1. For the benefit of gapingvoid readers not yet familiar with your work [all 14 of them], let's get the main schpiel over and done with: From your perspective, what is "Tribes" about?

It explains why top-down, buzz-driven media is the past, not the future.

The world has always been organized into tribes, groups of people who want to (need to) connect with each other, with a leader and with a movement. The products, services and ideas that are gaining currency faster than ever are ones that are built on a tribe.

Barack Obama has one, John McCain tried to co-opt one. Arianna Huffington has built the most popular blog in the world around one. Harley Davidson and Apple are titanic brands for the very same reason. They sell a chance to join a group that matters.

The punchline is that the only way to lead a tribe is to lead it. And that means that marketing is now about leadership, about challenging the status quo and about connecting people who can actually make a difference. If you can't do that, don't launch your site, your product, your non-profit or your career.

I'd argue that you understand how to tap into this need, Hugh. Lots of people don't like your work--screw them, we don't like them anyway. The people who do like, who find that it resonates... it's likely that we'll like each other. You lead us to a place we want to go.

To read the rest of the inteview, head on over to gapingvoid.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 "According to a summary of over 40 research studies on change, the success rate of strategy execution and corporate change programs is 33%. At the same time, a Conference Board survey of over 600 global CEOs revealed that the top two challenges they see are: 1) generating consistent revenue growth and 2) strategy execution. This translates to weak performance on the top executive priority, a situation that needs to change.

[...]

Because so many of these programs fail, some executives and managers start to believe the old saying that 'people hate change' must be true. That is not true. In fact, employment surveys reveal that the top reason good employees leave companies is over a lack of new opportunities and boredom with stagnant, never-changing, dead-end jobs.

People don't hate change; they hate corporate change programs. How can we fix that?"

Click here to visit the site.
Click here to download the PDF.

Tell The Whole Truth by Clinton Korver

  "How can you tap the transformational power of the truth? How can you use it to turn ordinary relationships into extraordinary ones? The answer is to grasp the truth in its fullest sense, and then practice using it skillfully, with discretion and wisdom.

[...]

Before developing our truth telling skills, we must first explore why we lie. Understanding the causes of our temptations will help us overcome them."

"Rudyard Kipling, who proclaimed that 'East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet' has already been proven wrong with respect to Westernization of heritage-rich and tradition-based China and India. He will be proven wrong again as we witness what I refer to as the Easternization of the world.

[...]

In short, it will be less a clash of cultures and more a fusion of cultures across arts, architecture, science, law, engineering, medicine and management traditions and perspectives.

[...]

The rise of Chindia is not only inevitable, but it will be beneficial to the world economy. It will be, of course, beneficial to businesses and entrepreneurs, but also to the masses at the bottom of the pyramid (people who earn less than two dollars a day)."

  "Are you a professional designer?

Would you like a process to create more consistently creative work which distinguishes itself from the work of your peers?

Would you like a process which would help translate the often vague, unclear wishes of your clients (and yourself, for that matter) into a clear and solid basis for your design?

This manifesto will show you how."

Success-Driven Philosophy: Finding Clarity of Purpose and Achieving Arete Through Philosophical Examination by Joshua Goldman & Jason Shen

"This manifesto will facilitate your philosophical examination as you iron out what you believe and why you believe it. We do this by providing a philosophical toolkit, as well as a framework for considering the principal areas of philosophy. Ancient Greek philosophers had a concept they called 'arete.' It is often translated as 'excellence' or 'virtue,' but Brian Johnson of ThinkArete says it's better defined as 'constantly striving to reach your highest potential.' This manifesto will bring you closer to arete."

Globalization Becomes Truly Global: Lessons Learned at Lenovo by Reid Walker

"Lenovo, one of the world's largest manufacturers of personal computers, is a prime example of [an] 'emerging-market' multinational ... With its 2005 acquisition of IBM's personal computer division, it is arguably the first multinational with its roots in an emerging market to reverse the traditional direction of globalization. Over two decades, the company has developed a unique global structure and business strategy that has its products, people, and facilities in 160 countries. Here are four lessons that we've learned along the way that can help other global companies--and those with global ambitions--derive economic and social value from globalization."

The Invisible Badge: Moving Past Conspicuous Consumption by Rob Walker

"Thorstein Veblen introduced the idea of 'conspicuous consumption' in The Theory of the Leisure Class, in 1899. And it's still being recycled today. Veblen gave examples like the man who parades down Main Street in 'stainless' linen, with a superfluous walking stick. These objects supposedly told a story--'evidence of leisure'-- to an audience of strangers.

