Seth Godin’s bad advice

Seth Godin says:

One of the most common things I hear is, “I’d like to do something remarkable like that, but my xyz won’t let me.” Where xyz = my boss, my publisher, my partner, my licensor, my franchisor, etc.

Well, you can fail by going along with that and not doing it, or you can do it, cause a ruckus and work things out later.

In my experience, once it’s clear you’re willing (not just willing, but itching, moving, and yes, implementing) without them, things start to happen. People are rarely willing to step up and stop you, and often just waiting to follow someone crazy enough to actually do something.

I’m going. Come along if you like.

This is the kind of advice you can give you’re already successful. When you’ve spent years in the trenches building yourself up, carving out a path that others can’t replicate because it’s unique to your situation and circumstances, but look at other people anyway and tell them “you can do it too,” it lulls people into believing they’re a lot closer to where they want to be than they are.

Of course, he lays out the caveat of “in my experience” which is the alarm call right there. If most people took this advice, especially in this economy, they’d find themselves without a job. Or neutered to the point of ineffectiveness and frustrated enough to quit.

It’s just not that simple. You have to be calculating if you want to break a mold and have to establish the relationships necessary to ensure you can take the strides you want. In my experience, it’s all about relationships. If you can find allies, you can increase the likelihood of success. But even then, some organizations stifle such movements from the start. It’s just the nature of how they operate.

So jumping off the bridge to see who’ll come with you, might seem like a fine strategy when you’ve got a parachute, you can swim and you’ve done it before. But to encourage people without those things to do it, knowing they’re going to need it, is just creating revisionist history under the guise of inspiration.