Seth Godin Interview
10 Mar
Seth Godin–former VP Direct Marketing for Yahoo!, creator of Squidoo.com, writer of the most popular business blog in the world, author of ten best-selling books, and one of the most popular speakers around the globe–”sat” down with me for an interview (via e-mail) about his latest book, Linchpin.
JG: I’d like to begin by thanking you on behalf of myself and my subscribers. We appreciate your time and willingness to share your thoughts. You’ve said that Linchpin is the most important book you’ve written, your life’s mission. What is that mission? Why did you write it?
Seth: There’s a massive change going on in our world, a revolution. It’s the death of the industrial era, and a lot of people, innocent people, are getting hit hard by the changes that are happening.
I think there’s a huge opportunity here, a chance to make a difference and to find one’s calling, and I felt as though my readers could take advantage of it… if they could only see how the rules have changed.
JG: An idea that many can relate with–especially those looking for motivation–is the concept of the lizard brain. Can you describe that for us?
Seth: The lizard brain is an actual part of our brains, a pre-historic vestige responsible for fear and anger and revenge and reproduction. The lizard brain wants you to fit in, not stand out, to play it safe and to not be laughed at.
It’s pretty clear that back in the day, this was a good survival strategy. It isn’t any longer.
JG: Fear is the number one obstacle to change. It keeps our goals and dreams at bay and works hard to maintain the status quo. Though every approach to overcoming fear is unique, how do you personally quiet the lizard?
Seth: That’s a lizardy question, because whatever I do won’t work for you, thus giving the lizard an edge! I think the general idea is to either defeat it through force of will, create systems that fade the volume or just sit with it and let it freak itself out because you refuse to join in.
JG: Many people are stuck in a routine that saps the life out them. They want to be passionate about something, but aren’t sure what that something is. What do you say to those waiting to find their “thing” before acting and shipping? (Shipping, in Seth’s terms, is about making things happen. Ship your ideas, get them out the door.)
Seth: There isn’t one thing. If we had taken Catcher in the Rye away from Salinger, he would have written something else. If Steve Jobs hadn’t done the Mac, he would have done something else. Ship, relentlessly.
JG: There seems to be a powerful thread connecting your recent work. What is the driving force behind that work, the purpose you hope to achieve?
Seth: I think we are living in a revolution, one fraught with risk or filled with opportunity. Will we use it create a better world, treat people with respect, race to the top and do work we’re proud of? Or will we rationalize a race to the bottom?
JG: You can tell so much from a man or woman by their greatest dream and greatest fear. So, what is your greatest dream? What is your greatest fear?
Seth: They’re the same. To use this moment to leverage these ideas in a way that somehow is worthy of the chance I have.
JG: You’ve certainly done that, Seth. Without doubt. I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with us and bring us all one step closer to becoming linchpins. I know I speak for everyone reading when I say we can’t wait to have you back.
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This was the first of several interviews with Seth. I’ll let you know when the next is scheduled and posted. Until then, please check out his site, his blog, and Linchpin. Visit: http://sethgodin.com/
I really liked this interview, it was really nice reading it, it cleared me a bit about my dreams
Nagendra,
So happy to hear you liked the interview. He helped me think clearly, as well.
Thanks for your comment!
Hi Jason,
That was a short and smart interview! Great on ideas (‘lizard brain’) and creative in concepts (‘shipping relentlessly’). I never really looked at it from that perspective and both you and Seth have set me thinking- no more missed opportunities!
Thanks
Sabina
Sabina,
We sure were lucky to get such a mind mixed in with our community, weren’t we?
I agree with you–I love the lizard brain and shipping concepts. So much said is said with so little.
More great interviews to come, I promise!
Hi Jason,
That was a short and smart interview! Great on ideas (‘lizard brain’) and creative in concepts (‘shipping relentlessly’). I never really looked at it from that perspective and both you and Seth have set me thinking- no more missed opportunities!
Thanks
Sabina
Very interesting Jason!Thank you for that, a lovely motivational tool.
Dear Liz,
Thanks for your comment!
Seth hits the match that lights the fire. We all, especially those of us who are seeking jobs, have the opportunity to break away from our lizard brain and find out what we have been afraid to do for years. If you can meet your lifestyle requirements with the job you have always wanted, go for it. If not, try to find out what is more important, a job that you are passionate about, or a lizard brain job the saps the life out of you. We can no longer wait for retirement, because we will need to work for more years than those that went before us, so why not do what you enjoy?
Dismiss the fear and get a job you are passionate about.
Thanks, Jason.
Bob,
Now that’s what I call a comment.
Thanks for sharing not only your thoughts but also your own advice and insight.
Keep them coming.
After reading the interview I was reminded of a quote from the book Think and Grow Rich. We are all warriors on a ship that has just landed on a shore of our enemy’s coast. Before getting off the ship into the battle boats we all set fire to the main ship. Now each solider knows that the only way to live on is to defeat the enemy. Just like defeating the lizard brain so too we must burn the ship of are alternate course that leads us away from our dreams. Because that is what life is really about, following your dreams.
-David
David,
What a reference! I knew my members were intelligent and insightful, but these comments are inspiring.
You’ve recalled a brilliant story and offered an equally valuable bit of advice.
Thank you and keep them coming. Can’t wait to see what you share next.
Quite a good assement about the nature of change. I recently attended a residency with Walden University at Lansdowne, VA and the Keynote speaker was Dan Pink. He talked about that “sentence” and had me thinking about the future and ensuring that I identify my reason for being very quickly, so that I could keep up with the changing times. Seth has similar overviews and I would like to thank you for the various pieces that I listened to in the mail.
Jennifer,
You’ll be happy to know that one of my upcoming interviews is with Dan. Perhaps we can chat via email to come up with some good questions.
Like never before I am proud to be an educator and inculcate our young minds to reach behond what we are told is impossible. I came up with a quote that I have in my room and I refer to it all the time.
“Attempt the impossible to achieve the inconceivable”
Josue,
Wonderful quote and wonderful message. It’s refreshing and reassuring to know we have teachers like you building young minds.
The comments are as inspiring as the interview! Go team!
I couldn’t agree more, Nicole.
This is incredible. You can almost hear our little tribe growing in brains and numbers.
The beginning of something great…