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More Insights from Seth Godin

I had the chance to hear Seth Godin recently in downtown L.A. at the Drucker Business Forum.  Here are some of his insights:

“He saw the Internet & thought ‘this would be a great book.’ When you have a hammer you see everything as nails.

Spend money to get attention is the old paradigm. This worked with TV but doesn’t with the internet. Marketing shapes our culture and it should be the opposite.

‘Permission marketing’ is the idea that we want to hear from the person marketing to us. This is bigger than the industrial revolution! You don’t see a revolution when you’re soaking in it (which is what our kids are doing now with this revolution).

When you build a movement – the longer you wait to get the word out, the better first impression people would have of us. This was Yahoo’s approach.

Everybody is a marketer and everybody has an idea. Fear keeps us from taking action. Last year in the US, more people were killed by deer than by sharks. We are more scared of sharks because they have teeth.

Lizard brain thinks about fear and sex. This is all that wild animals have. We have a lizard brain as part of our brain. We all have some things that trigger the lizard brain which then short circuits us. The lizard brain = the resistance.

The factory age needed people motivated by fear and willing to conform. LA is a tar pit for the resistance. People come here to make it look they are trying to become actress instead of actually doing the work where we live.

We need bravery to leverage our ideas. The gatekeeper is gone with the fall of traditional media.

It’s not easy, but it is simple. Shepherd Ferry gave away his art.

Joel Spalsky has 40 employees & sells software & beats Microsoft. How? Started a blog, wrote books, created a way to search for engineering jobs, and  created StackOverflow for Q&As for engineers.

We don’t need money, we need a community to change the world.

Lionel Polet is one of the best pastry chef in the worlds. Seth bought raw dough from his bakery. Asking for that led to a friendship with Lionel.

Very good is boring.

Jacklyn of Oberman Fund wanted to enable transaction between companies and the poor. When there is a transaction then both parties have power.

Manager seeks compliance. Leaders don’t know exactly what is needed. They challenge their people to do something better than they expected.

In the past, you get a chair then you won. Now, we live in an era of abundance. Make it happen!

Where does altruism fit in the idea of becoming a linchpin?

Artists don’t usually charge people to see their work. It is a gift – an act of generosity. Ironically, when we do this, we benefit.

Fail in ways that don’t wipe you out of the game.

Turn the lizard brain into a compass. What scares you? Then do it!

When you have a clean slate, what do you have to lose? Figure out what you can create a scarcity around that they will pay you for?  We have a scarcity for connection.

Little Miss Match is a tribe not a company.

There is a revolution. Don’t waste it!”

What are you ready to do to change the world?

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ebryant@churchleaders.com'
Dr. Eric Michael Bryant serves with Gateway Church in Austin as the team leader for Central and South Austin and as part of the teaching team. Eric previously served at Mosaic in Los Angeles and his books include Not Like Me: A Field Guide to a Influencing a Diverse World and A Fruitful Life: Becoming Who You Were Created To Be. Eric coaches church planters and campus pastors, teaches on Post Christian Ministry, and leads a cohort for a Doctorate of Ministry in Missional Effectiveness through Bethel Seminary where he earned his Doctorate of Ministry in Entrepreneurial Leadership.