Today's consumer is supposed to be a little more sophisticated than that. So it's puzzling how many marketers still talk about how a certain beer or sneaker or handbag functions as a so-called 'badge.' Even hybrid cars are said to be eco-status markers that show 'conspicuous concern' about the environment. More scholarly observers call this 'signaling.' But in the end it's all repackaged Veblen: The idea is that we buy stuff mostly to impress other people.

Perhaps this was true in the past. But the time has come to retire the conspicuous consumption idea. Observers of consumer culture (marketers, to name an example) need to understand that as a concept, it's inadequate. The rest of us (consumers, that is) need to understand that even if we wanted it to work, it just doesn't anymore.

There is a better idea--the invisible badge."

http://changethis.com/47.01.InvisibleBadge
http://changethis.com/pdf/47.01.InvisibleBadge.pdf

Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back on Track by Russell Ackoff and Daniel Greenberg

"Education should be a lifelong enterprise, a process enhanced by an environment that supports to the greatest extent possible the attempt of people to 'find themselves' throughout their lives.

For too long, we have educated people for a world that no longer exists, extinguishing their creativity and instilling values antithetical to those of a free, 21st century democracy. The principal objective of education as currently provided is to ensure the maintenance and preservation of the status quo--to produce members of society who will not want to challenge any fundamental aspects of the way things are. Traditional education focuses on teaching, not learning. It incorrectly assumes that for every ounce of teaching, there is an ounce of learning by those who are taught. Being taught is, to a very large extent, boring and much of its content is seen as irrelevant. It is the teacher, not the student, who learns most in a traditional classroom."

http://changethis.com/47.02.TurningLearning
http://changethis.com/pdf/47.02.TurningLearning.pdf

The Career Employee Bill of Rights by Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell, Ph.D.

"In the past, an employee's relationship with their job was about work life boundaries. Today and in the future, work is and will be an integral expression of who you are. More than ever before, people need resources that will give them a framework to organize their ideas, sources of motivation, skills, and tools and sources of motivation to take control of their job and discover what's in it for them.

Enter the Career Employee Bill of Rights. These are not the rights afforded to you by the law. These are your eight inalienable rights, and unfortunately, no one has made it clear that you have these rights. Now it's your time and turn to discover what each of these mean to you and take action to make these rights yours. Then, live them every day of your working life and professional career."

http://changethis.com/47.03.EmployeeRights
http://changethis.com/pdf/47.03.EmployeeRights.pdf

Escaping Corporate America: Changing Your Career Can Change Your Life by Pamela Skillings

"You can find meaningful work in corporations, but if the company values are too different from your own or if you are stuck in a job that doesn't tap into your talents, it's probably time to escape. Too often, corporate jobs revolve around meetings and bureaucracy and don't offer you enough opportunities to do work that you can truly feel good about. Over time, the stress of staying in a job you hate can lead to burnout, depression, anxiety, ulcers, chronic back pain, high blood pressure, and even serious heart conditions.

You may think that this is the price you have to pay for stability. But make no mistake, whatever job stability you think you enjoy is an illusion. Layoffs are standard operating procedure for corporations these days. No career choice is completely stable and risk free anymore. So if you're going to take a risk anyway, shouldn't you at least do it in pursuit of your passion?"

http://changethis.com/47.04.EscapeCorporate
http://changethis.com/pdf/47.04.EscapeCorporate.pdf

Business Improvisation: The Diving Catch of the Corporate World by Randy Sabourin

"Recall that moment when you where your most creative, aware, and tuned into the world around you. Imagine how valuable it would be to harness that state of mind and apply it at will to your most stressful and challenging business situations. To shine when others collapse or choke. To take a potentially disastrous circumstance and turn it into a diving catch worthy of any sports show highlight reel. Business Improvisation is the process of accessing and applying creativity to a situation in real time. It is the ability to converge composition, creativity and execution to achieve success. [...]

This manifesto is about applying the skill of improvisation to performance in the business world. The skills are taught in several other professions such as music, theater, medicine, military, and EMS. There is also a growing body of research to support the premise. This is your competitive advantage when comes to thinking quickly on their feet."

http://changethis.com/47.05.BusinessImprovisation
http://changethis.com/pdf/47.05.BusinessImprovisation.pdf

Seinfeld on Marketing: 7 Marketing Lessons from the Cast of the Show About Nothing by Bill Gammell

"All this time we thought Seinfeld was a show about 'nothing.' Little did we know that peppered in its nine seasons were hidden, real-world marketing lessons taught from the masters themselves. But, unlike the Soup Nazi's secret soup recipes, these marketing lessons are to be shared freely with everyone.

So why did I write this eBook? Anyone who knows me well knows that I watch way too much Seinfeld. So much so that many times during a conversation with someone I'll remark, 'Hey, that reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Kramer are…' Basically, it's a curse.

We'll that's all about to change with this eBook. I have decided to use my Seinfeld powers for the good of marketing-kind. Maybe this will help to quiet the voices in my head (doubtful, but one can hope).

Even if you have never watched an episode of Seinfeld in your life (shame on you!), you can still participate. I'll give you the background of each episode so that you can play along at home.

...on with the show."

http://changethis.com/47.06.SeinfeldMarketing
http://changethis.com/pdf/47.06.SeinfeldMarketing.pdf

:::::

An Eater's Manifesto
by Michael Pollan

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

That, more or less, is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy."

http://changethis.com/43.01.EatersManifesto
http://changethis.com/pdf/43.01.EatersManifesto.pdf

:::::

The Power of Intuition: And Why It's the Biggest Myth in Business Today
by Kevin J. Clancy and Peter C. Krieg

"The real issue is how many times do pure hunches alone lead to legendary success? The answer upon closer inspection: pretty rarely."

http://changethis.com/43.02.PowerIntuition
http://changethis.com/pdf/43.02.PowerIntuition.pdf

:::::

Questionating
by Corinne Miller

"Those who ask "why" are typically more holistic or whole-brained thinkers, those who ask "how" are typically more box thinkers, and those who ask "why not" are typically the challenging thinkers. All types, of course, are equally valuable and equally required for innovation!"

http://changethis.com/43.03.Questionating
http://changethis.com/pdf/43.03.Questionating.pdf

:::::

Let's Make a Deal: Deal Making Process Improvement Principles
by Noric Dilanchian

"Deal making should be led by process, as well as practical and commercial considerations, not purely legal considerations. It is helpful to think of deals as blueprints for living outcomes, not just glue to bind relationships."

http://changethis.com/43.04.DealMaking
http://changethis.com/pdf/43.04.DealMaking.pdf

:::::

100 Ways to Help You Succeed/Make Money: Part II
by Tom Peters

We published the beginning to a very empowering list three years ago--Tom Peters' 100 Ways to Help You Succeed/Make Money. That list was finished recently, and we now update it here with success tips #51-100 (&1).

http://changethis.com/43.05.100Ways2
http://changethis.com/pdf/43.05.100Ways2.pdf

:::::

Indexing a Career: A Career Path in Pictures
by Jessica Hagy

Jessica Hagy has a unique and irreverent sense of humor, and has the ability to capture complex realities in a 3" by 5" frame. Here she has organized a series of twenty index cards she has created throughout the years, plotting the trajectory of an imagined, but possibly recognizable, career path.

http://changethis.com/43.06.IndexingCareer
http://changethis.com/pdf/43.06.CareerIndex.pdf

Head on over for a new manifesto from our friend, marketing guru and founder of the site, Seth Godin. There's also a manifesto from the CE-YO of Stonyfield Farm, Gary Hirshberg, on sustainability and business that I'd highly recommend. Other manifestos in this issue cover topics ranging from customer service to problem-solving, from how to manage your ideas to how to manage your overall physical and mental acuteness. More detailed descriptions, straight from the manifestos themselves, are below.

*********

Marketing Mismatch: When New Won't Work with Old (Riffs on Meatball Sundae)
By Seth Godin

"People treat the New Marketing like a kid with a twenty-dollar bill at an ice cream parlor. They keep wanting to add more stuff--more candy bits and sprinkles and cream and cherries. The dream is simple: "If we can just add enough of [today's hot topping], everything will take care of itself." Most of the time, despite all the hype, organizations fail when they try to use this scattershot approach."

http://changethis.com/42.01.MarketingMismatch
http://changethis.com/pdf/42.01.MarketingMismatch.pdf

*********

The Future is Here and It is Bright: What Are We Waiting For?
By Gary Hirschberg
"We need more than simple awareness to break our generations-old, fossil-fuel-induced stupor. We have known what we should do, but we clearly have not done it. And the situation has deteriorated because of our lack of action. After more than three decades spent working in the environmental movement, I am convinced that economic self-interest--whether it is achieved by saving, earning, or a combination of the two--is the most powerful, if not the only, force capable of bringing about the future we need in time to make a difference... ."

http://changethis.com/42.02.FutureHere
http://changethis.com/pdf/42.02.FutureHere.pdf

*********

Humanize It: Bring a five-star sparkle to your customer interactions and watch your business flourish.

By Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon

"The best thing you can do for your business is not about new technology, brute force, or first-mover advantage. It's something simpler. And more dependable. Humanize each customer interaction, in order to turn your product or service into much more than a commodity. In your customer's mind, commodities are interchangeable and replaceable. Humanized relationships are not."

http://changethis.com/42.03.HumanizeIt
http://changethis.com/pdf/42.03.HumanizeIt.pdf

*********

A "Where's Waldo" Approach to Problem-solving
By Adelino de Almeida, PhD

"We've all encountered bad solutions that come from bad problem-solving; heck, we've even encountered good solutions that were somehow generated from bad problem-solving... . All you need to become a proficient problem-solver is a basic understanding of the concept behind the Where's Waldo books: unbeknownst to most, these books encapsulate all the wisdom necessary for sound problem-solving."

http://changethis.com/42.04.WhereWaldo
http://changethis.com/pdf/42.04.WhereWaldo.pdf

*********

Ideaicide: How To Avoid It And Get What You Want
By Alan Parr and Karen Ansbaugh

"Ideaicide is deadly. People come up with lots of new ideas everyday, but nothing happens... The problem is not usually the ideas themselves... Corporate forces act to eliminate risk and make an idea conform to the company's existing business model, not to the needs of the marketplace. The edginess of the idea is gone, replaced by cold, calculated efficiency and predictability. We will show you how to bring your ideas to life."

http://changethis.com/42.05.Ideaicide
http://changethis.com/pdf/42.05.Ideaicide.pdf

********

Free Your Ass and Your Mind Will Follow: Embodied Leadership
By Jaime Wheal

"Somewhere between Ancient Athens and today's Aeron, we've lost the plot and come to believe that all of Reason and Innovation resides inside our skulls. Organizational leaders require more than coaching "from the neck up" to compete in today's information age. We need to develop our physical, cognitive and relational capacities and expand our bandwidth."

http://changethis.com/42.06.FreeYourAss
http://changethis.com/pdf/42.06.FreeYourAss.pdf

:::::

ChangeThis Newsletter No. 40
..............

40.01

Change the Way You Change the World
By Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant

Using Habitat for Humanity as a dynamic example, authors of Forces for Good, Crutchfield and Grant, present this manifesto on what high-impact nonprofits do to achieve wide-scale social change. These methods are insightful for all organizations, including for-profits and individuals. You may just want to pick up a hammer and take a swing at changing the world.

*********

40.02

The RenGen Manifesto
By Patricia Martin

Patricia Martin brings her energy and enthusiasm to this inspiring manifesto which celebrates a new cultural trend: a renaissance generation that values creative and intellectual activity which will bring a rebirth to our current beige state of living.

*******

40.03

The Energy Crossroads: Zoom
By Vijay Vaitheeswaran

Vaitheeswaran, author of Zoom: The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the Future, here asserts that within “the thorny geopolitical, environmental, and economic complications involved with cars and oil, America’s federal energy policies do matter.” He calls for a “market-minded” approach that offers a level playing field for entrepreneurs and innovators instead of the conventional and archaic.

*********

40.04

Build Your Brand in Bits and Bites: Building Your Personal Brand Online
By William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson

Arruda and Dixson warn: “You are being googled.”
Internet research is now a no-brainer in the hiring process, whether you are applying for a job or pitching your bid. So, how can you impress recruiters and clients when they perform this kind of reference check? The authors offer steps to making you digitally distinctive.

********

40.05

The New Theory of Relativity: Relationships = Productivity
By Noah Blumenthal

Blumenthal believes there is simply no stronger motivation for good performance than strong relationships and hopes to revolutionize leadership with a deceptively simple
equation: Relationships = Productivity. He warns of an epidemic of “ineptivity” (motion without reason) has lead to a state of disenfranchisement within business, and a good leader who attends to people’s needs can prevent mutiny.

*********

40.06

Slow Innovation: A Savour-y Way to Success
By Derek Cheshire

Using the Slow Food Movement as a metaphor, Derek Cheshire suggests a slow approach to innovation. There is immense pressure to innovate quickly or to rush to market, but does this bargain of speed versus quality really benefit a company? He lauds the goal of creating “an innovative company whose structure and culture are conducive to
long-term growth and sustainability.”

