Exploration and the risk of failure - thoughts on Seth Godin's Blog

I recently read another post from Seth Godin, it caught my eye because of its title “Exploration and the risk of failure”. It is a short post that categorizes people into two types, risk takers and those who seek stability. Godin explains that if you select a job according to your category then you’ll be successful and if you don’t, you will fail.
I think this is quite an interesting concept, it’s basically the same as saying there are followers and leaders. I think Godin’s concept is probably more appropriate because the leader follower concept is somewhat degrading. It sounds like there is rank or status involved in it. Godin’s concept is more appropriate, it focuses on the goals people have. The followers seek stability and assurance so that they don’t risk failure, this means they work very hard and are focused on their goals. Leaders on the other hand explore ideas and goals; they try to think about big concepts without thinking about failure. Both of these paths are good, and allow success which is most important. This idea can be criticised by pointing out that one could be better than the other. This could be correct but ultimately what is important is that when goals are accomplished you are happy.

To read Godin’s post or to check out other articles he’s written, visit www.sethgodin.typepad.com.

Thoughts on Seth Godin's Post - Is everything perfect?

I recently read a blog post by Seth Godin, entitled “Is everything perfect?” In the post Godin uses an example of a bar business where the owner asks his manager “how was the night?” and the manager replies “the cash register came up $8 short.” The owner obviously wants to know if anything is going wrong, and doesn’t really care about good news; he just wants to know if everything is running perfectly and, if not, he feels like he needs to do something. Godin makes a good point, if the owner asked about what was going on or phrased his question in a more positive manner, then he might hear a more positive response - for example, that the bar has been packed every night this week or that a large party doubled the days takings.

Godin wants to point out that perfect isn’t that important, because situations are all different. Perfect can always mean something different in any circumstance. In this case it would be the fact that, yes, money is missing in the cash register but, on the other hand, the big party will cover that cost and more.

I agree with Godin; if people have a negative view in business then you’re not helping your cause. Godin points out “Highlighting what’s working helps you make that happen more often.” That makes sense because you can only really build on success, because those are the things you know about that work. Godin also points out that this does not mean to ignore negative aspects, just to balance the focus. This is a good business strategy, if you only pay attention to all the things that go wrong then you can never progress.

To read Godin’s post or to check out other articles he’s written, visit www.sethgodin.typepad.com.