390: Seth Godin - How To Sell Like A Professional, Build Skills, & Ship Creative Work

Nov 2, 2020

Seth Godin, a bestselling author and entrepreneur, dives deep into the essence of leadership versus management, emphasizing that true leaders inspire rather than command. He discusses how creativity stems from desire and the importance of developing skills over relying on innate talent. Godin also highlights the value of empathy in selling and the significance of enjoying processes like juggling or fishing without expectation. Finally, he shares insights on perseverance and mentorship, challenging listeners to embrace discomfort for growth.

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ADVICE

Identity Through Action

To become a runner, start by running for just 10 minutes every day.
Consistent action builds identity more than preparation or daydreaming.

INSIGHT

Leadership Is Voluntary

Leadership is voluntary and distinct from management, which relies on power and authority.
Playing covers of your old self is not true leadership; leading requires embracing uncharted territory.

ADVICE

Choose To Lead Voluntarily

Leadership requires voluntarily stepping up without guarantees of success.
You must want to lead; it cannot be imposed like management roles.

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What to Do When it's Your Turn

Seth Godin

This book by Seth Godin is designed to inspire and motivate readers to take their turn and make a positive impact. It emphasizes the importance of noticing opportunities, dreaming big, connecting with others, and taking action despite fears and uncertainties. The book is visually engaging, with full-color illustrations and a unique design that makes it feel more like a high-end magazine than a traditional book. Godin urges readers to avoid certainty, pick themselves, postpone gratification, seek joy, and embrace generosity, all while dancing with fear and being paranoid about mediocrity[1][3][5].

Really Bad PowerPoint (and How to Avoid It)

Seth Godin

In this e-book, Seth Godin critiques the typical misuse of PowerPoint and provides practical advice on creating better presentations. He emphasizes the importance of using slides to support the speaker rather than replacing them, advocating for sparse use of words, powerful images, and the transfer of emotion to provoke change in the audience. Godin suggests key principles such as using no more than six words per slide, avoiding cheesy images and transitions, and ensuring slides reinforce the speaker's words without repeating them.

The Practice

Shipping Creative Work

Seth Godin

In 'The Practice', Seth Godin emphasizes the importance of consistent creative work and the process of creation over the outcome. The book argues that creativity is a choice driven by the desire to find new truths, solve problems, and serve others. Godin insists that the practice itself is the output, and it is what we can control. He encourages readers to trust the process, commit to the journey, and embrace discomfort and potential failure as part of the creative process. The book also highlights the importance of generosity and serving others through one's work, and it discourages the pursuit of external validation and outcomes[1][3][4].

Tribes

We Need You to Lead Us

Seth Godin

In 'Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us,' Seth Godin explores the concept of tribes as groups of people connected by a shared interest and a leader. The book highlights that tribes are not created but assembled, and they thrive on faith, respect, and admiration for the leader and the community. Godin argues that effective leadership involves challenging the status quo, creating a culture around the tribe's goal, and fostering connection and growth among members. He emphasizes that great leaders focus on tightening the tribe, using their influence to unite and reinforce the tribe's sense of purpose, and that change is often driven by heretics who challenge existing norms. The book is a call to action for those who want to make a significant impact by leading a tribe and creating meaningful change.

Purple Cow

Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Seth Godin

In 'Purple Cow,' Seth Godin argues that traditional marketing strategies no longer work in today's saturated market. He advocates for the creation of 'Purple Cows' – products or services that are so remarkable they naturally generate buzz and attract attention. Godin uses the metaphor of a purple cow to illustrate how being ordinary is no longer sufficient; businesses must be bold, innovative, and willing to take risks to stand out. The book is filled with examples from successful companies like Apple, Starbucks, and JetBlue, and it challenges readers to rethink their marketing strategies to focus on creating truly remarkable offerings.

Linchpin

Are You Indispensable?

Seth Godin

In 'Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?', Seth Godin argues that the modern workplace has evolved beyond the traditional roles of management and labor. He introduces the concept of 'linchpins' – individuals who are indispensable to their organizations because they invent, lead, connect others, and create order out of chaos. Godin emphasizes the importance of creativity, passion, and art in one's work, suggesting that these qualities make an individual irreplaceable. The book encourages readers to stop being mere cogs in a machine and instead strive to become artists who bring unique value and meaning to their work and organizations.

