Mobs Rule

Tribes by Seth Godin

The power of groups is not a new idea, but Seth Godin does a decent job of explaining how technology is making the power of “tribes”, like-minded people with similar goals, more prominent in today’s society. This is a very easy and short read, but if you are fascinated by the cultures that develop around things like Facebook and Twitter, this is a good book to get on your reading list.

I am not a big fan of a lot of these “management guru” book writers, but Godin does a great job of condensing ideas down to a quick read. Sometimes, in fact, he gets a bit too simplistic. And, although I approach these books with skepticism, this one struck a cord with me.

Beyond the power of tribes, Godin also touched on another favorite subject of mine. I have talked about blogging about the topic of fear and how we let it rule our lives and decisions, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. This book has inspired me to get on that.

Godin’s redefining of the Peter Principle was spot on in this book. Essentially, the Peter Principle was defined by Dr. Laurence Peter as a way to explain how people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence. People are promoted until they reach a level they can’t handle.

Godin, I think, gives a more accurate explanation of the Peter Principle. He says that “in every organization, people rise to a level at which they become paralyzed with fear.”

I have always had a problem with The Peter Principle, in part, because I tend to believe that the driving force that holds us back from achievement isn’t our own incompetence, it is our fear. Fear of failure. Fear of criticism. Fear of additional responsibility. Fear of fearing. People only achieve what THEY believe they are capable of achieving, no more, no less. We put our own limitations on ourselves.

Good book. Pick it up.