February 13th, 2010 
ccurwick 
Or is Seth Godin just telling it like it is right now? Maybe a few years ago one could have said that Godin was being prophetic. Funny how so many of the things Seth Godin talked about and wrote about a few years ago are now coming to Be.
Seth Godin spoke yesterday in Salt Lake City and I had my first opportunity to hear him give a live talk. Sure I’ve heard him speak before: while narrating his audio book Tribes, while speaking on the Marketing Over Coffee pod cast twice, and of course, I’ve certainly seen him on YouTube. Part of me expected to hear a lot of what I’ve heard before from Godin. But surprisingly, Godin’s live presentation yesterday was certainly NOT more of what I’ve heard from him before. In fact, the presentation was so powerful that I both laughed and cried, as if I was watching a great movie.
Why did I laugh? Godin puts together a slide show presentation to go along with his talk. The funny photos he chose for the slide show take some of the seriousness out of the very serious subject matter at the center of his talk. These photos capture the unexpected things and people in life that catch you off guard and make you snicker.
But I did say I cried too, and why did I cry? I cried because of the reality check that Seth’s talk gave to me and to most of the other 600 people that attended the event. The reality check was at the heart of the talk and had to do with the new economy that is right before our eyes.
What are some of the implications of this new “digital age” in terms of your job or your business? Will your job become automated or just eliminated altogether?
Having followed the traditional, educational path myself, by pursuing a Graduate Degree from a prestigious school, I too have had to swallow the fact that the old rules no longer apply.
You are probably wondering, ‘who is this Seth Godin guy and what kinds of things was he talking about?’ Some of the main concepts of Seth Godin’s talk yesterday were the following:
- Replaceable people versus irreplaceable people in the job market.
- Getting and keeping a good job used to be about “not” talking too loudly or “not” standing out. Nowadays if you don’t stand out and don’t talk too loudly you’re dispensable or replaceable.
- The individual has more power than ever before in history to create something amazing because of the infinite reach of the internet. Before the internet, you could blame a publisher if your didn’t make it as an author or you could blame the music industry if you didn’t make it as a musician. Now you have no excuse.
These were just some of the concepts from Seth Godin’s presentation yesterday, as there were just too many good ones to count. If you don’t know who this guy is yet, I encourage you to get your hands on at least these three books from Seth Godin:
- Purple Cow
- Tribes
- Linchpin (just released!)
Godin’s books will change the way you think about your “job” today and your “job” in the future. He will change the way you think about your business too. Read all of his books if you can, but the three I’ve listed above are, in my opinion, the “must reads” by Seth Godin. Ironically, I wrote a post on the blog one year ago yesterday that referenced Godin. The title of the post was, “How Can Small Business Best Survive Recession.” Check it out if you haven’t read it.
If you are already familiar with Godin’s work, what are your thoughts on the three concepts I’ve listed above? I’d love to hear from you.
Posted by Corey Curwick on February 13, 2010
Posted in 
Tags: 
I wish I could have seen Seth speak on Friday. Glad you got a lot out of it. Recently I heard him promoting his new book, “Linchpin” and one of the things he said that stuck out most in my mind was:
“People will continue to work harder and harder and earn less and less.”
I think most of the people out there in the workforce right now who are still with the same company and who have watched all of their coworkers become laid off feel this way. And this isn’t going to change soon. Companies won’t go back to making the revenues that they made before because the economy is so profoundly different than it was even 5 years ago. This is a tough pill to swallow for those who are still with the same company, doing the jobs by themselves that 3-5 people used to do there who are now laid off. Read the new book “Linchpin” if you think what I’ve just said is even remotely true. It will change your life.
-A & I
I’m not familiar with Godin but from what has been shared here his thoughts and insight seem to be online with some of what Robert Kiyosaki tries to share. I would never say Robert is a genius but you have to start the reality check at some point in your life. You have to understand how money is made or not. Understand that when you are most comfortable is when you should be afraid. Most importantly always be ready for change. I look forward to listening to him. Audio books are the best tool for acquiring information because you can listen and work, clean, drive and or workout.
Did he say WHY people will continue to work harder and harder and earn less and less? Is it just because of the shape of the economy and the supply and demand of people and jobs? He didn’t offer any points on countering the trend?? From my limited perspective, I would propose that that statement only applies to the employee class of people. I know several successful entrepreneurs who do not work a full 40 of 50-hour work week and make great money. I think that is also a trend that should be considered. I will definitely pick up his books though. However, Corey should let us know when Seth is speaking, BEFOREHAND so that we can all go.
-JL