This is a YouTube video titled "How I Finished 'Leaders Eat Last' | Simon Sinek" containing a personal narrative by Simon Sinek recorded in 2025. In this video, Simon shares the challenges he faced while writing his book "Leaders Eat Last," including moments of doubt and how a conversation with a friend in the Air Force inspired him to persevere and complete the book.
Leaders eat last. This book that I wrote was the most difficult thing I ever did in my life. I was sitting at my desk one evening about 8 o', clock, 9 o' clock at night, and I gave up. I decided I couldn't do beat me. I went through the checklist. I'll have to publicly announce, hey, this book that I've been talking about, not going to happen. I'll be humiliated, but I'll get over it and so will they. Check. And I literally just went through the checklist of quitting of all the things I'm going to have to do and emotionally prepare myself for what I was about to do. For some reason, I don't know why, I called a friend and at the time he was active duty in the Air Force. I said, what do you do when you can't complete the mission? How did they train you? And as is his nature, he told me a story, and he told me a story of when he was in the Air Force Special Forces. We were still in the Air Force Special. And they had a mission. He flew helicopters and they had a mission in Afghanistan. And all the intelligence said that the air defenses were too good and they were all going to die. They were all going to get shot down. And they were prepping their helicopters, ready to go on this mission. And his wingman turns to him and says, what do we do? Do we just say we're not going to do it? And my friend turned to him and said, this is what we signed up for. We go. And he said to me, is this book more or less powerful than Start with why? I said, the research I'm doing has been incredibly powerful. I actually think I've become a better version of myself because of this book than the first one. He goes, okay, let me tell you something. Before I met you, I became completely disillusioned with the Air Force. I wanted out. And I read this kooky little book called Start with why? And it completely reinspired me. And I decided I was going to stand and be even a better leader. And I've never been happier. He says, if you're telling me that this book is more powerful, he says, you have no choice. He says, this is what you signed up for. And I went back and finished the book.
