I finished reading Tribes (We need YOU to lead them) by Seth Godin.  First, I would like to say that this book was not at all what I expected. Maybe I expected much more – as it was one of the top business books for 2008. Maybe I set my expectations a bit higher than they should have been. I have to say that the book did make me think about it – which is good.

 He first sets the stage on what is a tribe. They are groups of folks that have a shared interest and a way to communicate (with the internet and social computing software – that has been made simple).  He further explains that shared interest or what gathers the tribe for their beliefs. There are three things that happen for solid outcome.

1. We all work a lot (well, most of us anyways). If we work on the stuff we believe in, it is much more satisfying than just getting a paycheck or waiting to get fired (or die).
2. Many organizations are realizing that the factory centric model of producing goods and services is not nearly as profitable as it used to be.
3. Many consumers have decided to spend their money differently. No more buying off the shelf – they really are looking for stuff with stories and things they believe in. For example of this – look at the focus on green rather than non-green goods.

 The factory model mentioned early – is not really the heavy machinery and such – but look at it as an organization that cranks out products or services with measureable output and tries to reduce cost along the way. It also centers on the boss tells you what  to do and how to do it. The factory is not a bad thing. It comes with a very rich history. The converse is true as well, there are shortcomings. Just depends on which side you want to be on.  I use the question “How was your day?” as a gauge to where you feel you are at.

 Godin also talks about something that I have written in one of my posts – a ways back. Leadership is not management. He dedicated a chapter on it. He points out some solid examples:

• Managers manage a process they have seen before and they react to the outside world striving to make the process go as fast and as cheap as possible
• Leadership is about creating change.

 The book has plenty of examples of tribes and their leaders. Where I think it falls short is providing many of the how to’s and tips on turning this into reality. Maybe that was is the point that he is trying to make – that the how to’s depend on YOU!

 Like I wrote earlier in the post, I enjoyed reading the book and it made me think about myself, my team and the tribes that I follow or lead. There is much more in the book!

 I did get a few quotes or phrases that I enjoyed and share below.

• “The secret of being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong!”
• “If your organization  requires success before commitment, it will never have either.”
• “Stuck on Stupid” – have to explain this one a bit… Centers on the world changes, the rules change – if you are still following yesterday’s rules – you are stuck. “Stuck on Stupid” – US General came up with that. Think about his situation and history – fighting wars and using yesterday’s rules and ideas – have not worked and will not work.
  

Another quick read! I finished Greater Than Yourself by Steve Farber over my vacation – in fact, on the flight from Phoenix to Vegas (well, the hour delay in the airport helped). Quick and well written. It is a parable that builds on the “invest yourself in others” and “pay it forward.”

 The Greater than Yourself (GTY) concept is based on great leaders become great because they cause others to be greater than they are. Leaders look for those folks with potential and with one on one development help the person to be more capable, competent and accomplished than they are. There are three parts:

• Expand Yourself
• Give Yourself
• Replicate Yourself

Not to give away too much, when I was reading this, I was thinking about where I have done this. Did I follow the three parts? Probably not. But, I have taken folks and passed on my knowledge, contacts and experiences to help them become better than myself. When I sat and thought about the book more and my past experiences, I found a couple of requirements that I want to highlight. First, the subject must be one that you are passionate about. The passion is important for both parties, no passion the project will be slowed. The second requirement is there needs to be a strong level of trust between each of you. Trust is fundamental, but you will be surprised that if trust is not strong, the GTY will not be as successful as it can be.

As mentioned this book is a parable, but there are two sections that are not normally found in these types of business leadership parables. One section is on real life examples within  Up With People. Here Steve discusses the pitfalls and key learning’s. The second section is really where the meat is, the Framework for Action section. A step by step guide to getting started and helpful hints to making GTY work. He has created a web site with examples and resources to get you going. In particular, there is a four minute video of a GTY project conducted by the Up With People organization, that is a good overview of what this is all about and the impact it can have. The participants in this GTY project don’t rule out that great things can come in small packages. The tendency is to pick someone who is already doing well and then working to make them greater; jump on their bandwagon so to speak. There’s certainly nothing wrong in that, but perhaps the most impact can come from taking someone who really needs a leg up and connecting them to what they need.

Now that I am armed with some new tools, I am ready for my next GTY project.