Review of Godin: Obligatory Leadership
Abstract
The pages that follow provide a brief review of leadership as explained by Seth Godin in his groundbreaking publication, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, published in 2008. The following review provides an explanation of the idea of leadership as it relates to: the concept of “tribes”, the parameters for being a successful tribal leader, why tribal leaders are needed and how to break free of being or becoming a “sheepwalker”.
Keywords: organizational leadership, motivation, change management, choice Review of Godin: OBLIGATORY LEADERSHIP As a groundbreaking author of numerous leadership writings, Seth Godin provided an exceptional view of organizations and their operations as analogous to a tribe. In Tribes (2008), Godin explained the characteristics of a successful tribal leader and the reasons for breaking free from the “status quo” (p. 135). At the center the very foundation of his book, Godin defined tribes as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea” (Godin, p. 1). Although this publication diverged from traditional leadership writings in its portfolio presentation, Godin wasted no words on alluring drivel but rather began his brief analysis of the world with substance unlike other motivational leadership authors by equating successful leaders to leaders of tribes. Leadership Characteristics After many citations and descriptions of successful leadership, Godin asserted that leaders of tribes possess specific skill sets that set them apart from others such as that of feeling an internal proclivity to answer a call that spurs a need to take action. He further explained that these individuals hone a cause worth fighting for and take a stand with a contagious passion due to their unyielding belief that they will accomplish their goal. These characteristics are not unlike motivational leadership texts of the past yet they provided a description charged with urgency of successful,
The pages that follow provide a brief review of leadership as explained by Seth Godin in his groundbreaking publication, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, published in 2008. The following review provides an explanation of the idea of leadership as it relates to: the concept of “tribes”, the parameters for being a successful tribal leader, why tribal leaders are needed and how to break free of being or becoming a “sheepwalker”.
Keywords: organizational leadership, motivation, change management, choice Review of Godin: OBLIGATORY LEADERSHIP As a groundbreaking author of numerous leadership writings, Seth Godin provided an exceptional view of organizations and their operations as analogous to a tribe. In Tribes (2008), Godin explained the characteristics of a successful tribal leader and the reasons for breaking free from the “status quo” (p. 135). At the center the very foundation of his book, Godin defined tribes as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea” (Godin, p. 1). Although this publication diverged from traditional leadership writings in its portfolio presentation, Godin wasted no words on alluring drivel but rather began his brief analysis of the world with substance unlike other motivational leadership authors by equating successful leaders to leaders of tribes. Leadership Characteristics After many citations and descriptions of successful leadership, Godin asserted that leaders of tribes possess specific skill sets that set them apart from others such as that of feeling an internal proclivity to answer a call that spurs a need to take action. He further explained that these individuals hone a cause worth fighting for and take a stand with a contagious passion due to their unyielding belief that they will accomplish their goal. These characteristics are not unlike motivational leadership texts of the past yet they provided a description charged with urgency of successful,
References: Godin, S. (2008). Tribes, we need you to lead us. Portfolio Trade.