This chapter explains how an organization--especially a large one--can communicate its WHY to the marketplace effectively.
This centers around two big ideas: the power of symbols and The Celery Test.
A symbol is defined as an object imbued with additional meaning**. It’s an object that represents an idea bigger than the thing itself.**
Here are two examples of powerful symbols:
All societies use symbols to reinforce their core beliefs. And the stronger the core belief, the more powerful the symbol.
Logos are a visual object that identify a company, but they can also be symbols of what a company stands for.
Unfortunately, most companies don’t use their logos this way. Instead, companies act like dictators, telling customers who they are, what they do, and why we should be loyal to them. And like dictators, these companies manipulate people into following them. In these cases, company logos are just a way to communicate the business’s name, not to share their meaning.
In order to work as a symbol, a logo--and the company behind it--must be inspirational. The logo has to tell people something about the company beyond what they sell: it has to symbolize the company’s beliefs.
Take the Harley-Davidson logo, for instance The logo isn’t just a motorcycle brand anymore. It represents more than that: it symbolizes an outlaw mentality. The logo is so meaningful that merchandising makes up 12 percent of the company’s revenue.
The major takeaway for businesses is this: symbols are another way to amplify your message using the Golden Circle megaphone, because they can quickly and easily communicate your WHY.
Trying to communicate your WHY effectively and make decisions in accordance with WHY can feel overwhelming. That’s why Sinek developed the Celery Test, a heuristic to determine what communications “best practices” really are the best practices for your business.
Here’s how the Celery Test works: imagine you’re starting a new health food store. Your WHY is to sell foods that are healthy and improve people’s well-being. You go to a dinner party where people give you advice about your new health food store. One person approaches you and tells you that you need more M&Ms, another person suggests adding celery instead, and a third person tells you to buy Oreos.
All of these people are successful and give good advice, so it's tempting to go right out to the supermarket and buy exactly what they recommended. But that will result in purchasing an armful of mismatched products which might not add value to your organization.
The better tactic is to go into both the grocery store knowing your WHY. If the WHY of your health food store is to make sure people have access to healthy food, then the answer is obvious - you don’t need M&Ms or Oreos, but you buy the celery. In essence, the Celery Test acts as a filter to whittle down all the possible options into only the few that support your WHY.
Case in point - celery being the right answer was probably obvious to you when you first read the scenario. That’s the magic of a clear, concise heuristic - it makes decision making easy, because you know what decisions align with your WHY, and which ones don’t.
The Celery Test works for both short-term and long-term decisions:
Other advantages of The Celery Method include:
Obviously, not every company or organization is looking for healthy foods. But every organization should have a WHY. That’s what makes The Celery Test--which puts your WHY front and center--a great filter for your decision-making process.
Because of its simplicity, the Celery Test scales well to fit your entire organization. For people who create the HOW and people who execute the WHAT, knowing a clear, simple WHY makes decision making easy for them on a day-to-day basis.
Here are two examples of companies that have passed (and failed) The Celery Test:
Disney: Disney’s strong WHY is to produce family friendly entertainment. This WHY is apparent to all its audience members and has been demonstrated over decades of discipline and consistency. Because of that, parents rarely worry about taking their kids to Disney movies or buying Disney products. Disney passes the Celery Test of whether its products are family friendly.
Volkswagen: Volkswagen is a company known for its friendliness to people, mass appeal, and hippie ideals (picture the VW van common in the 1970s). In 2004, they introduced the Phaeton, a $70,000 luxury car. The problem? Volkswagen's WHY was making great cars for everyday people. The product didn’t align with their WHY, so it didn’t succeed. Had they used the Celery Test, they could have ruled out the Phaeton as incompatible with their mission.