A New Year

A New Year is upon us and it is a time for reflection and a time for setting goals. I just finished a book titled "Tribes" that is a bit about goals but more about the changes in leadership and the opportunities for everyone to lead. With blogs, websites, internet, facebook etc. etc. there is an opportunity to create Tribes and lead the Tribes. Godin refers to the elements of leadership and indicates that leaders challenge the status quo and create cultures. They communicate their vision to attract and motivate followers for their tribe. They commit to a vision and base their decisions on that commitment. Finally he talks about how leaders connect followers to one another. It is not about power, but rather about building and motivating a tribe. To quote his feeling on Belief "People don't believe what you tell them. They often believe what their friends tell them. They always believe what they tell themselves. What leaders do: they give people stories they can tell themselves. Stories about the future and about change." What stories have your leaders given you to tell and are you committed to any Tribes?

What makes organizations great? Their willingness to be wrong, realization that wrong isn't fatal, and a willingness to not be not great along the way but great in the future bigger goal at the end of the process. There isn't an easy way to reach the goal and there may be failures along the way but the secret is a simple one according to Godin "Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow".