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

"If you don't like the costs of leadership, you may not accept the perks of leadership." THIS! A thousand times over, yes!

Leader's eat last. I learned that as a junior NCO in the Army. One day, while training out in the field at Fort Hood, we took a break for lunch. As one of the trainers, I needed to get something to eat right away and return to the training site to prepare for the afternoon training. A senior NCO caught me trying to eat first. I tried to explain why I was doing this, but the Sergeant was not impressed. He explained to me that my soldiers always got to eat first and then then the NCO's ate. I immediately understood why that was. 20-years later I retired from the Army but still remember that incident. A couple years after I retired from the Army, I ran into one of my former soldiers. After some small talk, he made a comment to me that I was always taking care of the troops. That I never did anything (that was noticeable) for myself. "Isn't that the way its supposed to work" was my reply. BTW, I now help out at my local VA Hospital as a volunteer. I work directly with our hospitalized veterans. Their needs come before my needs. MSG Jim Volstad US Army Retired

Hardest part of adjusting from Marine Corps life back to civilian life was/is the dog eat dog and each person for themselves attitude. My first management position we had an incident in our warehouse with involving one of our forklift drivers. Owner came in fuming and told me to fire the driver. When I told him that it was not the drivers fault, that we had failed to properly train him right, my boss's jaw hit the floor! Because I took the responsibility for the incident, he couldn't fire the driver. I sat down with the driver and counseled him about the incident, sent him through a proper training course/certification and he ended up being one of our best employees. Of course, that being said, my boss had no clue and still learned nothing about proper leadership.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” - Lao Tzu

“We must be the leaders we wish we had.”

"Do not confuse humilty with meekness. Humility is being open to the ideas of others." Love it!

"You take responsibility for your actions at the time you perform your actions, not at the time you get caught." Damn. That resonates in me a lot.

Been there, I stood my ground when my boss tried to fire an employee for doing what we trained them to do. I know it was going to cost me down the road...it did. I left the company voluntarily and found another great mentor, moved forward and continued my journey to being a better leader tomorrow then today. (Simon thank you for all your content and simplicity to very complex human needs and desires) Now, I lead a small team with online sales and teaching people how to sell and buy safely online. Still look back and consider that moment with my boss the moment with the rubber met the road for me and leadership. So, if you are feeling stuck with a decision at work, not sure what to do. DO THE RIGHT THING! I can't promise it won't hurt today or tomorrow. By constantly doing the right thing you put yourself in the right position to be found for amazing things.

The reason a team begins to work together: Trust.

"Leaders Eat Last" ... i learned this in the german army during my officers training when i asked my NCO why he allways eats last (was just a month in the army). He explained it like this "Because i lead you guys!" It toke me a few months to understand this, but i did in the end ^^

As a pastor many times at fellowship dinners etc, I didn’t get to eat because I was taking care of folks, and this is the right approach for any leader to follow.

"HONESTY IS KING" That is the best thing I've ever heard in my life.

I recently started watching inspiration videos. Found Simon today. He has already made a huge impact on the way I think. I intend to share and put this into action immediately at work. Thank you Simon.

Skip introduction - 2:28 You're welcome.

I just fall in love with his concepts. Forget about Matthew Hussey, Simon Sinek is my idol now.

Arnold Schwarzenegger once held the door open for me. He was in Aspen with his wife, shopping after supper one evening about a decade before he hit politics, still famous for Terminator movies. He wore a coat and tweed hat down around his eyes and a scarf against the cold. Humble man. I was like 12.

The military provides many leadership lessons at an early stage of one’s life. It fosters discipline and focus on the team’s mission rather than on oneself.

I love the way you repeated the questions. It made a huge difference in the quality of the end of your presentation. You kept the end at the high quality of the rest of your presentation.

It is hard to always have the courage for this kind of leadership. Truth is, sometimes I'm just so tired, while other authorities have a good life choosing the easy way (not the right). It became a daily struggle within the years, maybe I'm too sensitive. But it's really encouraging to hear Simon say all these things, to know there are others out there really working to go the right path, to show integrity. Plus, I needed to hear that you probably will be a bad leader on some days but in the long run, you'll see growth. Thanks for this video!

Simon has a beautiful mind & he expresses thoughts effectively! To hear him speak is a privilege. Ian sharing his talks to everyone to learn & improve their mindset.