Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Part 6 covers sections: “Who Cares?,” “The Elements of Leadership,” “Understanding Charisma,” “Ronald Reagan’s Secret,” “The Forces of Mediocrity,” “How to Sell a Book (or Any New Idea),” “Hard Just Got Easy,” “Which Would You Prefer: Trial or Error?,” “Positive Deviants,” “The Obligation,” “Where Credit Is Due,” “The Big Yes,” “Imagination,” “Fierce Protection,” “Belief,” “Why Not You, Why Not Now?,” “The Perfect Fallacy,” “Yahoo and the Peanut Butter Memo,” “What Do You Have to Lose?,” “Case Study: No Kill,” “The Look of a Leader,” “What, Exactly, Should You Do Now?,” and “One Last Thing.”

Godin believes that the emotion of care is a principal binding force for a tribe. Countless organizations are full of people who don’t actually care—about the company product, about the corporate budget, or about which employee does what. As it relates to a company’s performance, such apathy is ultimately fatal. No care means no tribe—and no leader.

The author dedicates a brief section to highlighting the key elements of leadership: cultivating culture, striving for advancement, curiosity, charisma, clear communication of their goals, commitment to a vision, and coordination. This catalog leads into several reflections on what makes the ideal leader. Charisma may be important, but it derives from leadership, not the other way around. It is the choice to lead, not the status of leader, that hones charisma. Still, people tend to think that charisma is wholly innate and that it is what gives a person candidacy for leadership. Putting oneself in the spotlight helps conquer fear and develops personality traits that others write off as inherited. Another important trait for a leader is their ability to listen, but listening should not be confused with “‘going with the crowd’ or ‘following the polls’” (73). Reagan, for example, was so successful as president because, although he would not always act on others’ words, he heard them out. An efficient leader takes time to process the input from their tribe.

Godin exhorts readers to find persistence. He claims that even with an innovative vision or plan, they will face pressures that drive them toward mediocrity or snuff out change. Further, if a movement faces resistance, this is an indication the movement is headed in the right direction; if the movement weren’t important, no one would care enough to resist it. Still, one must sell a movement—Godin brings up a colleague who is selling a book and researching marketing strategies. The most successful way to spread a product is to first find just one person who loves it. The self-proliferating nature of good ideas will make it so tribe members share the work with outsiders. Godin underlines that a product’s quality and its platform are the crux of a successful marketing campaign.

In the age of industrialization and mechanized equipment, what was once difficult is now easy: shipping, farming, and building cars. However, some things have become harder, like altering the systems those inventions set in place. Orchestra conductor Gustavo Dudamel is a case study in challenging such systems, and Godin tells his story to illustrate an industry’s leap of faith. The Los Angeles Philharmonic hired him at 26 years old and with a scant résumé to draw new audiences. Because Dudamel was so inexperienced and had so few successes to his name, the hiring decision was risky and challenged to the status quo. Godin states “If your organization requires success before commitment, it will never have either” (75). For example, Apple committed to the iPhone even before the product had a strong track record—and even when the naysayers were ubiquitous. The iPhone and Mastercard did not revolutionize their industries overnight.

The author returns to the idea of how leaders face resistance and are often seen as rogues, or “deviants.” Most managers snuff out deviance because it strays from protocol. Leaders, however, know that workers will be motivated by the idea of participating in change, and this motivation will make them more productive. A leader can foster a fertile work environment by finding and supporting individuals who demonstrate nontraditional behavior. If the person’s model is successful, a leader can “amplify their work, give them a platform, and help them find followers […]” (76). This pragmatic approach to strengthening a workforce will consistently uncover new paragons, fresh ideas, and transformation. Godin urges readers not to settle. He sees it as a waste to be satisfied with mediocrity. He states, “Flynn Berry wrote that you should never use the word ‘opportunity.’ It’s not an opportunity, it’s an obligation” (76); in other words, we have an obligation to challenge the status quo and to push for excellence. With this mindset, the individual manifests motivation through willpower.

Because innovation requires imagination above all else, the author holds imagination above knowledge. He believes it marks the difference between seeing the present and envisioning the future. Moreover, true innovators—according to Godin—are unconcerned about receiving credit for their ideas. He cites 37 Signals, a software company, who offers its advanced programming tool for free and without expecting any credit for the technology. What’s important to them is their mission, vision, and faith—not credit or profit. Godin believes real leaders have bigger things to worry about than praise, commendation, or profit attached to a given accomplishment. For example, when making The Simpsons Movie, Matt Groening resisted executives’ demands to fill the film with product placements; executives pushed him to play off the ads as a joke, which they believed would be hugely lucrative. Godin summarizes, “If Matt Groening hadn’t dug in his heels and resisted, the movie would have been ruined. Compromise may expedite a project, but compromise may kill it as well” (78).

Godin emphasizes the importance of building narratives among a tribe. Effective leaders provide stories that can be disseminated to and among their tribe members; utilizing humans’ social networks and need for authentic narratives is crucial to strengthening a group’s culture.

Since the roadblocks to leadership have dissolved throughout time, Godin asks: “[W]hy not begin?” (79). He uses publishing books as an example of the market’s new freedoms. Writers can self-publish instead of pursuing agents and established companies. He asserts, “There’s no correlation between money, power, or education and successful leadership” (79). Readers should act now in chasing their dreams since waiting will only hamper their efforts.

Godin scrutinizes the concept of product “quality.” Since a product’s value cannot be wholly understood until an alternative/innovation spotlights its flaws, deeming it perfect or improved is meaningless. In 2006, Brad Garlinghouse, a Yahoo senior manager, sent a memo to his bosses, outlining the mistakes he saw in the company’s business strategies. The memo was leaked and led to the departure of Yahoo’s CEO. Godin posits that Garlinghouse had nothing to lose by writing his memo because if it had failed, he could have moved on to an equally profitable position somewhere else. Garlinghouse risked doing the right thing and was rewarded for it—Godin asks the reader why they are waiting to do the same.

Nathan Winograd and Richard Avanzino changed the pet shelter industry by reducing the number of pets being put down each year. Starting at one shelter, Avanzino implemented programs promoting more humane treatment of captured, abandoned, or unadopted pets. He decreed that any staff members who disagreed with his new policies should seek work elsewhere. His reforms were resisted by various groups claiming the movement’s goals were unrealistic. Nevertheless, San Francisco became a No Kill city in 1995. When the organization began to falter in its spirit, Winograd abandoned it and continued his unflinching No Kill philosophies in New York. He entreated the public for support and grew a massive tribe of volunteers. Winograd repeated this process in different cities and spread his cause across the country. The two leaders displayed unrelenting dedication, changing their industry from the bottom up. According to Godin, Winograd showed “an ability to mobilize a tribe and [did] it in a way in which every person involved came out ahead” (82). Leaders come in many forms, but they have one thing in common: their decision to take charge.

Godin concludes with an emphasis on choice. He commends anyone for attempting to lead, especially when they don’t feel ready, because there is never a perfect time to take the risk. He reflects, “But once you choose to lead, you’ll discover that it’s not so difficult” (84). Godin encourages the reader to pass the book to a person they know so that they may be inspired by its messages.