Will you lead your tribe AND how many tribes do you (still) have?
BUZZ QUOTE - “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
In his book, 'Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us', Seth Godin makes it clear that human beings need to belong. Not just to one tribe, but to many.
In the last year, we have seen our tribes shrink. As we were forced into isolation, the limited contact and drastic changes to how we engage and socialise have severely affected our connections.
So whilst productivity increased for many, relationships suffered. Not necessarily all of them, just the broader ones. At the time it didn't seem important as most went into "survival" mode. The long term impact of this is yet to be measured and it can't be good because we weakened the relationships that help us access to new ideas, new people, knowledge share and benchmark.
Based on the discussions I have been having over the last few months, the consensus is that the closer circles got closer and the more removed, got much weaker as we grappled with our new reality.
We are fortunate that unlike pandemics of the past, we have the technology that enables us to connect despite physical boundaries. It will never replace face to face, however it is a bridge and a way of maintaining eye contact in some form. Technology will never replace human contact and nor should it as it goes against our very nature as humans.
The groups that stayed in tact over this time had reason to do so. Think about all those you engaged with, did you have someone leading? and, was there a compelling reason to be in touch?
The book discusses a key idea; “A crowd is a tribe without a leader. A crowd is a tribe without communication. Most organizations spend their time marketing to the crowd. Smart organizations assemble the tribe.”
It seems that a leader in a tribe is a key attribute to its success. Whether you lead people or not, you are the leader of your tribe, your network, your relationships.
Here are some key takeaways for you to think about...
“A leader can help increase the effectiveness of the tribe and its members by;
• transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change;
• providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications; and
• leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members.”
Remember, “A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
It's time to think about your tribes and how connected you are to them. If you need any help refining your approach, I invite you to join us at Map Connect Invest (MCI) Your Network, a highly interactive, facilitated, 3 month blended capability development program. Early bird ends this week so please spread the word.
Stay connected & all the best for your netships,
Julia