Growing Great New Managers by Erika Andersen

10 Unwealthy Habits - Alicia Castillo

Manifesto to Accelerate: 15 Truths  by Dan Coughlin

What Must Starbucks Do? by John Moore

100 Ways to Kill a Concept: Why Most Ideas Get Shot Down by Michael Iva 

Few and Far Between: Black Swans and the Impossibility of Prediction  by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

How To Be Creative by Hugh MacLeod

The Bootstrapper's Bible by Seth Godin

Managers Ignite! Now is the Time to Take Back Your Company, Your Career, Your Life by Vince Thompson

25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself by Rajesh Setty

I peeked at the first part of Erika Andersen's Growing Great New Managers:

Imagine, for a moment, that you’ve been put on an island and handed a sack of rice, some vegetable plants, and a chicken. “Good luck,�? says the person who brought you there. “You’ll be responsible for growing your own food now; I know you’ve never done that before, but I have every faith in your ability.�? Then he gets in the boat and leaves, merrily waving goodbye.

Crazy, right?

We also wanted to give you a list of what people were reading in February:

1. How To Be Creative
2. Talking Strategy: Three Straightforward Ways to Make Your Strategy Stick
3. Purposive Drift: Making It Up As We Go Along
4. Reclaim Your Life: A Two-Week To Help You Regain Time
5. The Bootstrapper's Bible
6. 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself
7. Keep It Real
8. The Art of the Start
9. Not a Dirty Word: Seven Steps to Creating an Accountability-Based Organization
10. You are Being Lied To and Other Truths

And really, that is what ChangeThis is all about. We are committed to providing you with the tools to change your life. Whether you yearn to tap into your creativity, be motivated to start your own company, make more of your work day or more from your money, or even just be able to write a more concise email…visit ChangeThis to get excited again, excited enough to do something different, make a small change that could just change your life.

I’d like to raise my glass to each author who submitted a manifesto, each person who voted on our manifesto proposals, and especially to every reader who downloaded a manifesto to dig in to. My goal for the coming year is to get to know you all better and help facilitate the spreading of great ideas in the form of quality manifestos. We have plans in the works to make ChangeThis even more accessible to all of you, including a new content management system and even a compilation of our best manifestos.

But no ‘end of year’ is complete without a “Best of�? review. You can certainly visit the ChangeThis site and discover for yourselves which manifestos are most popular, so this is my chance to emphasize some of the manifestos that I feel were exceptional. Plus, I’m a sucker for awards shows, so here are my winners, in no particular order, from 2006.

Most fun: Beyond Snobbery: Grammar Need Not Be Cruel to Be Cool by June Casagrande (Clever, well-written, with a great voice, there is more here than just a lesson on grammar.)

Most well-written: The Power of the Marginal by Paul Graham (If you’re reading ChangeThis, you’ve probably spent some time in the margin, taking a risk, looking at life differently than your officemates. This manifesto includes diverse cultural references and spot-on insights sure to keep you off the beaten path.).

Most useful: Management Advice: Which 90% Is Crap? by Bob Sutton (What we love about Bob Sutton is that he tells it like it is. This manifesto offers a common sense lesson on how to filter anything we hear with a knowledgeable (cynical?) ear.)

Most life-changing: Working Mother’s Manifesto by Carol Evans (One of the toughest challenges we face—man or woman—is how to make money while raising our children. Carol Evans presents practical advice on how to do both by asking for a little compromise from both sides. Really, this is a Working Person’s Manifesto).

Most intriguing: Know the Codes by Clotaire Rapaille and Getting Out of Embed by Michael Mauboussin (Both authors use psychology to illuminate how we make every day decisions. You’ll never look at yourself the same way again.)

Most overlooked: Non-Geeks are Not Morons by Pip Coburn (If you didn’t read this one, I take full responsibility for a limiting title. Pip’s theory on change isn’t reserved for technology, but can and should be applied across the board. Once you read about it, you’ll use it to better understand just how and when to make change.)

Most socially responsible: Beyond Sustainability by John Ehrenfeld and The Declaration of Independents by Stacey Mitchell (Both authors present arguments on how we need to change the way we behave in the world in order to change the world.)

And just because I think they are worth your time because they are so good: The Rewritten Rules of Management by Tom Ehrenfeld, Never the Same by Charles Halton and Strategy and the Fat Smoker by David Maister

Cheers!

Sally