Seth Godin tells us that the desire we all have to belong and be connected with one another comes as a relic from the tribes of our ancestors. Those tribes were connected by a desire to survive. Today, our new tribes are everywhere, in companies, nonprofits, and in classrooms to name a few. These are our new ways of practicing leadership and connection.
The Opportunity
Godin believes that there is a vast shortage of leaders for the many tribes all over the place. There are five major benefits Godin sees to creating a tribe or community in the digital age.
For the first time, everybody in the organization is expect to lead instead of just the designated leaders
The structure of today’s workplace means it’s easier than every for individuals to utilize leverage and make changes
The marketplace is rewarding those who change things and create remarkable products and services
Being in a tribe is engaging, thrilling, profitable, and fun
Most importantly, out there is a tribe of fellow employees or customers just waiting to be connected to and lead to their destination
Leadership vs Management
Management is just telling people what to do and them going out and doing it. Modern leadership is inciting a movement. Great leaders are those who empowers the tribe to communicate with one another and for them to make connections. Godin tells us that the only two things needed to turn a group of people into a tribe is a shared interest and a way to communicate.
What does a tribe look like?
A good example of a tribe is CrossFit. Crossfit was a small online community when the book was first published. Over time, CrossFit became a worldwide phenomenon. Greg Glassman was able to build a tribe through CrossFit because created an environment where people wanted to and could build a connection to one another.
The key elements of launching a movement
Every movement starts off small. However, with the internet, even a small movement can spread into a world-wide phenomenon. The key however, is that small initial movement. Here are five things you need to do to launch a movement.
- Publish a manifesto:
A manifesto is a way for people to understand you. It answers the why questions. Why does this movement exist? Why should people care? And why should people join you? The most important thing is it can be spread far and wide. It doesn’t even have to be printed or even written. The most important thing is that it unites your members and gives them a structure.
- Make it easy for followers to connect with you
There are many ways in which people could contact you, be it email or social media. Whatever it is, it's most important that it is easy.
- Make it easy for your followers to connect with one another
One of the most important things for a leader to do is making sure people can connect with one another. Figure out how to engineer interaction among members so they can build a connection with one another
- Realize money is not the point of the movement
Money will inevitably come into the movement at some point. Remember it is never the point of the movement. Godin says that cashing out is the moment you stunt the growth of the movement.
- Track your progress
Publicly tracking your progress allows everyone to see how you’ve grown and makes it clear to others how they can contribute.
Conclusion
Godin tells us that leadership is simple, paint a picture of the future, then organize a tribe to go there. There has never been a better time to organize and build a tribe.