I spent a few hours today reading Seth Godin’s Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. It’s a simple but enlightening read. Seth’s big idea in Tribes comes in two separate but equal parts: 1.) Leadership is marketing. In fact, Seth argues that leadership is the best organizational marketing strategy. It doesn’t matter if your organization is a company, school, church, or department store; leadership is the best marketing tool at your immediate disposal. 2.) Human nature is tribal (social). Tribes are everywhere. A tribe, according to Seth, is “any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.” Tribes have been formed and joined for as long as humanity has existed. We form and join religious, ethnic, political and recreational tribes, just to name a few. Seth suggests that our role today is to find, connect, and productively lead these tribes into a progressive, constructive future. We need to lead these tribes! Tribes need leaders; leaders need tribes!
Seth is right, of course. And he drops a huge handful of solid, thought provoking points all along the path he blazes towards the 147 pages of solid substantiation for his big idea. I am going to spend a few posts on a few of some of the most resonate points in Tribes. Here’s the list (watch for further commentary on each one of these five points):
1. “Heretics (no, not that sort of heretic, thank you) are the new leaders. The ones who challenge the status quo, who get out front of their tribes, who create movements” (11).
2. “…there’s a difference between telling people what to do and inciting a movement. The movement happens when people talk to one another, when ideas spread within the community, and most of all, when peer support leads people to do what they always knew was the right thing” (23).
3. “I admit it. When I get a bad review, my feelings are hurt. After all, it would be nice if every critic said a title of mine was a breakthrough, an inspirational, thoughtful book that explains how everything works. But sometimes they don’t. Which is about enough to ruin my day. But it’s not enough. It’s not enough to ruin my day because I realize that my book got noticed. Most people loved it. A few hated it. But by and large, most books are ignored” (47).
4. “If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader” (55).
5. “So great leaders don’t try to please everyone. Great leaders don’t water down their message in order to make the tribe a bit bigger. Instead, they realize that a motivated, connected tribe in the midst of a movement is far more powerful than a larger group could ever be” (67).
Do any of the above points especially resonate with you in your role? All five resonate strongly with me and my current role (that’s why I picked them!). In fact, they are confirmation that a few decisions I have made recently were wise ones. Had I read Seth’s book before I made those decisions, perhaps my confidence would have been stronger. Ah well, all is well. It’s never too late to be told that you are indeed heading in the right direction.
Godin, Seth. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. Ottawa: Portfolio Hardcover, 2008.
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