Tribal gathering... at BbWorld09

Seth Godin, author of “Tribes”, provided the opening keynote presentation at BbWorld09 in Washington, DC. Godin - a last minute replacement to the advertised keynote - delivered a very energised and inspiring talk about tribes, sharing his ideas of how people think, how change spreads and how education is moving. Below, I've tried to capture the essence of what he was saying, which is quite hard - his presentation was a lively collection of images and thoughts. But here goes:

The current commercial world relies heavily on mass marketing and mass advertising and this trend has made its way into schools, via semi-"brainwashing" and mind-blowing techniques. Although considered the only way to get messages across, the market-place is demanding that the education sector provides something different.

The non-commercial world is moving away from providing top-down offers to individualisation – e.g. in order to watch TV, we are no longer dependent on the channel schedulers, as we can choose whatever we want to watch, whenever. Godin presented us with an opportunity to think about how we can do things differently; he suggests that tribal behaviour is the method we can use to change the way things are done. Historically there were three main tribes, which were based on religion, work and community. Hence, a common culture connected people.

The tribe of people who want to connect and network with other like people is very powerful. He asked the audience to clap in unison - it took 4 seconds for around 2000 people to clap the same rhythm. Incredible, Godin enthused, given that there was no drum beat to follow. The basic human need to be part of a group; many people wear an unintentional uniform in wanting to be part of a group - for example, football team shirt or gothic white makeup and leather coats. Godin is most interested in how to create a tribe of people who wish to make change. He believes that one person has the power to leverage a tribe. A tribal leader can take on the role of a rock star to their followers no matter how few of them there may be. For example, Garr Reynolds book "Presentation Zen" became a hugely successful and created a leader out of a relative unknown.

The dynamics of tribal behaviour is very interesting and highlights the influence a tribe can have over authority. Godin suggests that making change is now called tribal leadership. Movements start with a committed few, then they grow. How does this happen? He uses the term "positive deviants" to describe someone wishing to make change happen; someone who figures out, without instruction, how to do something a little better. The role of the leader is to find other positive deviants, amplifying their message. Who are these people in an institution? How do we give them a platform? You don’t need to convert everyone – just a few people who care enough to spread the word. Godin suggests that the failure of Kindle (Amazon’s ebook reader) was because there were no social tools built in to allow users to share and network with each other.

In establishing a tribe, you must be willing to let people follow you. The people are already there and ready to be led e.g. the Beatles didn’t create teenagers, Bob Marley didn’t create Rastafarianism . The people were already there to be led. No-one follows a boring tribe – every successful tribe is led by a heretic. A heretic goes to the edges.

Every institution needs someone to shake things up every so often.

Leadership = marketing.

Today, marketing is about one thing – leadership; the best brands grew by leading. They

1) Challenge the status quo

2) Create a culture that stands for something

3) Curiosly look for the opportunities

4) develop charisma

5) Communicate all directions

6) Connect with others making contributions making meaning to make a difference, allowing tribe members to be noticefd and that they matter

7) Commit to the cause.

No tools are needed – you can inspire to be inspiring.

The "4v2" notion:

The people making a difference are the ones doing things for their audience rather than marketers doing things to them.

Godin concluded by asking the audience where their tribe was? He advised that if it’s worth doing, it’s an obligation to lead. So go create a movement!