Seth Godin

Human beings can’t help it: we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people.

We want to belong not to just one tribe, it turns out, but to many. And if you give us tools and make it easy, we’ll keep joining.

Heretics are the new leaders. The ones who challenge the status quo, who get out in front of their tribes, who create movements.

Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change that you believe in.

Today, marketing is about engaging with the tribe and delivering products and services with stories that spread.

Here’s what’s changed: some people admire the new and the stylish far more than they respect the proven state of affairs. And more often than not, these fad-focused early adopters are the people who buy and the people who talk. As a result, new ways of doing things, new jobs, new opportunities, and new faces become ever more important.

New rule: If you want to grow, you need to find customers who are willing to join you or believe in you or donate to you or support you. And guess what? The only customers willing to do that are looking for something new.

Leaders must become aware of how the organization works, because this awareness allows them to change it.

Leadership doesn’t always start at the top, but it always manages to affect the folks at the top. In fact, most organizations are waiting for someone like you to lead them.

So 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.