by Melanie Spring, Sisarina
I never defined myself as a leader... until I read Tribes by Seth Godin.
In a great list of books I found by asking the Twitterverse, I began reading Tribes with the understanding that Seth Godin gets it. Tribes is about creating a community and being a leader. Within the first few pages I started thinking of the tribes I had started - game nights, DC Tweetup, and those who work for Sisarina. I will now give you my humble review of this eye-opening book.
Based on everything Mr. Godin explains about tribes, I noticed that I surround myself with leaders and future leaders. "Leaders are hard to find, not because there aren't people who can lead but that there is a fear to leading."
To setup a thriving tribe, you don't need a million people. You need a vision, then 3 or 4 people who have that shared vision and want to talk to one another. Then you have to give them a place to communicate - a place that fits their lives and vision.
SISARINA
Sisarina is my favorite tribe. Since starting Sisarina I've been trying to explain to current and future employees that I'm not a manager. I hate managing - I feel that my employees should want to do their job really well & provide stellar ideas to help with our growth. Mr. Godin explains that initiative equals happiness. I want each person to feel like they have a stake in something much bigger than just their career. Sisarina is a community of people working together, not a 'business'. I don't invest in my company, I invest in my people. According to Seth Godin, this makes me a leader.
#DCTWEETUP
My most creative tribe has been #DCTweetup. Twitter was rather new in early 2009 and people were complaining that it was only a place to hide online & lacked the true connection. Noticing that regular networking events were boring and status quo, I decided to find a way for people to interact and make friends along with sharing business. Starting with 10 people meeting for happy hour, #DCTweetup has grown to 1500 people who interact monthly and about 75-150 who will show up and meet each other each month. #DCTweetup filled a hole that people had for creating real connections on Twitter and they used the hashtag before and afterward to keep the conversation going.
ENTREPRENEURS
People work with people they like. Since #DCTweetup was founded on creating real connections, I've noticed the huge influx of growing small business leaders. Utilizing Seth Godin's vision in Tribes, I'd like to create a niche inside of the #DCTweetup community as a way for growing entrepreneurs to connect and share information. There are lots of networking groups but none that allow you to really connect on a personal level. Creating that subset will allow those people to find more value in this community and in the connection in it. Giving them a forum on Twitter afterward to continue the connection will allow the DC entrepreneurial community to continue.
CURIOSITY, GENEROSITY
Patrick Smith, one of my favorite local entrepreneurs, is heading into his fourth business venture. When we were working on the parties surrounding the 2010 TEDxPotomac, he shared his favorite phrase with me - Curiosity, Generosity. It's a way for people to be able to share information - to be curious about things and be generous in the same way. In that way, he has built a tribe... a tribe of people spreading great ideas. His curious & generous tribe of people is inspiring... keep track of where he goes next, it'll be fascinating.
FAVORITE QUOTES
If you haven't noticed, I highly recommend this book. Just to give you more incentive to go buy it (and share it with others), here are some of my favorite moments:
"The secret of being wrong isn't to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn't fatal."
"Real leaders don't care..." about getting credit for things. They want their community to grow however it can without taking credit for putting it together or the information they share.
"The tribe doesn't do it for you... they do it for each other. Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work."
"Part of leadership is the ability to stick with the dream for a long time. Long enough that the critics realize that you're going to get there one way or another... so they follow."
"If you're not over the top, you're not going to have any chance at all of making things happen."
"Change isn't made by asking permission. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later."
"What I'm saying is that one person - okay, what I really mean is you - has everything. Everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself. The people around you realize this, and they are ready to follow if you're ready to lead."
Now, go read it. I'll even give you the link again: Tribes by Seth Godin
