thinks

Man is by nature a political animal - Aristotle

Apparently, I’m an animal, too.

Things have been pretty quiet around The thinks Tank the last few weeks. We’ve been busy building up a batch of content that we’re proud to present and will start releasing new updates about the social, local, mobile web next week.

But, I ask a simple indulgence. Allow me a moment to address the upcoming election. And, more important, what follows.

I support Barack Obama. I’m proud of that fact. Speaking as someone who has successfully hired many individuals to fill many roles, I think he’s the right person for the job.

But, guess what? We could do worse than John McCain. He’s a good and decent man. I voted for him for senator when I lived in Arizona. He would likely do a reasonable job as president. I can readily support your decision if you support John McCain.

Which is what leads me to write this. For as much as I enjoy the theater it presents, politics frustrates the hell out of me. Why? Because politics these days has become a zero-sum game; my side wins only when your side loses.

Screw that. I don’t care to play any longer. The stakes are far too high to think that any one individual, any one party or any one side has all the answers. The question is, are you prepared to do something about it no matter who wins the White House?

We live in difficult times. Not the worst of times. Not yet, anyways. But, clearly, times that call for every American, every citizen to roll up their sleeves and work for a common good. And we are better than the noise and the nonsense, the silliness and, sadly, the slime that accompanies most campaign seasons. As this election season comes to a close, it is time for that to stop.

We, as a people, have never failed when united in a common purpose, a common belief in our ability to do what is right. Americans love to tout our independence. And rightfully so. But independence is not what has led us to our finest moments.

Our finest moments have always followed from our willingness to support one another. Our finest moments always begin, “How can I help?”

To paraphrase Senator McCain’s extraordinary acceptance speech, it is time we learn the limits of our independence.

We are at our best when we face our problems head on. When we seek solutions instead of scoundrels. And when we place the good of the many ahead of the good of a few.

No one is smaller than the simpleton who stands and shouts, “Ha, ha. Your end of the boat is sinking!” Sadly, our political process - or at least the media that feeds on that process - willingly hands these morons the megaphones and the milkcrates from which to spew their bile.

You’re smarter than that. Ignore them. Find something that ignites your passion, find a fellow citizen who shares your concern and work with your civic leaders - regardless of their political persuasion - to find solutions. Not to score political points. But to make the world around you a better place. That’s an outcome worth voting for.

As long time readers know, we’ve got a bit of a love/hate relationship with Seth Godin. Seth is, of course, the voice of modern marketing for his generation, schooled in the art and science of both business and the internet. Admired. Respected. The issue with Seth isn’t that he doesn’t know his stuff. It’s that much of what he knows is not new. Anyone who’s read “Positioning” or “Selling the Invisible” or countless other marketing classics won’t find much they haven’t heard before. So, why, we keep asking, does Seth get so much love?

With his latest, “Tribes”, now we know.

Seth’s gift is not his knowledge. Many know as much without producing similar results. Seth Godin’s gift is his focus on execution, on getting it right as he’s getting it written. In that regard, “Tribes” delivers. Sure, it’s filled with the kind of easily digestible lessons that have become Seth’s hallmark: pithy, thought-provoking, but not entirely original. No, the book’s strength - and Seth’s overall - is how much its flawless execution shines through. It’s not so much “I wish I’d thought of that,” as “I thought of that. How come I didn’t do it?.”

Case in point: Seth announced “Tribes” on his blog some time ago, with an invitation to join a new online community for the first <mumble>-thousand folks who pre-ordered the book. Big success. So much so, Seth had to extend the number of invites into multiple groups. “Take action. Get a reward. Be one of the cool kids.” What’s new about that? But it is dressed up in a new way, execution camouflaged as innovation.

And it works. Tried and true, married to new. Seth Godin isn’t exploring new ground. He’s synthesizing old and new, executing flawlessly, combining disparate elements into a cohesive whole.

And he really topped himself on this one. Seth didn’t just dress this thing up as something new. No. Imagine the surprise at the thinks tank, (that’s what we’re calling global HQ this week), when a copy of the book showed up out of the blue, before publication, with a note. What’d the note say?

“Here’s an extra copy, for free, before anyone else can get it. When your ordered copy arrives, share it with a friend.”

What…?!? A free giveaway? Two books for the price of one? What will they think of next?

Seriously, though, look at how well this was done. No pre-announcement of the tactic. Just simple follow-through. The result? Surprise. Delight. Makes me glad Seth uses his powers for good, not evil.

So don’t worry so much about innovative tactics. Worry about what works. Read Seth’s book. You’ll get through it quickly. You’ll be able to quote it at parties. You’ll probably learn something. But if you really want to benefit from it, look instead at what Seth did. You’ll gain more by far.

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Fellow Big Thinkers, you are the best. I sincerely appreciate all the positive responses I receive from you, here on this blog and in email, every day. Maintaining thinks - and the dialog with you - remains among my most fulfilling activities.

Some recent events in my life require my focused attention for a while, though, so my update frequency will be affected for a time. Please continue reading past posts, commenting, and emailing. I won’t be far away. And I look forward to resuming the dialog more actively within a couple weeks’ time.

Thanks for your continued support.