"And by the way, he gave the 'I Have a Dream' speech, not the 'I Have a Plan' speech."
That line came from the tail end of a 2009 TED Talk given by Simon Sinek, an author, marketing consultant and world-renowned motivational speaker. The name of that particular address - likely Sinek's most popular, as its video has nearly 35 million views - was "How Great Leaders Inspire Action."
As political candidates across Tennessee and elsewhere begin jockeying for public office, I'd like to make the humble suggestion that they each take 15 minutes to watch the clip.
Sinek's talk centers on what he calls "probably the world's simplest idea." It's that the best of communicators and leaders present their ideas the complete opposite way than the rest of us do.
This is where the Golden Circle comes in.
Envision three circles: A small circle, encircled by a larger one, and then a third one around the two smaller ones. Inside the smallest circle is the word "why," inside the middle one is "how," and inside the biggest is "what."
According to Sinek, most of us begin our communicating from the outside ring - the "what" - and work our way to the middle. In consumer terms, that would look like:
What: We have this fancy phone.
How: Our technology will make your life easier, and you'll be more connected to the world.
Why: We believe in broadening horizons and streamlining the complexities of your daily life.
But that's not how Apple, which Sinek lauds in his talk, has sold 1 billion iPhones. They start the other way around, with the "why" and work outward to the "what." That's the reason millions of people buy all kinds of devices - phones, music players, etc. - from a computer company.
When you start with the "why," you can connect with people on a deeper level. Once you've resonated with them at their core, you can sell them more things.
Which brings us to politics.
Perhaps it's just me (and I'd love to hear your thoughts about this), but I feel like we're living in an age of transactional politics.
"Here's what you'll get if you vote for me."
Most seeking office - and those who are in office trying to sell policy ideas - typically start from that outside rung, the "what," then address the "how," and rarely ever get to the "why."
Here, I can't help but think of Paul Ryan's health care legislation slide presentation from earlier this year. Though it was thorough, it's tough to sell a repeal of the Affordable Care Act via PowerPoint.
He literally started with a "what."
"First of all," he said, "I'd like to walk you through exactly what the American Health Care Act is." Then he went slide by slide through his plan. My eyes glazed over by the second bullet point. If there was a "why," I slept through it.
And speaking of plans, as Sinek noted in his talk, Martin Luther King did not attract 250,000 people to Washington, D.C., in late August 1963 to hear his "I Have a Plan" speech. It was his well-articulated dream that brought the masses. And in sharing his dream, much of America agreed it was their dream as well.
It has to be tempting for an office-seeker to lead with what they'll do if elected. Voters, true enough, like results. But I also believe letting those "whats" play backup to "whys" is something we're sorely missing these days.
So why are you running? Tell us about your dream.
We'd love to hear it.
Contact David Allen Martin at davidallenmartin423@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DMart423.