“Stuck? It might not be because you can’t find the right answer. It’s almost certainly because you’re asking the wrong question. The more aggressively you redefine the problem, the more likely it is you’re going to solve it.”
– Seth Godin, from his blog, August 16, 2012
Yes, I am fully aware that I have a business “crush” on Seth Godin. Yes, I know he’s linked on my website and that I quote him often. Yes, I am completely comfortable with this capitalistic infatuation of mine.
Because he makes me better. Because he tempted me to think differently and taught me how to redefine problems. Because he makes a difference.
And not just for the people who buy his books, either. Seth Godin makes a difference for everyone who knows or works with someone who’s read his books or his blog, or heard him speak or even seen him quoted in a blog like The Daily Difference.
Years ago, we hired Seth to speak to a room full of community bankers. The bankers were skeptical. The banking industry, and I hope I’m not shocking any one here, is a) not very good at marketing and b) even worse at innovation. The last really new idea the industry embraced was — oh, never mind…
So, we paraded Seth on to the stage, no suit (just sweater and jeans), no podium, no “credit-risk and capital-ratio” power point, just Seth Godin, a stack of “Purple Cow” books and a room full of “we’ve always done it this way” bankers. Over ten years later, I still run in to bankers who were in that room who credit some portion of their success with Seth’s ability to get their minds around concepts like the one above.
If we devoted one-third of the time we spend seeking perfect answers to asking better questions instead, how much of a difference will THAT make?
Thanks, Seth.
Oh, and buy Seth’s books. All of them. Right now. It’s Christmas time, and you’ll love the gift you give yourself all the way to the bank.
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