One of my all-time favorite books is Tribes by Seth Godin. It’s a management, marketing, leadership, and tech book all rolled into one. I appreciate Seth’s writing style a lot because it’s so easy to read yet each page is filled with so many insights and learnings that you can readily apply to life or your work. In his book, Tribes, Seth talks a lot about leadership in the advent of the internet. Let me share with you a striking paragraph that he wrote which I’ve actually printed and framed on my office wall, haha! Check it out after the break.
The Posture of a Leader
by: Seth Godin (Tribes, p. 117)If you hear my idea but don’t believe it, that’s not your fault, it’s mine.
If you see my new product and don’t but it, that’s my failure, not yours.
If you attend my presentation and you’re bored, that’s my fault too.
If I fail to persuade you to implement a policy that supports my tribe, that’s due to my lack of passion or skill, not your shortsightedness.
If you are a student in my class and you don’t learn what I’m teaching, I’ve let you down.
Leadership, be it in the workplace or even at home, is one of the biggest factors for success. It’s easy to pin the blame on your people, but you should always make it a point to constantly learn and become better because you cannot stop growing if you’re the one leading the pack. If you have the passion, determination, and capability to do something, don’t settle for anything less than the best.
I also like how Seth called it “Posture of a Leader”. It’s the mindset and conditioning that matters. If you are not prepared mentally to lead, then you’re just bound for failure. You need the confidence, courage, and know-how so that you’ll excel.
I’ll be talking more about Tribes in succeeding posts. This book is a goldmine!
Recommended Reading
“Tribes is a must read for all of us. It’s up to each one of us to lead in today’s new kind of world.” – Former US Senator Bill Bradley
Is this available at Natioal Bookstore, sir?
This promises to be a goldmine indeed.
Hi Arbee! I’m not 100% sure. You might want to check Power Books or Fully Booked if you can’t find it in National.
I love this book. I like to think I’m the leader of my own weird subculture weeaboo tribe, myself.
This book sounds great! That paragraph you quoted in your article gave me so much insight about leadership . If you keep on blaming your failures on other people you won’t succeed. You need to figure out why you failed and do what you can to be a successful leader. Thanks for your insights. I’ll have to check out this book.