<ol><li>Every organisation knows what they do.</li><li>Some organisations know how they do it.</li><li>Very few organisations understand why they do it.</li></ol>Our own career function of the same three levels. The few CEOs who truly understand why their company exists usually last longer and outperform their competition.

The three levels of every organisation

There is a huge difference between being an entrepreneur and a small business owner. Not all small business owners are entrepreneurs. Some entrepreneurs own huge businesses, like Richard Branson, who owns 300 companies worth billions of dollars. A small business owner owns a small business.An entrepreneur is a problem solver.

Entrepreneurship vs small business owner

<ul><li>The organisation. The reason a company exists goes far beyond the product or service and is what keeps the inspiration alive. People can be passionate about the different aspects of business, such as customer service instead of the product itself.</li><li>The individual. When we reach adulthood, our why's are fully formed. The rest of our careers offer us opportunities to bring that purpose to life. When we do something that we are not passionate about, we have to work harder at it.</li></ul>

The why of an organisation and individual

The CEO's responsibility is to spread the cause, not just sell the product. So all the people that join the company understand that they're joining a social movement.  For example, the people who work for Apple really think they will change the world. Steve Jobs believed in power to the people, that this technology could empower people to stand up. It was not about the product; it was always about the people. The technology was simply a means to an end.

The CEO's responsibility

Leadership is a practicable skill. Unfortunately, most MBA programs don't really teach leadership. They call it leadership, but it is actually management. Leadership is a change in mindset. In leadership, we go through this transition where we are no longer responsible for the results; we become responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.

Leadership is a mindset change

<ul><li>The best companies are those where the founder or small group of founders personally suffered, or they couldn't get something or had to overcome something.</li><li>The weakest companies are those where someone sees a market opportunity and tries to build a business around it.</li></ul> The reason is that there's no passion for something we see as a market opportunity, but when it is personal, it becomes a source of passion.

Passion drives the best companies

Simon Sinek explains that people want to work for a company that understands why they exist and are passionate about it.

Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, explains to Inc. features editor Diana Ransom why great leaders give their employees the space and responsibilities to grow. Click here to watch part 2 | Simon Sinek: The Common Email Mistake that Ruins Workplace Morale http://www.inc.com/simon-sinek/how-to-build-a-company-that-people-want-to-work-for.html#t=18:52 Subscribe to Inc.'s channel, click here: http://www.youtube.com/user/incmagazine?sub_confirmation=1 Get social with Inc. on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Inc Twitter: https://twitter.com/Inc G+: https://plus.google.com/+incmagazine/posts Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inc--magazine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/incmagazine/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/incmagazine/

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Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, explains to Inc. features editor Diana Ransom why great leaders give their employees the space and responsibilities to grow.

Click here to watch part 2 | Simon Sinek: The Common Email Mistake that Ruins Workplace Morale http://www.inc.com/simon-sinek/how-to-build-a-company-that-people-want-to-work-for.html#t=18:52

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