605: Seth Godin - How To Be Remarkable, Create a Strategy, Build a Tribe, Develop Taste, Lead Others, & Leave a Dent in The World

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Learning Leader Show

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The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

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Seth Godin is the author of 21 international bestsellers that have changed the way people think about work and art. They have been translated into 38 languages. His breakthrough books include Purple Cow, Tribes, The Dip, Linchpin, and his latest book is called This is Strategy. He writes one of the most popular daily blogs in the world and has given 5 TED talks. He is the founder of the altMBA, and the former VP of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!

Notes:

• "If you want word of mouth, you have to create something remarkable, and that means it’s worthy of remark."
• The elegant path is the most useful way forward. “My neighbor is a barefoot runner. He glides without apparent effort.” Elegance is simplicity, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Dorothy and Her Crew. How did Dorothy persuade the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow to join her on the trip to see the Wizard? Did she make a case about how much she missed home? No. She created the conditions where the others could get what they wanted by joining her.
• Seeing Strategy Clearly. Strategy is a flexible plan that guides us as we seek to create a change. It helps us make decisions over time while working within a system.
• Low-Hanging Fruit Isn’t. It’s all been picked. The easy, direct, obvious paths are unlikely to get you the results you’re working so hard to obtain. In fact, these paths are probably a trap.
• Seth, at one point, got 800 rejection letters. Have to keep going...
• "I wouldn't call Steve Ballmer a good leader."
• An example of Seth making a difference... He went to Kenya and talked with 60 people who started a book club based on his book Linchpin. "They decided to be leaders."
• Make decisions in the moment:
  • Examine the issue
  • Get feedback
  • Look for patterns
• "Taste is knowing what the market wants before it knows it."
• Rick Rubin
  • Reality distortion field
  • Johnny Cash
  • "What do you think?"
• "Objections are your friends."
• What are the commonalities among leaders with whom Seth has worked and who have sustained excellence? They are all different, but the one thing they have in common is they all have chosen to be leaders. And that means that they are here to make a change happen.
• Management doesn’t just exist. It was invented. When you race to the bottom, You see people as resources, not as people.
• Questions That Lead To Strategies. 84 questions. They’ll force you to think through your strategy. By answering them, you’ll be better prepared to make a difference… And make a ruckus. Some of them: Who is this project for? What is my timeline? What systems would need to change for my project to succeed? Where will I cause tension? What resistance should I anticipate? Where is the empathy? What asset would transform my project? What can I learn from comparable projects? Is the change I’m making contagious? Can I make it easier for others to decide? How can I design for network effects? What are common objections I expect to encounter?