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1-Page Summary of Tribes

Yes, You Can Create and Lead a Tribe

Humans have been in tribes for thousands of years, but the dawn of the Internet allows people to form tribes more easily. People join various kinds of groups based on their interests or beliefs. These are called tribes. A tribe needs a purpose and passionate leaders who serve that tribe before they think about themselves. Each member should provide an aspect of leadership and vision for the group’s success. By definition, “a tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader and connected to an idea.”

Be passionate about what you do and make a difference in the world by inspiring others to join your tribe.

Creating Your Movement

Leadership in a tribe is voluntary. If you rule like a monarch, your tribe will be empty. It’s important to listen to and respect the members of your tribe. You can communicate with them through four different ways: leader to tribe, tribe to leader, member of the community to other members and member of the community to outsiders/people outside of the organization. When pursuing goals as part of a group or team, it matters more that you have good leadership skills than whether someone else has more followers or authority than you do because without leadership, there isn’t really much difference between that person and others who are just part of an unorganized crowd. For example, Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström built up his company by leading people around him out into his own company instead of trying to compete against large telecom companies on their own terms (which he couldn’t possibly win). He used former U.S Senator Bill Bradley’s three-element program for building movements:

1. To inspire your tribe, tell a story that shows what you envision. Make sure to connect with your tribe’s leadership and followers. Define a goal, preferably one without limits. Create fans who are passionate about what you want to accomplish and want to be remarkable like you do. Use social media such as Facebook for support in increasing the size of your tribe. For example, blogger Scott Beale used Twitter to start an unofficial party at an empty bar when he was annoyed by standing in line for a party.

Why Being a Large-Scale Business Can Be a Disadvantage

People can change the way things are done and make them better. However, if they don’t continue to improve on that innovation, it will become just another average practice. Managers often keep doing what’s working for them rather than trying something new because they’re afraid of losing business if their customers are unhappy with the changes. You can use your team to try out new ideas and show management that there is room for improvement in their current practices by making those practices seem less effective than they used to be.

Manufacturers once needed large factories, but now they can use small ones and workers. This is because niche products are all the rage, so companies want to avoid expensive factory costs as well as other fixed expenses. The best way for manufacturers to do this is by using free agents who have left big corporations and work on their own.

Have No Fear

Many people have great ideas, but they don’t do anything with them because of fear. Fear makes you feel like you need approval from someone else before doing something. Don’t let that stop you from taking action on your idea and following through with it. You can make the world a better place by bringing about change to it, so get out there and start making things happen!

Dr. Laurence Peter’s book, The Peter Principle, explains that people are promoted until they reach a level of incompetence in their job. People stop excelling when they’re at a point where they get immobilized by fear. You should learn what your fears are and manage them rather than denying them. Failing is not the end of the world; it’s an opportunity to improve yourself and try again if you want to succeed with your idea. Don’t listen to critics, even if they call you names like heretic or blasphemer – take it as a compliment because it means you’re doing something great!