101: Seth Godin: Work that matters for people who care
I’m posting this conversation today because Seth just launched his book, This is Marketing, already a #1 bestseller. As he points out, his marketing is close to what I call leadership: how to influence people, to discover your passion, and such. Helping people change is what this podcast is about.
We recorded this conversation months ago, so you get to hear previews of his book. We talked a lot about marketing, leadership, and the environment.
I saw a new side of Seth in this interview, partly because I was in his home. He met me at the train, coming from his farmers market. We talked about CSAs, volunteering, and such.
I’d seen his TED videos and read a couple of his books but speaking to him about my topics revealed something special. A lot of people teach and coach leadership and management. Some are excellent at it.
Few speak with his experience leading and practicing teaching leading. His experience shines through in everything he says. Listen carefully and you’ll hear him several times anticipate and answer the next question I am about to ask. That anticipation comes from experience — having answered and lived that question before.
I’m touched and motivated by his sensitivity and thanks at the end.
Since this conversation, I reread and rewatched his work in his voice and it came alive more. I’m more interested in persisting and persisting and persisting, working on making ideas spread, and accepting and embracing what he calls hypocrisy. These aren’t new interests, but renewed from hearing his story.
I want to clarify that I’m not doing this podcast to use celebrities to influence. It’s to build community, as I describe after the conversation.
I found him thoroughly genuine and authentic, acting out of passion and caring.
I believe the conversation will help lead you to speak up about what you care about.
Read the transcript.