Seth Godin's Blog, page 51

Getting the default settings right

We know that the default settings determine the behavior of the group. Organ donation, 401k allocations, the typeface on our word processor--the way it's set to act if we don't override it is often the way we act. Because often, we decide it's not worth the effort to change the setting today.

Which means that examining your settings now and then is worth the effort:

Don't speak unless asked vs. don't keep quiet with a suggestion.

Look for the downsides vs. look for the upsides.

Do the minimum vs. do the maximum.

Don't ship until perfect vs. ship and learn.

The benefit of the doubt vs. skepticism.

Trusting vs. wary.

Inquiry vs. sarcasm.

Speed up vs. slow down.

Generous vs. selfish.

We all have defaults. Are yours helping you?

[PS it's definitely not too soon to mark the next altMBA on your calendar. It works. That's why every session we've done has been fully enrolled. Check it out if you can.]

            

Yes, there's a free lunch

In a physical economy in which scarcity is the fundamental driver, eating lunch means someone else gets less.

But in a society where ideas lead to trust and connection and productivity, where working together is better than working apart, where exchange creates value for both sides...

Then the efficient sharing of ideas is its own free lunch. 

All of us are smarter than any of us, so the value to all goes up when you share.

            

"What does this remind you of?"

That's a much more useful way to get feedback than asking if we like it.

We make first impressions and long-term judgments based on the smallest of clues. We scan before we dive in, we see the surface before we experience the substance.

And while the emotions that are created by your work aren't exactly like something else, they rhyme.

It could be your business model, your haircut or the vibrato on your guitar.

"What does this remind you of" opens the door for useful conversations that you can actually do something about. Yes, be original, but no, it's not helpful to be so original that we have no idea what you're doing.

            

Everyone has an accent

The fact that we think the way we speak is normal is the first clue that empathy is quite difficult.

You might also notice how easy it is to notice people who are much worse at driving than you are--but that you almost never recognize someone who's driving better than you are.

            

We make our own taste, and call it reality

Most of us say, "this is better, therefore I like it."

In fact, the converse is what actually happens. "I like it, therefore I'm assuring you (and me) that this is better."

            

Hitsville

The latest episode my Akimbo podcast is about hits. (Click then scroll down to see all the episodes, or, even better, subscribe for free...)

The hit that sweeps an industry, like a thresher through a wheat field. The one that everyone is talking about. The lines down the street, the box office record, the career maker.

Isn't that what creators dream of?

There are three ways a hit happens:

Many people who love a particular medium (music, the theatre, books) coalesce around a single new title.
Many people who rarely spend time in that medium make this title the one thing they're going to engage in.
A few people consume that title over and over again.

It's rare to invent something that works on all three levels. Black Panther is not like the DaVinci Code which is not like the Grateful Dead.

You can build something that the cool kids love. You can build something that the bystanders love. Or you can build a cult favorite. Best to do it on purpose.

[PS we're going to record an episode of Akimbo today. The episode is going to be about 'live' and of course, we're going to record it live at 10 am ET. Feel free to tune in and join us.]

[Also, Bernadette's new book is now available. It's worth your time.]

            

300 seconds

Not stalling.

Pausing.

How many decisions or commitments would end up more positively if you had a five-minute snooze button on hand?

Esprit d'escalier* isn't as hard to live with as its opposite. The hasty one-liner, the rushed reaction, the action we end up regretting--all of them can be eliminated with judicious use of the snooze button. It's a shame there isn't one built in to our computers when we're communicating online...

When in doubt, go for a walk around the block.

 

*The feeling we get when we think of a witty response on the way home instead of at the dinner party, when it would have been the perfect put-down.

            

When well-meaning people can't see it the same way

Yes, there are a few people who are mendacious, who are not seeking what you're seeking. And yet, most of the time, there are plenty of good people who disagree with you--they want a good outcome, but the narrative they bring insists on getting there in a very different way. They have different glasses on and are using a different map as well.

People don't believe what you believe, and they don't know what you know. Some of the gaps:

Authority--because the world works better when things are coherent and predictable and someone is in charge

Freedom--because people free to speak up and find their own path are able to weave a civil society out of chaos

Affiliation--because being in sync and engaged with others makes for a happier life

Conformance--because doing what you’re told is safer and telling people what to do is easier

Inconsistent--Change is fine if it makes things better, even if you want to call me a flip flopper

Consistent--Because it’s safer to stand for something and not reconsider it

Hero—Someone needs to save the day

Bystander--There's too much on the line, and I'm not the one to do it this time

What will they say?--keep an eye on those that are watching me

What will my mom say?--doing the right thing, even if someone is looking, and especially if no one is

Belief--because it’s a narrative to quiet the chatter in our head

Proof--because science works

Change--because things can get better if we let them

The status quo--because change is risky

Civility--because we’re working to keep it all from falling apart

Conflict--because if you can’t handle it, get out of the way

The long haul--because none of it is worth it if we poison ourselves

The short run--because the long haul manages to take care of itself

Service--because our heroes sacrificed for others

Profit--because making a profit is the market’s way of rewarding service

The strongest--because the pack moves fastest if the strongest are supported and rewarded

The slowest--because we’re only as good as the way we treat the weakest among us

The cusp--because progress is interesting

The middle--because proven is better

Family first--because you take care of your own

Community first--because everyone is in your family

Emergencies--because this pain needs to be addressed right now

The long game--because the emergencies never end

Show your work--because finding an error in my math helps us both, transparency pays

Opacity—I don't need you cherry-picking an argument with me

Pay it forward--because someone did it for me

Put your own oxygen mask on first--because I might not get another chance

            

The big hill

There's a commuter shortcut near my house.

To make it work, you need to accelerate the SUV up a really big hill, breaking the speed limit by ten or twenty mph. Then roll a stop sign, avoid a few kids walking to school and gun it on the downhill.

All to save three minutes.

Meanwhile, the other commuters arrive at work with their psychic energy saved for the real work. The hard work of confronting the status quo.

The first shortcut is selfish. It wastes resources and engages in risk to help no one but the driver.

The other work, though, is priceless. Those are the hills worth taking.

[PS hint: There's another session of TMS coming up soon. If you have an idea worth spreading, it might be for you. We always alert our keep-me-posted list first with all the details. Find out more here.]

            

Where are the movie stars?

I'm sitting in a crowded lobby in Los Angeles, surrounded by 100 or so people. Not one of them looks like a movie star. No one has perfect hair, a perfect family, a perfect life.

I'm at a fancy conference in Boulder. There are a thousand CEOs and founders here. Not one is gliding through her day the way the folks on magazine covers are. Not one has a glitch-free project and the clear sailing that the articles imply.

And here, at the gym in Yonkers, I'm not seeing a single person who looks like he could be on the cover of Men's Health.

Role models are fine. But not when they get in the way of embracing our reality. The reality of not enough time, not enough information, not enough resources. The reality of imperfection and vulnerability.

There are no movie stars. Merely people who portray them now and then.