DESCRIPTION
Simon Sinek “Golden Circle” method is based on the pitch “start with the why” from his book “How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” from 2009. Alternatives could be “Purpose leads, not features.” or “Start with belief, then action”.
The method is a “inside-out” communication structure: starting with Why (purpose, belief), then moving to How (unique differentiators or approach), then finally What (concrete offering). In storytelling, it helps to frame narratives so they resonate emotionally, not just rationally.
Its unique selling proposition in business storytelling is that it forces you to lead with purpose (the deeper “why”) rather than features, aligning with how humans make decisions (emotion + identity), increasing trust, differentiation, and audience buy-in. Because stories built from “why+how=what” (close to our what+whom=how) tend to engage deeper and endure, you avoid banal pitches and instead build narratives that can inspire employees, customers or stakeholders.
USED BY
This method is especially useful in contexts where your narrative must inspire, differentiate, or create emotional adhesion rather than just convey features. Good fits include: Brand storytelling / marketing (B2C or B2B), leadership / internal change narratives, product launches (especially disruptive or mission-driven), corporate culture and employer branding, sales pitches when trust and alignment matter and nonprofit/cause communication.
It’s less effective in purely technical, transactional, commodity-driven contexts where decision is solely price/performance based (unless you still want to inject purpose), but in emotional driveable stories.
The original method is simple: Why+how=what (3 steps). For practical storytelling work, we’ve expand each into additional sub-phases (e.g. discovery, articulation, testing) into e a 5-step practical process (“ours” and not official, but useful as we believe) built around the Golden Circle core.
Approximately needed time
- Step 1: 2-4 hours
- Step 2: 1-2 hours
- Step 3: 1/2-1 hours
- Step 4: 1.5-3 hours
- Step 5: 1-2 hours
- TOTAL: 6-12 hours
METHOD
MATERIAL YOU COULD NEED: Post-It or paper, some colored marker and everything else… 😉
STAKEHOLDER GOOD TO KNOW: responsible leader(s) as carriers of the purpose, the core team and employees to validate authenticity, possibly addressable customers and users for real feedback. Also product owner and operations leads to validate processes, marketing (and if available) storytelling leads to shape storytelling levers.
STEPS
WHY: Discover the “Why”
There is a need for a deeply grounded, authentic purpose or belief that will anchor the story and give it meaning. Without a strong “Why,” stories feel hollow or generic.
Begin with introspection and inquiry: Why does this organization or project exist? Beyond profit, what values or worldview motivate it? You may conduct interviews with founders, team, or customers to surface recurring motivations, emotional drivers, and convictions. You then distill to a crisp “purpose belief statement” (just a sentence or two) that can serve as the narrative north star. This becomes the “emotional core” you return to.
Supporting methods: “5 Whys” root cause technique, valuable surveys or workshop results, brand purpose/mission statement frameworks, classical personas and empathy interviews
Example:
A software startup’s “Why” might be: “We believe business should empower small creators globally, not just follow big platforms.”. When telling a product story, your narrative might start: “Because we believe small creators deserve a global stage…”
HOW & HOWS: Define the way
Once you have the belief, you need to show how you bring it to life and this is your differentiation, approach, principle, or even unique method. It bridges why and what and gives credibility to the story. You enumerate the guiding principles, capabilities, values, processes, or “ways of working” that manifest your WHY. These HOW elements are not generic claims (“quality”) but concrete processes or philosophies like “iterative co-creation with users,” “data transparency,” “open source first”. You pick 2–4 key HOW levers that will serve as pillars in your story. These HOW statements must align with the WHY and be reflected in real actions or past proofs.
Supporting methods: Differentiation or USP workshop, value proposition canvas, capability mapping and competitive benchmarking
Example: If your WHY is “empower small creators,” your HOW might include: “low platform fees,” “community-driven feature development,” “transparent revenue sharing.” In storytelling, you might say: “We co-design features with creators themselves, so your voice directs the tool.”
WHAT: Outline it now…
This is where you bring in the concrete offering what products, services, features, deliverables—serving as evidence of your WHY fulfilled via HOW.
Details:
List the portfolio of offerings, their features, services, and deliverables. But in a Golden Circle story, the WHAT should always be introduced after WHY and HOW, so the listener sees it as proof, not the headline. When outlining the WHAT, group or prioritize those elements that best reflect or exemplify the HOW and WHY. Optionally, choose one or two flagship examples to highlight rather than listing everything.
Supporting methods: Feature prioritization (e.g. MoSCoW method), product roadmap mapping, Minimum Viable Product (MVP) framing
Example: Continuing the small creator platform: WHAT = “Platform subscription app, creator analytics dashboard, marketplace integration, content monetization APIs.” In narrative: “Because we believe in fair creator economics, we built an analytics dashboard that shows exactly how every cent flows, and a marketplace that lets you keep 90 % of earnings.”
STRUCTURE: weave into narratives
Having the elements Why/How/What is necessary but not sufficient: to persuade and engage, you must craft them into a compelling story arc (beginning, conflict, resolution, call to action).
Details:
You determine your storytelling framework (like hero’s journey, problem–solution–impact, BEFORE/AFTER, or challenge–turn). You map where the WHY becomes the emotional hook (often early), how the HOW elements show up as turning points or philosophies, and how the WHAT offers the resolution proof. You build a narrative path: introduce tension or need, reveal mission, show approach, illustrate product as manifestation, conclude with vision + task. You also choose tonality, metaphor, visuals, pacing, key messages, quotes, and transitions. Optionally adding incorporate case studies or anecdotes as proof points.
Supporting methods: Classic story arcs (Freytag, hero’s journey), presentation and storyboarding workshops, narrative design frameworks and visual storyboard or CI/CD slide design.
Example: e.g.
ALIGN: Refine and test with stakeholders
Stories must be checked, aligned, and tested to ensure consistency, clarity, resonance, and stakeholder buy-in. Refinement helps catch misalignment or unintended readings to get the final version of the story.
You run review sessions with key stakeholders and sample audiences to get feedback. Check consistency. Is the HOW truly lived? Is the WHY believable? Are the WHAT claims backed by evidence?. Revise language, remove jargon or slang, sharpen transitions. Optionally A/B test story versions or pilot in small settings to see which narrative gets better reactions. Finalize the core narrative and script or content outputs (slides, video, website copy).
Supporting methods: Feedback workshops and peer review, A/B testing, surveys and interview reactions, messaging alignment frameworks.
Example: You present draft story to senior leadership. They push back that a chosen HOW element isn’t fully implemented. You revisit that part, soften claims or adjust narrative to reflect real state. Then test with some customers via email pitch and gauge emotional resonance to understand which version moved them more.
PROMINENT BRANDS USING IT:
Apple, Patagonia, X, story53 with “storytelling redefined” :-)))
ANECDOTE:
Reportedly, after Sinek’s model gained traction, a CEO reworked the corporate pitch and presentation to start with mission, and perceived win rate on sales pitches increased (this is often cited in training circles), though I did not find a publicly documented rigorous case.
