The following contains excerpts from the book, Tribes (Seth Godin).
At our music school in Midland, Texas be believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. The discussion of relationships is paramount when dealing with Leadership.
Tribes was published in 2008, and was written to give a clarion call, to anyone who chooses to lead, that the Internet has given them a perfect platform to do so. Never before in history has an individual been given so much leverage to change civilization with their ideas. Godin contrasts the ‘industrial age’ way of doing business, with all of its hierarchical structure, intimidating into submission all those who might have hoped to lead, with the new paradigm with a need for more leaders, and not just leaders, but radical heretics who challenge the status quo.
In this new paradigm the Internet has spawned, a leader is not to function ‘top down,’ but rather be able to communicate an idea that everyone else embraces as their own. Of equal importance, this leader makes it possible for each of the members of the ‘tribe’ to communicate with one another effectively. Although much of what Godin presents is directly related to the emerging technology of the day, he admits that it is only a powerful resource, and not the ‘agent’ of leadership. Leadership is simply a choice.
One of the most important principles we teach at our music school in Midland, Texas is that each person deserves respect and that, in order to collaborate in ensemble playing, each person must be willing to listen to their colleague.
“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea…You can’t have a tribe without a leader- and you can’t be a leader without a tribe.”
“The Internet is just a tool…The real power of tribes has nothing to do with the Internet and everything to do with people. You don’t need a keyboard to lead…you only need the desire to make something happen.”
“Generous and authentic leadership will always defeat the selfish efforts of someone doing it just because she can.”
“Tribes are about faith- about belief in an idea and in a community. And they are grounded in respect and admiration for the leader of the tribe and for the other members as well.”
“A crowd is a tribe without a leader. A crowd is a tribe without communication. Most organizations spend their time marketing to the crowd. Smart organizations assemble the tribe.”
“The market wants you to be remarkable. The most important tribes are bored with yesterday and demand tomorrow.
“Too many organizations care about numbers, not fans. They care about hits or turnstile clicks or media mentions. What they’re missing is the depth of commitment and inter-connection that true fans deliver…Fans, true fans, are hard to find and precious. Just a few can change everything. What they demand, though, is generosity and bravery.”
“Blogs and Twitter and all manner of other tools will come and go, possibly by the time you read this. The tactics are irrelevant, and the technology will always be changing. The essential lesson is that every day it gets easier to tighten the relationship you have with the people who choose to follow you.”
“Whatever the status quo is, changing it gives you the opportunity to be remarkable…You can’t manage your way to initiative.”
“The first thing a leader can focus on is the act of tightening the tribe…A tribe that communicates more quickly, with alacrity and emotion, is a tribe that thrives.”
It is our goal at our music school in Midland, Texas to help each student see their unique potential and how it applies to their future choices of relationships and influence. We hope to inspire leadership in each one of them, as they pursue their passions and dreams to serve others.
“Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. This scarcity makes leadership valuable.
It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It’s uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It’s uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It’s uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
“When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed. If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.”
“The one path that never works is the most common one: doing nothing at all.”
“Nothing at all feels safe and it takes very little effort. It involves a lot of rationalization and a bit of hiding as well.”
“The difference between backing off and doing nothing may appear subtle, but it’s not. A leader who backs off is making a commitment to the power of the tribe, and is alert to the right moment to step back in. Someone who is doing nothing is merely hiding.”
“Leadership is a choice. It’s the choice to not do nothing. Lean in, back off, but don’t do nothing.”
“It’s easy to underestimate how difficult it is for someone to become curious. For seven, ten, or even fifteen years of school, you are required to not be curious. Over and over and over again, the curious are punished.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of saying a magic word; boom and then suddenly something happens and you’re curios. It’s more about a five- or ten- or fifteen-year process where you start finding your voice, and finally you begin to realize that the safest thing you can do feels risky and the riskiest thing you can do is play it safe.”
We encourage students in our music school in Midland, Texas to be curious about what they are learning. It is through this kind of inquisitive attitude that learning becomes fun.
“You get to choose the tribe you will lead. Through your actions as a leader, you attract a tribe that wants to follow you. That tribe has a worldview that matches the message you’re sending…So great leaders don’t try to please everyone. Great leaders don’t water down their message in order to make the tribe a bit bigger. Instead, they realize that a motivated, connected tribe in the midst of a movement is far more powerful than a larger group could ever be.”
“Settling is no fun. It’s a malignant habit, a slippery slope that takes you to mediocrity. Managers settle all the time. They don’t really have a choice because there are too many competing priorities…The art of leadership is understanding what you can’t compromise on.”
“People who challenge and then change the status quo do something that’s quite difficult. They overcome the resistance of people they trust, people they work for, people in their community. Every step along the way, it’s far easier to stop and accept the thanks of …factory workers for finally giving up than it is to persist and risk the humiliation of failure.”
“Faith is critical to all innovation. Without faith, it’s suicidal to be a leader, to act like a heretic.”
“Leadership almost always involves thinking and acting like the underdog. That’s because leaders work to change things, and the people who are winning rarely do…Changing things- pushing the envelope and creating a future that doesn’t exist yet (at the same time you’re criticized by everyone else) – requires bravery.”
“The easiest thing is to react. The second easiest thing is to respond. But the hardest thing is to initiate.”
An artist must be willing to initiate in creativity, and we encourage students at our music school in Midland, Texas to have faith in the unique strengths they each have within themselves. As they work to cultivate that uniqueness, they eventually gain the confidence needed to step out into unexplored territories.
“In the old mode, things happened to you at work…Leaders, on the other hand, don’t have things happen to them. They do things…isn’t about having a great idea (it almost never is). The great ideas are out there, for free, on you neighborhood blog. Nope, this is about taking initiative and making things happen.”
“What marketers and organizers and people who care are discovering is that they can ignite a micromovement and then be propelled by the people who chose to follow it. The key elements in creating a micromovement consist of five things to do and six principles:
- Publish a manifesto
- Make it easy for your followers to connect with you
- Make it easy for your followers to connect with one another
- Realize that money is not the point of a movement
- Track your progress
- Transparency really is your only option
- Your movement needs to be bigger than you
- Movements that grow, thrive
- Movements are made most clear when compared to the status quo or to movements that work to push the other direction
- Exclude outsiders
- Tearing others down is never as helpful to the movement as building your followers up
“Every Tribe is a media channel. Tribes are the most effective media channels ever, but they’re not for sale or for rent. Tribes don’t do what you want; they do what they want. Which is why joining and leading a tribe is such a powerful marketing investment.”
This is why learning to listen is so critical in life and leadership. At our music school in Midland, Texas our students gain the life-skill of listening intuitively and with empathy. There are not many principles as powerful as the capacity to listen well.