Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
BOOK REVIEW: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
It’s me! I’m back! With another Book Review to wet your reading appetites. Today I’ll be giving you just a few of my thoughts on the book, Tribes by Seth Godin.
There are probably a myriad of quotes about how our social circle impacts our lives. We’ve heard our parents say them, we’ve heard our teachers say it, we’ve heard them as quotes in movies and we’ve seen them plastered everywhere. Therefore, there’s no denying that at some point in your life, you have probably heard something like this.
“Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are”
“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future“
“Birds of a feather flock together”
“You are the sum total of the 5 people closest to you“
“Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious“
It’s even in the bible “Don’t be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals” 1 Corinthians 15: 33
Wherever you’ve heard these saying, the message is pretty clear. Who we surround ourselves with is important. It impacts our lives, our businesses and our development as human beings.
I mean just take a look around you. Moguls spend time with moguls. Business leaders spend time with other business leaders. Furthermore, even look to the blogging and YouTube world, some as the best support I’ve received from a blogger is from other bloggers and it has helped me tremendously to improve on my blogging skills. So you see having a good network and group of people around you is important in your life journey.
What the book is about:
Structured more as an anthropological study with tidbits of sage advice interspersed along the way, Tribes uses the successes and stories of real-life persons and well-known companies and organizations to sell the reader on the idea of how important connectivity is in your life and your business. Therefore, the book is founded on three main ideas and principles:
“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.”
“A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
“Tribes need leadership. Sometimes one person leads, sometimes more. People want connection and growth and something new. They want change.”
According to Godin, it is human nature to unite and find tribes. We yearn for connectedness and a reason to belong. In addition, we yearn to be a part of a group or groups that are centered around our interests and propels us forward.
The focus of this book is on how to identify and attract your tribe and how to empower your tribe with the tools needed to mobilize your idea and take your idea to the next level.
My Review:
I love being exposed to new ideas and concepts. It’s one of the very reasons I’m drawn to books like this is an expanding of thinking and introduction to new and fresh approaches to problem solving and personal growth.
This book took a very conversational route. It was like conversing with an experienced guru and business leader and getting all the secrets to their world. It was a short and easy read while also being very straightforward and to the point.
Yet, part of me still felt like there was something missing from this book. I think the ideas and concept were good but it lacked a certain amount of substance to make me want to know more. Yes the examples of other successful titans and tribes were great, but for me it didn’t have that intense awe-inspiring feeling that I usually get from a book like this. I felt like he merely scratched the surface of the concept of tribes.
For me, it was just an OK book. Nothing truly new. Although the idea of forming tribes was somewhat thought-provoking, there’s nothing particularly insightful or extremely motivating in the book. Rather, it honestly felt a tadbit overhyped and under-delivered.
However, it wasn’t all bad. There’s still some good in this book. The gentle reminder that it’s never been easier to find your tribe of like-minded people who share your passions within the expansive world of the internet, can be a motivator to really delve into exploring ways to connect more with others.
The book also helps to understand the importance of creating personal, relevant and relatable messages as we search for said tribes. Because authenticity attracts the best kinds of people to support your dreams. But in order to do it, we need to be willing to put ourselves out there and start making things happen.