I just finished reading Tribes by Seth Godin. To say that this was a difficult book for me to read would be an understatement. As I got to the final pages, I found myself thinking about how I would review the book and the author knew exactly what he was doing(as I had presumed). In the final 2 pages, there was a section titled “What, Exactly, Should You Do Now?” It followed with: “You made it to the end. And it’s possible you missed the checklists, the detailed how-to lists, and the For Dummies style instruction manual that shows you exactly what to do to find a tribe and lead it. I think that was the point.”
Well, I kept saying to myself the last several pages that this book was not organized into logical chapters AND, I think that is exactly what the author intended. He confirmed if for me. At least it was confirmed that I was NOT losing my mind!!!
The Tribe in the title is that group needing to be led. It may be a Tribe that is already created, but they need a leader.
There were takeaways for me that I highlighted and/or dogeared:
- He talked about heretics as those wanting to make a difference and challenging the status quo. I might refer to them as ‘pot-stirrers’, but stirring the pot with the intent to improve and solve a problem, not just stir the pot. The example he used was “If faith is the foundation of a belief system, then religion is the facade and the landscaping.” Just because you challenge ‘religions’, doesn’t mean you lose ‘faith’
- He talked about technologies like Twitter, Facebook, and blogging as ENABLERS, and not as a cure.
- He did throw in one “How to” about 2/3 of the way through the book by identifying the key elements in starting your movement:
- Publish a ‘manifesto’ (motto, mantra, story)
- Make it easy for your followers (Tribe) to connect with you
- Make it easy for the Tribe to connect with one another
- Realize that money is not the point of a movement
- Track your progress
My favorite quote of the book was early on how he differentiates between managers and leaders
Related posts: