Start with Why

Author: Simon Sinek

Reviewer: Bronwyn Huband

I joined the NZBWN Book Club with two goals – one to finish a book and second to be able to read something that would challenge me.

Luckily when I turned up to my first book club at Ozone in North London on Sunday I wasn’t the only one to confess to not having quite finished the book and as I am still 15 pages off the end – no spoilers here I promise. If reading a book feels a bit daunting there’s always the audio option or Ted talks to give you an overview.

Simon Sinek’s Start with Why was the very first book read by the book club back in 2015. It was a perfect combination and still is - coffee, brunch and a good honest conversation about a book that aims to give us rich ideas and content to discuss, debate and implement into our lives. 

Given so many of us working in roles going through transformation or change, Start with Why is one of those must reads. It really provides the opportunity to stop and think about why you and/or the leadership you work does what they do. It all starts with why.

A decade of connecting – Happy Birthday NZBWN

One woman’s vision to connect career-minded women in the middle of the financial crisis has resulted in thousands of women connecting, supporting and building each over the past decade.

The roaring buzz #WeSpeakKiwi chatter of 200 Kiwi women coming from the atrium of Clifford Chance was testament to Bronwen Horton’s vision at the 10^th birthday celebrations last week. They were just a few of the thousands of women who have used the network to connect on a professional and personal level, providing everything from mentoring to networking, to lifelong relationships.

MC for the night Emma Keeling, who many of us will remember as TVNZ’s Europe correspondent, paid tribute to the 10,000 plus hours Bronwen has given to the network.

“Bronwen, this is all made possible thanks to your vision and drive. We thank you for having this dream and allowing us to be a part of it.”

Relationships to the Power of X was fittingly the theme for the night, with some of the best speakers from over the years inspiring the crowd with their stories of building businesses and their brands. We’ll be bringing you their inspirational stories over the coming months through the newsletter. In the meantime here’s a taster of their key messages and top tips.

Speaking from New Zealand Maggie Eyre, who has had an amazing career, including as Helen Clark’s media advisor, shared her story about the connections and how one connection changed her whole career – just by sharing her story. She also plugged her new book, ‘Being you. How to build your Personal Brand and Confidence.’

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups 

by Daniel Coyle

Review by Michelle Telling

Every couple of months or so I venture south on the train from Bedford into London and meet up with an inspiring group of Kiwi women enjoying coffee, brunch (@ Ozone Coffee Roasters), and a lively chat about a book. The book we read, The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle, was really well received and everyone was clearly engaged by it with loads of positive discussion.

For me, the book can be summed up with these five words and some quotes taken direct from the book:

• Safety – ‘safety is not mere emotional weather but rather the foundation on which strong culture is built’.
• Belonging – ‘belonging cues have to do not with character or discipline but with building an environment that answers basic questions: Are we connected? Do we share a future?
• Listening – ‘the most effective listeners behave like trampolines, they aren’t passive sponges but active responders’.
• Thank-you – ‘thank-yous aren’t only expressions of gratitude; they’re crucial belonging cues that generate a contagious sense of safety, connection, and motivation’.
• Vulnerability – ‘vulnerability is less about the sender than the receiver…a shared exchange of openness, it’s the most basic building block of cooperation and trust…the vulnerability loop is contagious’.