Craig T. Owens

Seth Godin’s work is always thought-provoking. I know that he is mainly writing for a business audience, but I find his comments applicable to the church world (not to mention my personal world) as well.

I “read” Tribes in the audiobook format over a period of several weeks of drive time. I found myself frequently hitting the button which backs up the recording for 30 seconds. After I would replay a section, I would often press “pause” to reflect on the insights Seth had just read to me.

Instead of my usual book review format, I thought I’d just share with you some of the quotes which have been rolling around in my mind:

“Leaders don’t have things happen to them; leaders do things.”

“Faith is critical to all innovation. Without faith, it’s suicidal to be a leader. Religion, on the other hand, represents a strict set of rules that our fellow humans have overlaid on top of our faith. Religion supports the status quo and encourages us to fit in, not to stand out.”

“The best time to change your business [or church] model is when you still have momentum.”

“The tactics of leadership are easy; the art of leadership is hard.”

“Leaders challenge the status quo. Leaders create a culture around their goal, and involve others in that culture. Leaders have an extraordinary amount of curiosity about the world they’re trying to change. Leaders use charisma in a variety of forms to attract and motivate followers. Leaders communicate their vision of the future. Leaders commit to a vision and make decisions based on that commitment. Leaders connect their followers to one another.”

“You can’t manage without knowledge; you can’t lead without imagination.”