Customer Review

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2023
Godin, S. (2008). Tribes: We need you to lead us. Penguin Group.

Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker. Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!).

Godin defines a tribe as a "group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea." He contrasts the factory from the tribe where the factory represents efficiency, stability, and potentially the absence of "fear." Fear, Godin said, not of failure (although fear gets attributed to this) but instead fear of criticism. Leaders fear but they successfully overcome fear with visions of success. Faith (not in a religious sense), but faith as hope which overcomes fear is essential. Leaders focus their energies on: transforming people's shared interests into passion and desire for change; providing tools to facilitate members' communications; and leveraging the tribe to gain new members (p. 25). Technology facilitates a wide array of opportunities to facilitate tribe formation. Godin described leaders as those who care and act, not for monetary or status benefits, but instead to "[watch] the tribe thrive. " A central theme is that new ideas and innovation occur within those who step outside the "factory" to imagine anew.

I'm intrigued by the notion of tribes including how they are formed and sustained. My difficulty with this book contrasting the factory and heretics (leaders) as though factory work/workers were less than heretics. What I learned from interviewing women who worked in a factory was that these women were not automatons merely following orders, there was a strong sense of agency and action. This characterization of "the factory" is a tired description that can invalidate people's lived experiences. He raises a valid point that innovators often go against prevailing modes of thinking, being, and acting. If you're interested in learning how to harness and sustain online communities, I suggest reading instead: Hunt, T. (2009). The whuffie factor. New York.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Sustaining a Tribe
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2023
Godin, S. (2008). Tribes: We need you to lead us. Penguin Group.

Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker. Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!).

Godin defines a tribe as a "group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea." He contrasts the factory from the tribe where the factory represents efficiency, stability, and potentially the absence of "fear." Fear, Godin said, not of failure (although fear gets attributed to this) but instead fear of criticism. Leaders fear but they successfully overcome fear with visions of success. Faith (not in a religious sense), but faith as hope which overcomes fear is essential. Leaders focus their energies on: transforming people's shared interests into passion and desire for change; providing tools to facilitate members' communications; and leveraging the tribe to gain new members (p. 25). Technology facilitates a wide array of opportunities to facilitate tribe formation. Godin described leaders as those who care and act, not for monetary or status benefits, but instead to "[watch] the tribe thrive. " A central theme is that new ideas and innovation occur within those who step outside the "factory" to imagine anew.

I'm intrigued by the notion of tribes including how they are formed and sustained. My difficulty with this book contrasting the factory and heretics (leaders) as though factory work/workers were less than heretics. What I learned from interviewing women who worked in a factory was that these women were not automatons merely following orders, there was a strong sense of agency and action. This characterization of "the factory" is a tired description that can invalidate people's lived experiences. He raises a valid point that innovators often go against prevailing modes of thinking, being, and acting. If you're interested in learning how to harness and sustain online communities, I suggest reading instead: Hunt, T. (2009). The whuffie factor. New York.
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