Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin

Why: I need to start a trading community with my friends.
Goal: turn a group of people into a tribe.

Action: Publish a manifesto that makes belief.

3 Key Concepts

1. Manager maintains status quo, leader exceeds it.
2. People don’t fear failure, they fear criticism.
3. Movement is about leading people to do what they knew was right.

Summary

We need you to lead us.

Because we all want change. As we entered an era where the factory is not efficient enough to be satisfying. The market is hungry for innovation and something to look forward to.
*factory here is a workplace, where things run to perfection, to reduce cost, and maximize profit. In short, to maintain a status quo.

Seth pointed out many key misunderstandings. The book was written in a way that is unconventional. There is no rigid structure with a conclusion. There was no table of content either! He changed it. Anyway, here are some of the misunderstandings.

First, “Management means leadership“
NO! Here are the differences.

Second, “Change is only for authority to implement.”
NO! Change isn’t made by permission. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later.

Third, “It’s too early for a change.”
NO! Change almost never fails because it is too early, it fails because of “Not now, Not yet”.

Forth, “You need to be charismatic to be a leader.”
NO! Be charismatic doesn’t make you a leader. Being a leader though makes you charismatic.

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People don’t fear failure, they fear criticism.

It is risky to be a leader, you must go through all sorts of discomforting experiences.

One has to propose an idea that might fail.

One has to accept that a new thing is not as good as an old thing at least at the beginning.

One has to stand up in front of strangers.

One has to challenge the status quo.

One has to resist the urge to settle.

If you are to be a leader, you must have an attitude that the above discomforts are necessary. When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed.

The next step is to withstand the critics. You must endure long enough to see it through. Show them that you are going to get there one way or another … so they follow.

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Movement is about leading people to do what they knew was right.

In order to do that, here is what we need to understand about one’s beliefs.

People do not believe what you tell them.

They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them.
They always believe what they tell themselves.

As a leader, your job is to give them a story they can tell themselves. Stories about the future and about the change they wish to have.

Here are some guidelines mentioned in the book to start a micro-movement.

1. Motivate: transform shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change.
2. Connect: build a platform for members to communicate.
3. Leverage: Use tools to grow and gain new members.

How exactly?

Motivate by publishing a manifesto that makes beliefs.
Connect by providing a forum for them to exchange and share.
Leverage by tracking progress publicly, and create a way for everyone to contribute.

There you go, now you are ready to lead your own tribe 🙂

Movement happens when people talk to one another, when ideas spread, when peer support leads people to do what they always knew was the right thing.

Seth Godin

Goal check: I learned how leaders are creating a change with tribes.

Wasu’s Review
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