In the spirit of getting around to doing things that I have wanted to do for a while and embracing social media, I have created a site on Bing in the hopes of creating a group to network, discuss business opportunities, have book discussions and guest speakers, etc.
The site is located at chicagolandjunto.ning.com
Take a look, if you are interested, post a thread on the bing site and hopefully soon we can host a face-to-face.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I just finished TRIBES by Seth Godin and was again impresed with Seth's writing style and simple but straight forward message.
Some highlights....
Tribes are not about stuff, they are about connections.
The anatomy of a movement (3 elements) by Senator Bill Bradley
1) A narrative tells a story about who we are and the future we are trying to build.
2) A connection between and among the leader and the tribe.
3) Something to do - the fewer limits, the better.
Too often organizations fail to do anything but the third.
Start a newsletter People will want to be part of the journey.
Kevin Kelly (of Wired fame) speaks of the power of 1000 true fans.
The Technium: 1,000 True Fans
The Principle Revisited:
People get promoted to their highest level of incompetence should be everyone rises to the level at which they become paralyzed by fear. Very true of my last organization.
Seth mentions Keith Ferrazzi (Never Eat Alone) and how he is a master networker and is able to lead an unleadable group. He introduces people, he invites them to dinner, finds areas of common interest and then gets out of the way.
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. If everyone could do it, they would, and it would not be worth much.
It's uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed.
Curious people count. They're the ones who lead the masses in the middle who are stuck. Once recognized, the quiet persistent voice of curiousity does not go away. Ever.
Your micromovement:
1) Publish a manifesto.
2) Make it easy for your followers to follow you.
3) Make it easy for your followers to connect with one another.
4) Realize that money is not the point of a movement.
5) Track your progress.
Principles.
1) Transparency really is your only option
2) Your movement needs to be bigger than you.
3) Movements that grow, thrive.
4) Movements are made most clear when compared to the status quo or to movements that work to push in the other direction.
5) Exclude outsiders
6) Tearing others down is never as helpful to a movement as building your followers up.
What leaders do....
challenge the status quo
create a culture around their goal and involve others in their culture
have an extraordinary amount of curiosity about the world they're trying to change
use charisima to attract and motivate followers
communicate their vision of the future
commit to a vision and make decisions based on that commitment
connect their followers to one another
It's a simple process.
Find leaders, amplify their work, give them a platform, help them find followers and things will get better, they always get better.
You cannot manage without knowledge, you cannot lead without imagination.
Belief:
People do not believe what you tell them.
They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them.
They always believe what they tell themselves.
Leaders give people stories that they can tell themselves.
Some highlights....
Tribes are not about stuff, they are about connections.
The anatomy of a movement (3 elements) by Senator Bill Bradley
1) A narrative tells a story about who we are and the future we are trying to build.
2) A connection between and among the leader and the tribe.
3) Something to do - the fewer limits, the better.
Too often organizations fail to do anything but the third.
Start a newsletter People will want to be part of the journey.
Kevin Kelly (of Wired fame) speaks of the power of 1000 true fans.
The Technium: 1,000 True Fans
The Principle Revisited:
People get promoted to their highest level of incompetence should be everyone rises to the level at which they become paralyzed by fear. Very true of my last organization.
Seth mentions Keith Ferrazzi (Never Eat Alone) and how he is a master networker and is able to lead an unleadable group. He introduces people, he invites them to dinner, finds areas of common interest and then gets out of the way.
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. If everyone could do it, they would, and it would not be worth much.
It's uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed.
Curious people count. They're the ones who lead the masses in the middle who are stuck. Once recognized, the quiet persistent voice of curiousity does not go away. Ever.
Your micromovement:
1) Publish a manifesto.
2) Make it easy for your followers to follow you.
3) Make it easy for your followers to connect with one another.
4) Realize that money is not the point of a movement.
5) Track your progress.
Principles.
1) Transparency really is your only option
2) Your movement needs to be bigger than you.
3) Movements that grow, thrive.
4) Movements are made most clear when compared to the status quo or to movements that work to push in the other direction.
5) Exclude outsiders
6) Tearing others down is never as helpful to a movement as building your followers up.
What leaders do....
challenge the status quo
create a culture around their goal and involve others in their culture
have an extraordinary amount of curiosity about the world they're trying to change
use charisima to attract and motivate followers
communicate their vision of the future
commit to a vision and make decisions based on that commitment
connect their followers to one another
It's a simple process.
Find leaders, amplify their work, give them a platform, help them find followers and things will get better, they always get better.
You cannot manage without knowledge, you cannot lead without imagination.
Belief:
People do not believe what you tell them.
They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them.
They always believe what they tell themselves.
Leaders give people stories that they can tell themselves.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
I seem to go in spurts, I get really excited about an author and then read everything that they have written. Currently I am reading everything that Seth Godin has written. I must say that the past month has been most interesting (I quit my job in July). I have never been more scared, excited, inspired, depressed in my life. Seth's writing has inspired me to achieve more in whatever my next step will be and validated many of the reasons that I needed to leave. I recently read THE DIP and am nearly finished with TRIBES.
I am also reading Keith Farrazzi's WHO'S GOT YOUR BACK. I have read NEVER EAT ALONE and must say that I plan to re-read it again soon. Many valuable concepts that I have used in my job search.
One thing that is true is that there are jobs out there, even in this economy, but they are not going to come to you. It was only when I did a bit of self evaluation that I realized that if I turned this thing around and used my network to help me position myself as a person who can add value to an organization, the doors started to open.
I was always very critical of myself, that I did not spend enough time cultivating my network. I realize now that I was doing it part-time. I look at the generosity that has been given to me in my time of need and think to myself that if I spend more time building relationships, I will have a much happier life (both personally and professionally).
I am interested if anyone has had a similar experience and if so what networking tools seemed to work well for you....
I am also reading Keith Farrazzi's WHO'S GOT YOUR BACK. I have read NEVER EAT ALONE and must say that I plan to re-read it again soon. Many valuable concepts that I have used in my job search.
One thing that is true is that there are jobs out there, even in this economy, but they are not going to come to you. It was only when I did a bit of self evaluation that I realized that if I turned this thing around and used my network to help me position myself as a person who can add value to an organization, the doors started to open.
I was always very critical of myself, that I did not spend enough time cultivating my network. I realize now that I was doing it part-time. I look at the generosity that has been given to me in my time of need and think to myself that if I spend more time building relationships, I will have a much happier life (both personally and professionally).
I am interested if anyone has had a similar experience and if so what networking tools seemed to work well for you....
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