Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

by Seth Godin

Defending mediocrity is exhausting.

Leadership almost always involves thinking and acting like the underdog. That’s because leaders work to change things, and the people who are winning rarely do.

that it’s war that makes generals,

define sheepwalking as the outcome of hiring people who have been raised to be obedient and giving them brain-dead jobs and enough fear to keep them in line.

You don’t have enough time to be both unhappy and mediocre.

thermostat is far more valuable than a thermometer.

The secret of being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong!

The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there.

The largest enemy of change and leadership isn’t a “no.” It’s a “not yet.” “Not yet” is the safest, easiest way to forestall change.

“Not yet” gives the status quo a chance to regroup and put off the inevitable for just a little while longer.

cynicism is a lousy strategy.

The Elements of Leadership

Leaders create a culture around their goal and involve others in that culture.

If your organization requires success before commitment, it will never have either.

Great leaders embrace deviants by searching for them and catching them doing something right.

You can’t bring permanent solutions in from outside.”

There’s no record of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Gandhi whining about credit. Credit isn’t the point. Change is.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”