This is the first post in a series of 3 from author Seth Godin’s visit to Linked Orange County in March, 2011. It was another memorable event and the audience of over 700 was left with a lot to think about. If you don’t know Godin, you can get some more background on him here. But suffice to say, in my opinion he’s one of the brightest marketing minds of this century…
In his latest book, Poke the Box
(Amazon affiliate link) Seth talks about what he feels is the missing ingredient in business these days-initiative. Here’s Part 1 of our video interview on the subject-take a look.
“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” How would you answer this? Feel free to comment below or Tweet me… But more than being a provocative question, I think Seth’s intention is to challenge us to take action. Poke the Box is about trying new things, taking risks (as long as the consequences aren’t fatal or outweigh the reward). To get clarification on how to calculate risk vs. reward, Seth gives the example that we’re really glad surgeons and airline pilots don’t experiment during surgery or while in flight with a full load of people. But for most of us, the risk of failure to try new things isn’t that big a deal. Godin said “If I fail more than you, then I win. Built in to that notion is that you get to keep playing and sooner or later (after trial and error-think Thomas Edison-9,000+ failures until he figured out the light bulb) you will succeed. People who lose are those that don’t fail at all (because they don’t try new things) and get stuck, or they fail so big that they don’t get to play again.”
Seth went on to explain that many (falsely) adopt the idea that failure is not an option. They may be partially on track if that means they don’t plan to quit. But in reality, “if failure is not an option, then neither is success. Because you can’t have one without the other.” (Paraphrasing…) Show me someone who hasn’t failed and I’ll show you someone who’s never done anything. On the other hand, you don’t have to do any research to make a list of successful people who have ever failed. Just think off the top of your head some of today’s most successful people and they have all failed on the way to success.
What do you think? Weigh in and leave a comment or Tweet me
If you haven’t seen these photos from the event, check them out.
Photo credit: Brian Carter, Pixel That! Photography
Did you enjoy this post? Make sure you become a member to receive free updates! Click here to sign up.
LinkedOC's mission is to help members connect. Our goal is to be a leading community network representing the major industries in Orange County. If you're a first time visitor, I invite you to explore the interviews, posts and videos offered here for free. But don't miss out.
