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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
By far, the best book I have read this year!
If you want to change the world, or change your bit of it, this is the book for you!
Seth Godin focuses on the role that LEADERSHIP plays in change and makes some powerful observations about the difference between MANAGEMENT and LEADERSHIP. Management is about maintaining stability, about perpetuating the status quo, it is about ensuring that things are...
Published 12 months ago by S. Gale
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Seemed a bit light on content...
I feel the whole book could basically be summed up as: "People need leaders. You're a leader. Go lead." Sure, there's a few other interesting ideas here and there, but it felt like there was too much filler and not enough revelations. Sorry Seth.
Published 4 months ago by OrangeJon
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
By far, the best book I have read this year!, 16 Nov 2008
If you want to change the world, or change your bit of it, this is the book for you!
Seth Godin focuses on the role that LEADERSHIP plays in change and makes some powerful observations about the difference between MANAGEMENT and LEADERSHIP. Management is about maintaining stability, about perpetuating the status quo, it is about ensuring that things are done the same way that they have always been done. It is about avoiding change. For managers, change equals risk. Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change that people can believe in. Leadership doesn't avoid change, it thrives on it. For leaders, change equals opportunity.
The book is incredibly well written. It feels as if every page has been handcrafted. Some many find the lack of chapters disconcerting. For me, it just helped the whole flow of the book. Ironically, it almost reads as a set of blog entries (no surprise for anyone that has read "Small is the new Big" or Seth's blog). I find it amusing that many said that the online world would kill off traditional publishing. Well, here is an example of the online world inspiring traditional publishing!
It is very easy to read. I read it in a couple of sittings and the only thing that slowed me down was the fact I made so many notes in it! I highly recommend it. If you are interested in leadership, then you MUST read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I wish I could think and write like Seth Godin. However, I suspect the only thing we have in common is our initials! Great book. Inspiring reading. Thank you, Seth.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Seemed a bit light on content..., 1 Jul 2009
I feel the whole book could basically be summed up as: "People need leaders. You're a leader. Go lead." Sure, there's a few other interesting ideas here and there, but it felt like there was too much filler and not enough revelations. Sorry Seth.
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25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
All-Inclusive Invitation to Lead Combined with Rants about What Not to Do, 28 Nov 2008
This book's theme is unconventional leadership, taking a cause or idea and gathering support without a firm institutional foundation by finding like-minded individuals and connecting them. If that's a new idea to you, you will find the book to be flattering in its encouragement and motivational in its tone. If you are an unconventional leader already or know a lot about how to do this, you will search in vain for anything new in Tribes.
The book's substance is rather thin beyond the few examples and rants.
Here it is:
People are turned into a tribe by "a shared interest" and "a way to communicate" ("leader to tribe, tribe to leader, tribe member to tribe member, and tribe member to outsider"). A leader increases effectiveness for the people by"
"transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change;
"providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications; and
"leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members."
As you can see, he's describing the way causes, nonprofits, political pressure groups, and save the world organizations operate.
Some will be offended by the rants. For example, he takes off rather hard on all religions while being all in favor of faith that you can accomplish whatever you want. There's no real basis for his position other than generalities about how no religions ever favor any changes. Well, if that were the case, there would still be rampant slavery in many nations. It was religious organizations that led the antislavery movement from the beginning.
Mr. Godin is very well informed about things that happened recently on the Internet (or in his own life), but he doesn't seem to have a broader understanding of leadership or change leadership. If either subject interests you, I suggest that you read better informed authors like John Kotter (Leading Change, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, and A Sense of Urgency), John Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, and Developing the Leader Within You), and Peter Drucker (Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
I found his commentary that getting ideas is unimportant to be particularly unhelpful. He feels that leadership is all about passion and communication. But with the wrong ideas, you can be passionate about communicating harmful changes.
Ultimately, this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who cannot stop admiring themselves enough. Mr. Godin will encourage them to take actions so they can admire themselves even more. Whatever happened to servant leadership?
Seth Godin fans can't seem to get enough exhortations and rants directing them to be bigger, bolder, and more assertive than ever before about anything that occurs to them. I suppose I should review these books by comparing them to what New Age gurus suggest rather than serious books about accomplishing useful things.
