Just tell me what to do
When the going gets tough, the tough get…
Scratch that.
When the going gets tough, just give me the instruction manual. Or the magic pill. Or the Ronco ® steak knives.
Come on… someone else HAS to have the answer for me.
Eavesdrop on the next conversation behind you at the coffee shop, over the top of your cubicle, or while waiting in line at the supermarket. It’s a deafening sound… brilliant people looking to take the easy way out of stagnant sales growth, faulty marketing, or belligerent co-workers.
Epitome
Really?
It would seem our desperation has gotten so intense that we’re driven to get our needs met by a restaurant marketing gimmick.
What drives this desperation? The lack of time? The absence of organization? The scarcity of conversation?
Perhaps in our quest to be first, to be right and to be charitable not as a purposeful expression of belief, but as a clever marketing strategy, we’ve lost sight with the idea of patience.
Marginal Leadership
Expert marketer (and dare I say philosopher), Seth Godin, offered one of the most powerful ideas I’ve heard in years:
“The reason they want you to join them is, that once you do, then they can ignore you.”
How frequently do we want to fit in? Isn’t that the lifeblood of most all communities? So what could Seth Godin mean? Is it that bad to be on the margin?
Perhaps leadership is what he’s inviting us to consider.
