While traveling the Pacific Northwest last fall to complete our fund-raising, David Griggs asked me, "So, what do you like to read?" I'm one of those guys who likes to read a strange mix of business meets sociology meets psychology meets inspiration meets leadership; authors like Gladwell, Chip Heath, and Seth Godin have been filling up my reading list, and I have a stack of them waiting to be shipped to us now. I did have room to pack this little book, Poke the Box, in my carry-on last month.
This is actually my first Seth Godin book, and I'm not sure what to think because this book reads like no other I've ever come across. It's like reading a shuffled set of notes for a book he wanted to write--there are no chapters, only sections with headings, and each section can be as short as a sentence or a couple of pages. If you are totally A.D.D. or you only have brief seconds to read before you have to do something else--then this is the book for you.
The basic premise of the book is the need to initiate; "Initiative is scarce. Hence valuable" (p.27). And so this seemingly random set of notes and quotes are all along the theme of risk--stop thinking, scheming and dreaming and start doing it. Throughout the little book, Godin attempts to encourage the reader to get past the fear of failure and to actually fail and try again.
Those of you who know us know that this is a big teaching point for us; it's one of our key values in developing young leaders. We want you to risk, to try, and even to fail--not that we want young people to be failures, but we want to give them the opportunity to learn--and we learn best in the midst of falling on our faces. We're more humble, more teachable, and more apt to see the connection between the better way and what we just attempted. We want to cultivate the desire to attempt something new, and in the process the environment to teach grace, mercy, and forgiveness of ourselves and others along the way.
Apparently, there is a follow-up book called "Tales of the Revolution: True Stories of People Who are Poking the Box and Making a Difference". I believe both are available for Kindle and e-readers.
Another aspect of this book is that it is a part of the Domino Project, founded by Godin and "powered by" Amazon (learn more at TheDominoProject.com) -- I had not heard of this but like the concept a lot. Basically, books are to be shared and discussed, and they have a variety of ideas for you to do that with this and other books.
So, have any of you read this or any other Seth Godin Book? Any thoughts, recommendations, or questions that were raised that you would like to bring up?
This is actually my first Seth Godin book, and I'm not sure what to think because this book reads like no other I've ever come across. It's like reading a shuffled set of notes for a book he wanted to write--there are no chapters, only sections with headings, and each section can be as short as a sentence or a couple of pages. If you are totally A.D.D. or you only have brief seconds to read before you have to do something else--then this is the book for you.
The basic premise of the book is the need to initiate; "Initiative is scarce. Hence valuable" (p.27). And so this seemingly random set of notes and quotes are all along the theme of risk--stop thinking, scheming and dreaming and start doing it. Throughout the little book, Godin attempts to encourage the reader to get past the fear of failure and to actually fail and try again.
Those of you who know us know that this is a big teaching point for us; it's one of our key values in developing young leaders. We want you to risk, to try, and even to fail--not that we want young people to be failures, but we want to give them the opportunity to learn--and we learn best in the midst of falling on our faces. We're more humble, more teachable, and more apt to see the connection between the better way and what we just attempted. We want to cultivate the desire to attempt something new, and in the process the environment to teach grace, mercy, and forgiveness of ourselves and others along the way.
Apparently, there is a follow-up book called "Tales of the Revolution: True Stories of People Who are Poking the Box and Making a Difference". I believe both are available for Kindle and e-readers.
Another aspect of this book is that it is a part of the Domino Project, founded by Godin and "powered by" Amazon (learn more at TheDominoProject.com) -- I had not heard of this but like the concept a lot. Basically, books are to be shared and discussed, and they have a variety of ideas for you to do that with this and other books.
So, have any of you read this or any other Seth Godin Book? Any thoughts, recommendations, or questions that were raised that you would like to bring up?
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By Seth Godin (c)2011 by Do You Zoom, Inc. |
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