promotion or an award at the company off-site. He      wasn't looking for any undue attention or reality TV show for his      efforts. For Johnny Bravo, it was just part of the \"J.O.B.\" as he      puts it. And the greatest reward he received for his service was      meeting the forces for whom he provided top cover that night.      Though they had never met before, when they finally did meet, they      hugged like old friends.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the linear hierarchies in which we work, we want the folks at      the top to see what we did. We raise our hands for recognition and      reward. For most of us, the more recognition we get for our      efforts from those in charge, the more successful we think we are.      It is a system that works so long as that one person who      supervises us stays at the company and feels no undue pressure      from above-a nearly impossible standard to maintain. For Johnny      Bravo and those like him, the will to succeed and the desire to do      things that advance the interests of the organization aren't just      motivated by recognition from above; they are integral to a      culture of sacrifice and service, in which protection comes from      all levels of the organization.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There is one thing that Johnny Bravo credits for giving him the      courage to cross into the darkness of the unknown, sometimes with      the knowledge that he might not come back. And it's not      necessarily what you would expect. As valuable as it was, it isn't      his training. And for all the advanced schooling he has received,      it isn't his education. And as remarkable as the tools are that he      has been given, it isn't his aircraft or any of its sophisticated      systems. For all the technology he has at his disposal, empathy,      Johnny Bravo says, is the single greatest asset he has to do his      job. Ask any of the remarkable men and women in uniform who risk      themselves for the benefit of others why they do it and they will      tell you the same thing: \"Because they would have done it for me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Where do people like Johnny Bravo come from? Are they just born      that way? Some perhaps are. But if the conditions in which we work      meet a particular standard, every single one of us is capable of      the courage and sacrifice of a Johnny Bravo. Though we may not be      asked to risk our lives or to save anybody else's, we would gladly      share our glory and help those with whom we work succeed. More      important, in the right conditions, the people with whom we work      would choose to do those things for us. And when that happens,      when those kinds of bonds are formed, a strong foundation is laid      for the kind of success and fulfillment that no amount of money,      fame or awards can buy. This is what it means to work in a place      in which the leaders prioritize the well-being of their people      and, in return, their people give everything they've got to      protect and advance the well-being of one another and the      organization.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I use the military to illustrate the example because the lessons      are so much more exaggerated when it is a matter of life and      death. There is a pattern that exists in the organizations that      achieve the greatest success, the ones that outmaneuver and      outinnovate their competitors, the ones that command the greatest      respect from inside and outside their organizations, the ones with      the highest loyalty and lowest churn and the ability to weather      nearly every storm or challenge. These exceptional organizations      all have cultures in which the leaders provide cover from above      and the people on the ground look out for each other. This is the      reason they are willing to push hard and take the kinds of risks      they do. And the way any organization can achieve this is with      empathy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Employees Are People Too\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Before there was empathy at the company, going to work felt like,      well, work. On any given morning, the factory employees would      stand at their machines waiting to start at the sound of the bell.      And when it rang, on cue they would flip the switches and power up      the machines in front of them. Within a few seconds, the whir of      the machinery drowned out the sound of their voices. The workday      had begun.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e About two hours into the day, another bell would ring, announcing      the time the workers could take a break. The machines would stop      and nearly every worker would leave their post. Some went to the      bathroom. Some went to grab another cup of coffee. And some just      sat by their machines, resting until the bell told them to start      work again. A few hours later, the bell would sound again, this      time to let them know they were now allowed to leave the building      for lunch. This was the way it had always been done.","brand":"Portfolio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300929294565,"sku":"NP9781591848011","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781591848011.jpg?v=1767731218","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/leaders-eat-last-isbn-9781591848011","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}