I love books. Though I had to force myself to read when I was younger, I have grown to love a quiet room, a nice chair, and a great book. Although I occasionally like to get lost in a spy novel, most of my reading selections are non-fiction, and I tend towards books on theology, business or leadership. I like to dissect what other organizational leaders are saying and glean from their successes and failures. That’s why I recently picked up a copy of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek. The crux of this book really resonated with me…and I hope it will with you as well.
A deep-thinking student of human behavior, Sinek expounds on a fascinating premise: organizations that transcend and endure are ones that don’t just focus on “what” they do or “how” they do it. Instead, they focus on the “why.”
The “why” is their core belief or purpose. It’s what drives them to produce or provide a certain product or service. It’s their passion. Organizations that focus on and relentlessly pursue their “why” have the potential to, create more success, drive more innovation, fulfill their mission, and build stronger loyalty.
Think about companies like Apple, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, and Harley-Davidson. Because their “why” permeates their corporate culture and is central to everything they do, they have forged deep and lasting relationships with the segment of the public who identify with their core beliefs. They have connected with their customers on a far deeper level than just buying a product or using their service. .
The Why of Human Coalition
While reading through the first half of Sinek’s book, I began reflecting on Human Coalition and our “what,” “how,” and “why.”
Our “what” is simple to articulate: We help rescue babies and their families from abortion, so abortion eventually becomes unthinkable and unavailable in our country. The more babies we save, the more families we reach, the more impact we have across the nation, and the faster we help end the scourge of abortion.
Our “how” is fairly clear-cut: We use best-in-class technology-driven marketing techniques to connect with at-risk women in numerous cities. We refer these hurting women to our top-notch HC Call Center, which helps them schedule an appointment at the best pro-life pregnancy centers in the country (including two that are owned and operated by HC in Pittsburgh and Dallas–Fort Worth). We then utilize the relationships we’ve built with churches in these cities, by helping at-risk women and families get plugged in to long-term care and discipleship.
Not only has this “what” and “how” worked in helping to save over 2,800 lives, but the pace of our success continues to accelerate. Because we measure every aspect of what we do, we are learning and getting progressively better at helping rescue children and their families from abortion. We have the best team members in the world applying best-in-class technology and best practices to provide for hurting families. It’s a beautiful system of care.
Our “why” is embedded in our corporate tagline: “So Every Child Makes Their Mark.” Human Coalition exists so that every human being, regardless of the circumstances of their conception, has the God-given opportunity to experience life to the fullest. We see human beings not as consumers, parasites, or expenses of the state. We see each and every one as a unique and priceless person with unlimited potential.
However, the more I reflected on it, the more I realized that the “why” at Human Coalition is even broader and deeper than our tagline. Certainly we value every human being and believe each child’s right to life should be secured and protected. However, we also believe the practice of abortion should be made unthinkable and unavailable in America—and we believe we can help make that happen in our lifetime. Abortion is an evil that can be conquered. It must be conquered.
This past week, I was speaking to a good friend about how strategy, good business sense, compassion, care, courage, and the right network of people can all be brought to bear to end abortion in a specific city. He listened politely and then said, “But it is going to take decades, if not generations, to end abortion—if we can end it at all.”
Based on my travels and conversations with people across the country, I know his perspective is common among pro-life people: “Yes, abortion is a heinous evil. Yes, it is morally wrong. Yes, we all want abortion ended. But abortion is probably here to stay for a long time. So let’s just do what we can while we can.”
I can certainly understand why many people feel that way. Abortion has claimed more than 57 million American lives. And the leading abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, receives tremendous government funding and has an annual budget over $1 billion. Our minority communities are being ravaged by abortion, many pro-life politicians continue to disappoint us, and there are those in the mainstream media that celebrate abortion as an act of courage and sacrifice on the woman’s part, while glorifying the killing of our own children.
And yet, I must politely and passionately disagree with people who think we are simply bailing water on a sinking ship and that the war to save the lives of unborn children and their families can’t be won. Together, we can make abortion unthinkable and unavailable in America, and we can do it soon.
Maybe you are one of these skeptics. Hang in there with me. In the next article I’ll explore the reasons for the skepticism and, hopefully, convince you that we can do this. We can end legalized abortion in America.