Be The Lead Goose

Growing up as a kid in Idaho, I would often see Canadian geese fly overhead during their seasonal migrations. Similar to the picture above, the geese fly in a V formation. As many of us know the lead goose puts in the most effort and makes flying easier for all the other geese in the V.

Julien compared the V to your network and you should be the lead goose. That means you’ve got to make things easier for your network. But how?

• Invite, Invite, Invite – You may have overcome the temptation to sit on the couch, but others in your network may need a little help. Invitations can help get people off the couch, because you have 0% chance of making connections at home, but at least some chance if you go out. This works for your business life and your social life.
• Carpool – If an invite isn’t enough, carpool. Every little bit of motivation helps.
• Make Introductions – If you’re talking with one acquaintance and another comes to say hi, introduce your other friend. Better still, include a compliment in the intro.
• Follow-up – This includes not only connecting on LinkedIn or following someone on Twitter, but making sure you follow up on any promises you made. Did you say you’d introduce them to a friend? Do it. Did you say you wanted to have lunch sometime? Schedule it.

What are you doing to be the lead goose?

How the Current Situation Is Broken

Since so many people have the “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, Seth began by pointing out why he thinks the system is broken. He points out that ever since Henry Ford perfected the factory, virtually every industry has converted to the factory method of production. The factory requires that both parts and people be totally interchangeable as well as a giant fear. You fear getting fired (since you’re totally replaceable) and therefore you blend in. Do what you’re told. However, this just makes you even more forgettable, ignorable and replaceable. A bad situation indeed.

He also asked if the following statement describes your job: Show up on time and do what you’re told. If that describes your job, you’d better start looking for a new one because there will always be someone willing to show up and do what they’re told for less money than you!

How To Fix It

First, you have to recognize the “lizard brain” as Seth terms it. This part of your brain is driven by fear and is intended to keep you alive out in the wild. However, it also is a large hurdle to success because it loves to be busy and avoids risk. Once you recognize the lizard brain’s voice, you should do the exact opposite. It says to just be busy, you slow down and think strategically. It says to wait on that big move, you go for it. Get it?

Second, you need to become an artist. Not in the painter, musician, Bohemian sort of way we use the word, but in the sense that you create, invent and give. You give gifts without expectations of reciprocity. You’re not afraid of getting a D, because you know that you’ll have many Ds before you make that masterpiece.

Lastly, today’s economy will reward the individuals who are able to choose the right course of action when hundreds of directions are possible. You can’t simply choose a good direction, you need to choose the best direction.

Quote of the Presentation

“Anxiety is the experience of failure in advance.”

If you were there I’d love to hear your takeaways in the comments. If you weren’t there, what is your favorite Seth Godin quote?

My Friend

Last night I was chatting with a friend on Facebook. Pretty typical stuff about work, life, etc. When we were talking about her job she mentioned that she was looking for a better job but felt like she couldn’t find much out there. I could have offered a few consoling words and left it at that, but instead I thought “Hmmm. What can I do to help?”

My Network

I don’t mean to brag, but I realize that with just over 850 followers on Twitter I have more than the average bear. Amongst those is a cool guy who I know works in PR. I send over a DM and ask him if he knows about anyone looking for an ambitious, young PR person. (Keep in mind that the discussion with my friend and the Twitter DMs are happening simultaneously.) A couple minutes later I get a DM back asking for her resume that he can send along to a couple people. I hit my friend on Facebook chat and she emails me her resume. I forward it along and within just a few minutes her resume is in the hands of a well-connected PR guy who’s looking to pass it around to see if there’s any interest.

Okay, this story doesn’t have a happy ending yet and in no way do I want anyone to feel I’m showing off. This experience just reinforced a very simple principle I’ve been thinking about lately. The quickest way for us to get out of this recession is if we help each other out. Everyone has skills and connections, we just need to use them more often to help others. It can be as simple as getting a resume to new contacts or as complicated as setting up a non-profit. So what are you doing to help people out?