I was intrigued to see that Mr. Godin addressed those who give his books critical reviews by noting that he's pleased that anyone takes the books seriously. Perhaps they aren't meant to be taken seriously. My mistake.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
It could have been so much better, 9 Jun 2009
The difference between a book and a blog is that a book has a narrative or an argument; whereas a blog is a series of thoughts, not necessarily connected.
And narrative is what's lacking in this book. Like Seth's other works, it seems to have been taken from blogs written over time. Many of the headings cover similar ground, so the book becomes repetitive.
And because there's no argument, the central idea of the book never really develops. Seth just keeps looking at the subject from different angles.
This is frustrating, and it's a shame, because Seth Godin is an original thinker and this book is a good example of the clarity with which he can see 21st issues, especially as they relate to the online world.
Seth also shies away from making any practical suggestions about how to create a Tribe.
However, the book is good on Leadership. If you're interested in that subject, it's not a bad read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Inspirational, 29 Oct 2008
Seth Godin has written a short, inspirational book about leadership, communities and change. The book won't give you many concrete tools or approaches on how to become a leader or effect change in your organization, but it does inspire you to become a leadership figure and find your tribe.
Throughout the book Godin skillfully dissects management and shows how it's not synonymous with leadership. This aspect of the book alone makes it a must-read for all who are managers or who work for managers that aren't leaders.
Tribes won't turn you into a leader, but it will inspire you to try.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Mega dissapointment, 4 Jan 2009
I had heard a lot about Seth before buying this book and had seen a couple of his speaches on the internet. I suppose I had high expectations of him, which may be what has led to my dissapointment with this book.
Essentially, Seth is discussing the emergence and importance of 'Tribes' of people, with a particular slant on the internet. The problem is that the sum total of the theory could have been compressed to 20 pages, not 120. There is a lot of personal opinion with little to no facts and case studies.
It was a shame that he didn't go into more detail in the few examples that he has used and given more insight into how the technology can be used. Instead, there is a lot of repetition, generalisation and some pretty boring lengthy passages where no knowledge is imparted to the reader.
The only reason I gave two stars is that it has inspired me in a way to investigate the available technologies more than I have. Other than that, I haven't taken anything from this book. If you are looking to read up on 'Tribes' and social media, do it on the web and wait for someone to write a proper book on the subject.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Inspirational, 19 Mar 2009
Seth at his best. Not everyone can (or wants to be)a leader however this book could be the push you need to get out of your chair and effect change rather than waiting for someone to do it for you, or tell you its OK to proceed. Made me remember the reasons why I do what I do (or my tribe strives to do).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Short, provocative and fascinating, 12 Jan 2009
Seth Godin is one of the thought leaders of the internet revolution. In this short book he explains how and why people can lead their own tribes. Tribes are groups who share a common interest or passion. The book is very concise and hard-hitting so it is easy to read for the busy person. It lacks structure and has no index so the serious student will find it frustrating. The author conveys a small number of messages with clarity and power. He gets you thinking about how you could lead a tribe and contribute to the Web 2.0 world.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Essential reading for anyone to understand the web and its power, 26 Nov 2008
Seth Godin has captured the story of many of us out on the web. People who have gathered like minded individuals through sharing, through leadership. Anyone can do this if they want to. This is not a self help book, it is a series of anecdotes that should empower anyone to just get on with it.
For me it is the story of my tribe eigthbar in virtual worlds retold through countless other stories.
The changes are already happening, we are already all connected and able to form these tribes and movements. We can all make the difference we need to, just by doing it.
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14 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
A real shame, 10 Dec 2008
I think the 5 star reviews of this book must have been from friends, family and publishers, because this book is a real wasted opportunity and I'm surprised that this kind of work still gets published.
The concept and approach is interesting, but the way that it has been covered is very poor.
The book is basically made up of a series of personal observations and anecdotal evidence. Where is the research? Where are the original insights? Where are the statistics to back any of these observations up? And most importantly, where is the self-awareness or grace to realise that just because your own "tribe" hangs on your every word, does not mean that a wider audience will.
Perhaps this is the main lesson of the book. Easily accessible mass communication tools have given people with little experience or skill the chance to appeal to a group of like minded people by sharing mutually relevant experiences. The major communications channels still need filling with real insight, authenticity and dedication their topic.
This book is missing all of these because the author simply isn't up to the job.
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Tribes by Seth Godin (Paperback - 6 Nov 2008)
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