Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us | 
|  | | | Title: | Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us | | Author: | Seth Godin | | Publisher: | Portfolio Hardcover | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 16 October, 2008 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 1591842336 / 9781591842330 | | List Price: | $19.95 | | You Save: | $6.38 | | Amazon Price: | $13.57 | |
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| Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It’s our nature.
Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger. But more important, they’re enabling countless new tribes to be born—groups of ten or ten thousand or ten million who care about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming.
And so the key question: Who is going to lead us?
The Web can do amazing things, but it can’t provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals— people just like you who have passion about something. The explosion in tribes means that anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips.
If you think leadership is for other people, think again—leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma leads a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, runs her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle. All they have in common is the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.
If you ignore this opportunity, you risk turning into a “sheepwalker”—someone who fights to protect the status quo at all costs, never asking if obedience is doing you (or your organization) any good. Sheepwalkers don’t do very well these days.
Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers. . . . It’s not easy, but it’s easier than you think.
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Customer Reviews:
• If Maslow Had Read This Book, It Would Be 2nd On The Heirarchy Of Needs 01 December, 2008
Reading this book is like drinking water, or eating chicken. If you don't do it regularly, you'll probably die.
Seriously, though, if you are a young person like me this book is likely to blow your mind. I know I'll be buying it for some people!
Judging by the negative reviews, it seems that those who already consider themselves great leaders may be offended by the book. So read at your own risk!
- Reviewed by customer ID: ATC2IZWQ8RH3Z
• More Seth, How Can You Go Wrong? 01 December, 2008
I loved this book and found myself inspired several times over. Well written and easily understood as all Seth books are. (I am a fan in case you can't tell.) If you feel "stuck" in the system and want a little nudge to help you along, this book can do just that. On the other hand, if you have no intentions of being a leader of any sort...this book will probably scare you.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AMG9TZNX5083P
• Marketing Leadership 01 December, 2008
Seth Godin is a great marketer. In Tribes, he sets on the challenge of convincing readers that they should start leading.
To start with, Seth shares an argument that people are organized in tribes, and tribes need leaders. He defines tribe as a group of people with a shared interest and a way to communicate. This is best exemplified in the case of blogs - any blog has an author (the leader), readers (the tribe) and a comments section (the way to communicate). While the author claims that the technology (blogs, Twitter, Facebook) is only the tool, it is easy too see how this book is inspired by Web 2.0 concepts.
Furthermore, we can read about how the world has become heretic-friendly. I haven't read Purple Cow, another book by Seth Godin, but I think it builds on the same concept of becoming different, going for the innovative, wild ideas. The author praises passionate, energetic leaders that come up with a new way of saving environment, running charity or leading a software company. This part of the book contains a critique of the factory model of production, or the management paradigm, which according to author should be replaced by a tribal approach, or the leadership paradigm.
Finally, Seth Godin tells us what it takes to be a leader. The tips range from overcoming your fear, focusing on people that are your followers, telling a story, or tightening the tribe. Most of them are illustrated by stories of average people that became great "tribe leaders".
The book is written in a sermon-like style. Seth begs us to overcome our fear, to dream big, to believe. Every idea is pictured by a vivid story which makes the book an easy read. While you shouldn't expect a handbook or reference on leadership, I would recommend reading this book during a flight or train trip, and you can also get a free audio version via Audible.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1VJ9NOOO8DCG9
• Small Book, Snappy Title .. But Not Easy 30 November, 2008
This is my first Seth Godin read - and it is not an easy one. I keep gleaning small tidbits, lots of repetition, and trying to get to something larger. It's a bit frustrating, I am curious and want to get some new neuropathways going in this older noggin' of mine - so oddly enough, in spite of the frustration, I stay with it. Maybe I am expecting too much here, because of the author's fame and popularity??
- Reviewed by customer ID: A24RQZU8DRE0AL
• All-inclusive Invitation To Lead Combined With Rants About What Not To Do 28 November, 2008
This book's theme is unconventional leadership, taking a cause or idea and gathering support without a firm institutional foundation by finding like-minded individuals and connecting them. If that's a new idea to you, you will find the book to be flattering in its encouragement and motivational in its tone. If you are an unconventional leader already or know a lot about how to do this, you will search in vain for anything new in Tribes.
The book's substance is rather thin beyond the few examples and rants.
Here it is:
People are turned into a tribe by "a shared interest" and "a way to communicate" ("leader to tribe, tribe to leader, tribe member to tribe member, and tribe member to outsider"). A leader increases effectiveness for the people by"
"transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change;
"providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications; and
"leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members."
As you can see, he's describing the way causes, nonprofits, political pressure groups, and save the world organizations operate.
Some will be offended by the rants. For example, he takes off rather hard on all religions while being all in favor of faith that you can accomplish whatever you want. There's no real basis for his position other than generalities about how no religions ever favor any changes. Well, if that were the case, there would still be rampant slavery in many nations. It was religious organizations that led the antislavery movement from the beginning.
Mr. Godin is very well informed about things that happened recently on the Internet (or in his own life), but he doesn't seem to have a broader understanding of leadership or change leadership. If either subject interests you, I suggest that you read better informed authors like John Kotter (Leading Change, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, and A Sense of Urgency), John Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, and Developing the Leader Within You), and Peter Drucker (Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
I found his commentary that getting ideas is unimportant to be particularly unhelpful. He feels that leadership is all about passion and communication. But with the wrong ideas, you can be passionate about communicating harmful changes.
Ultimately, this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who cannot stop admiring themselves enough. Mr. Godin will encourage them to take actions so they can admire themselves even more. Whatever happened to servant leadership?
Seth Godin fans can't seem to get enough exhortations and rants directing them to be bigger, bolder, and more assertive than ever before about anything that occurs to them. I suppose I should review these books by comparing them to what New Age gurus suggest rather than serious books about accomplishing useful things.
I was intrigued to see that Mr. Godin addressed those who give his books critical reviews by noting that he's pleased that anyone takes the books seriously. Perhaps they aren't meant to be taken seriously. My mistake.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ
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