The Dip

A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Seth Godin

In 'The Dip,' Seth Godin challenges traditional views on persistence and quitting. He introduces the concept of 'The Dip,' a challenging phase between starting and mastering a skill, which is necessary for growth and mastery. Godin distinguishes 'The Dip' from 'The Cul-de-Sac' (a dead-end situation) and 'The Cliff' (a risky situation), advising readers to quit the latter two but push through 'The Dip' to achieve significant rewards. The book provides practical advice on recognizing when to quit and when to stick with a project, job, or relationship, emphasizing that strategic quitting can lead to extraordinary success.

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Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12

Notes:

Sustaining Excellence =
- The pursuit of WOW... "It's not just meeting spec."
- Leading is voluntary
- "Playing covers of yourself is not leadership."
Leadership vs. Management?
- Management is about power and a title
- Leadership is about stepping up. NASCAR... Starbucks closed for a day to train everyone.
Why does Seth teach people how to juggle?
- "It's about the throw, not the catch."
If you want to change your story, change your actions first. We become what we do.
Lost in all the noise around us is the proven truth that creativity is the result of desire. A Desire to solve an old problem, a desire to serve someone else. It’s not a bolt of lightning from somewhere else...
The difference between talent and skill: Talent is something we’re born with: it’s in our DNA, a magical alignment of gifts. Skill is earned. It’s learned and practiced and hard-won. It’s insulting to call a professional talented. She’s skill, first and foremost. In the words of Steve Martin, “I had no talent. None.”
Sculptor Elizabeth King said it beautifully, “process saves us from the poverty of our intentions.”
Surprising truths that have been hidden by our desire for those perfect outcomes:
- Hubris is the opposite of trust
- Professionals produce with intent
- Creativity is an act of leadership
- We become creative when we ship the work
- Passion is a choice
Practical Empathy -- “We have to be able to say, ‘it’s not for you’ and mean it. The work exists to serve someone, to change someone, to make something better.
We live in an outcome focused culture. The plumber doesn’t get credit for effort, he gets credit if the faucet stops leaking. Lost in this obsession with outcome is the truth that outcomes are the results of process. Focusing solely on outcomes forces us to make choices that are banal, short term or selfish. It takes our focus away from the journey and encourages us to give up too early.
The story of Drew Dernavich — he shared a picture of his “no” pile and of his “yes” pile. He’s a cartoonist. “Drew’s not a genius, he just has more paper than we do.”
Embrace your own temporary discomfort: Art doesn’t seek to create comfort. It creates change. And change requires tension. The same is true for learning. True learning (as opposed to education) is a voluntary experience that requires tension and discomfort (the persistent feeling of incompetence as we get better at a skill).
Generosity is the most direct way to find the practice. It subverts resistance by focusing the work on someone else. Generosity means that we don’t have to seek reassurance for the self, but can instead concentrate on serving others.
Selling is Difficult - Amateurs often feel like they’re taking something from the prospect - their time, their attention, ultimately their money. But what if you recast your profession as a chance to actually solve someone’s problem? “Selling is simply a dance with possibility and empathy. It requires you to see the audience you’ve chosen to serve, then to bring them what they need.”
- Sales is about intentionally creating tension: the tension of “maybe,” the tension of “this might not work,” the tension of “what will I tell my boss…” That’s precisely the tension that we dance with as creators.
The story of General Magic - Megan Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, Marc Porat inventing virtually every element of the modern smartphone. And their first model sold 3,000 units. There were 10 years ahead of their time. The business failed, but the project didn’t.
Seth’s initial denial to be on my show… “Keep going and write back to me after you’ve recorded 75 episodes and have a big show.” Episode #75 came out November 26, 2015, I emailed you that day and said, “I’m at #75, are you ready to go?” And he was a man of your word. He was episode #86.
His speaking style is built through visuals. He finds the visuals first and then creates the story and application second.
Why does Seth fly fish without a hook? "To disconnect with the outcome."
The story of Thornton May -- He had no sales quota. He went city to city and invited everyone from a specific industry to a meal. Competitors would join and Thornton would be the person to bring everyone together. He became the person they called.