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Bestselling author, Entrepreneur and Agent of change. Seth's blog can be found at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
February 2010
Sunday February 28, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:48AM EST on February 28, 2010
That's is the conclusion of a very long essay on startups by Paul Graham, and it's an insightful quote. The reason you feel most comfortable with a job (unless, like me, you're in the minority--a job would destroy my psyche)...
Saturday February 27, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 6:10AM EST on February 27, 2010
Genius is the act of solving a problem in a way no one has solved it before. It has nothing to do with winning a Nobel prize in physics or certain levels of schooling. It's about using human insight and...
Friday February 26, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:56AM EST on February 26, 2010
Compliance is simple to measure, simple to test for and simple to teach. Punish non-compliance, reward obedience and repeat. Initiative is very difficult to teach to 28 students in a quiet classroom. It's difficult to brag about in a school...
Thursday February 25, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 3:11PM EST on February 25, 2010
Arianna Huffington: "Self expression is the new entertainment, We never used to question why people sit on the couch for seven hours a day watching bad TV. Nobody ever asked, 'Why are they doing that for free?' We need to...
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:02AM EST on February 25, 2010
I don't understand blog posts, emails and other messages that begin with an apology. If you're sorry to interrupt me with that spam, don't send it. If you know that yet another blog post on a topic that's not of...
Wednesday February 24, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:36AM EST on February 24, 2010
This is perhaps the greatest marketing strategy struggle of our time: Should your product or service be very good, meet spec and be beyond reproach or... should it be a remarkable, memorable, over the top, a tell-your-friends event? The answer...
Tuesday February 23, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:05AM EST on February 23, 2010
The best reason to be a jerk at work is that of course no one will listen to you or support you or embrace your ideas--you're a jerk. The best reason to be a doormat at work is that in...
Monday February 22, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:00AM EST on February 22, 2010
"Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." I'm not sure this is true. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you watch the dollars, you don't have to worry so much about pennies. Big brands don't...
Sunday February 21, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 1:10PM EST on February 21, 2010
There are a few bonus upsides available when you buy a copy of Linchpin. Everything ends sooner or later, and these bonuses will cease to be available after Wednesday February 24th. Here they are. Thanks!
Posted by: Seth Godin at 6:08AM EST on February 21, 2010
are almost certainly not the most important ones. We pay attention to the loud and the urgent. This can lead us to ignore the important and achievable paths open to us--because we're so busy defending against the overwhelmingly dangerous (but...
Saturday February 20, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:17AM EST on February 20, 2010
Extremists move the middle. Compromise is everywhere. Most of us can't possibly be pure extremists or true fundamentalists, so we draw the line somewhere in the middle. Consider the choice of what you eat (or don't eat). It ranges from...
Friday February 19, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 3:46PM EST on February 19, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:57AM EST on February 19, 2010
Some consumers are short-sighted, greedy and selfish. Extend yourself a little and they'll want a lot. Offer a free drink in the restaurant one night and they're angry that it's not there the next. The nuts in first class weren't...
Thursday February 18, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:56AM EST on February 18, 2010
is being big. Nah, HUGE. Ordinary big isn't good enough any more. Big events, grand openings, national events that just can't be missed. These work (if they're big enough). Big events, if they're truly big, change the rhythm and demand...
Wednesday February 17, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:37AM EST on February 17, 2010
Here are things that you can now avoid: The annual review The annual sales conference The big product launch The grand opening of a new branch Drop dead one-shot negotiation events The reasons? Well, they don't work. They don't work...
Tuesday February 16, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:26AM EST on February 16, 2010
I love this definition from Wikipedia: In printing, a cliché was a printing plate cast from movable type. This is also called a stereotype. When letters were set one at a time, it made sense to cast a phrase used...
Monday February 15, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:42AM EST on February 15, 2010
Many brands and idea promoters are in a hurry to rack up as many Facebook fans and Twitter followers as they possibly can. Hundreds of thousands if possible. A lot of these fans and followers are faux. Sunny day friends....
