Go!

Poke the Box

I recently re-read Seth Godin’s Poke the Box.  In the words of the author, this book is “a manifesto about starting”.  I re-read it because of the frequency with which I encounter the disease of not starting.  CEOs I work with sometimes become frozen for a period of time in a state of non-starting.   In addition, everyone who has employees has, at some time (constantly?), had to deal with an employee who refuses to take any initiative.

I have lifted the following four statements directly from the book, in hopes that this short list will cause CEOs (you) to move into action, or cause you to see how to move an employee into action.

• “Please stop waiting for a map.  We reward those who draw maps, not those who follow them.”
• “The person who fails the most usually wins.”
• “Keep starting until you finish.”
• “Companies that grow after year five do so because they embrace the discipline of poking.”

I hope at least one of these resonates with you and causes you to act.  If you want to see these in the context of the entire rant, it should be easy to find a copy of the book.