Sunday February 14, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:52AM EST on February 14, 2010
Find an emotion that needs social approval in order to be easily expressed. Hook it into something you sell or do. Discover other organizations that would benefit from the holiday as much as you would. Voila! Mother's Day/Valentine's Day/Festivus/New Year's....
Saturday February 13, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:29AM EST on February 13, 2010
This was sort of shocking, at least to me: I was talking to a religious leader, someone who runs a congregation. She made it clear to me that on many days, it's just a job. A job like any other,...
Friday February 12, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 3:30PM EST on February 12, 2010
Sunny Bates on Linchpins, Passion and Fear. Part of a series.
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:47AM EST on February 12, 2010
Madecasse has a lot going for it. It's delicious chocolate. It's made in Africa (the only imported chocolate made on the continent with local beans). The guys who make it are doing good work and are nice as well. The...
Thursday February 11, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:08AM EST on February 11, 2010
If I sell you something, we exchange items of value. You give me money, I give you stuff, or a service. The deal is done. We're even. Even steven, in fact. That's fine, but it doesn't explain potlatch or the...
Wednesday February 10, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:36AM EST on February 10, 2010
Too many people, when asked for their opinion, dissemble. Instead of giving an opinion, they push back. They ask, What do you think? Did you do any research? Can we do a focus group? What did Will say? There's a...
Tuesday February 9, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 6:00AM EST on February 9, 2010
Can you factor this? If you're like most people, you get a little queasy at the thought. And when you were in tenth grade, you surely wondered why they were bothering you. (the answer is (x-2) times (x-2), in case...
Monday February 8, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:57AM EST on February 8, 2010
In the face of significant change and opportunity, people are often one of the three. If you're going to be of assistance, it helps to know which one. Uninformed people need information and insight in order to figure out what...
Sunday February 7, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 6:35AM EST on February 7, 2010
One way to think about running a successful business is to figure out what the least you can do is, and do that. That's actually what they spent most of my time at business school teaching me. No sense putting...
Saturday February 6, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 11:10AM EST on February 6, 2010
Here's the spec. If you build it and it's great, I'll use it and I'll blog it. A while ago, I posted about the talking pad and a modern version of it. I think there's a killer app version of...
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:26AM EST on February 6, 2010
If you've ever hired or managed or taught, you know the feeling. People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell...
Friday February 5, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 4:47PM EST on February 5, 2010
We're traveling around, finding interesting people and asking them to riff for a minute or two about what makes someone indispensable. Kicking off the weekly series is Gary Vee. Click the picture to view it. We'll do four for February...
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:38AM EST on February 5, 2010
If you're a hunter, are you wasting your gift chasing shiny but ultimately worthless objects? And if you're a farmer, are you wasting your resources by planting and nurturing a crop that's fashionable but without real value? It might be...
Thursday February 4, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:22AM EST on February 4, 2010
I visited a favorite restaurant last week, a place that, alas, I hadn't been to in months. The waiter remembered that I don't like cilantro. Unasked, she brought it up. Incredible. This was uncalled for, unnecessary and totally delightful. Scott...
Wednesday February 3, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:31AM EST on February 3, 2010
50,000 years ago, civilization forked. Farming was invented and the way many people spent their time was changed forever. Clearly, farming is a very different activity from hunting. Farmers spend time sweating the details, worrying about the weather, making smart...
Tuesday February 2, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:22PM EST on February 2, 2010
The Lemonade movie is so professional, engaging and inspiring that you've probably already seen it. If not, here it is. Todd Sattersten has written a free ebook about pricing that's well worth the time it takes to review. It will...
Posted by: Seth Godin at 5:57AM EST on February 2, 2010
Who will save book publishing? What will save the newspapers? What means 'save'? If by save you mean, "what will keep things just as they are?" then the answer is nothing will. It's over. If by save you mean, "who...
Monday February 1, 2010
Posted by: Seth Godin at 6:11AM EST on February 1, 2010
The lizard brain adores a deadline that slips, an item that doesn't ship and most of all, busywork. These represent safety, because if you don't challenge the status quo, you can't be made fun of, can't fail, can't be laughed...
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