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Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us Hardcover – October 16, 2008
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The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller that redefined what it means to be a leader.
Since it was first published almost a decade ago, Seth Godin's visionary book has helped tens of thousands of leaders turn a scattering of followers into a loyal tribe. If you need to rally fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers around an idea, this book will demystify the process.
It's human nature to seek out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. Social media gives anyone who wants to make a difference the tools to do so.
With his signature wit and storytelling flair, Godin presents the three steps to building a tribe: the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.
If you think leadership is for other people, think again—leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma led a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, ran her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle.
Tribes will make you think—really think—about the opportunities to mobilize an audience that are already at your fingertips. It's not easy, but it's easier than you think.
- Print length160 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPortfolio
- Publication dateOctober 16, 2008
- Dimensions5.2 x 0.7 x 7.3 inches
- ISBN-101591842336
- ISBN-13978-1591842330
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Former U.S. senator Bill Bradley
"Tribes is a short book--only 147 pages. But its short size belies its true importance. As I read it, I was literally underlining every other sentence. I went through two hi-lighters before I finished!
This is one of the most important books I have read this year. I highly recommend it."
Michael Hyatt
From the Author
While most leadership books are actually about management, about some form of coercion to get people to do what you want them to do, this is a book about the internal struggle we have to choose to lead.I hope it resonates with you.
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Portfolio; 1st edition (October 16, 2008)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 160 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1591842336
- ISBN-13 : 978-1591842330
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #32,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #215 in Business Processes & Infrastructure
- #513 in Leadership & Motivation
- #952 in Psychology & Counseling
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Seth Godin is the author of 20 international bestsellers that have been translated into over 38 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. For a long time, Unleashing the Ideavirus was the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.
He worked as a year as the volunteer founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, and his recent bestsellers also include The Practice and This is Marketing.
He's a recent inductee to the Marketing Hall of Fame, and also a member of the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame and (go figure), the Guerrilla Marketing Hall of Fame.
His book, Tribes, was a nationwide bestseller, appearing on the Amazon, New York Times, BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It's about the most powerful form of marketing--leadership--and how anyone can now become a leader, creating movements that matter.
His book Linchpin came out in 2008 and was the fastest-selling book of his career. Linchpin challenges you to stand up, do work that matters and race to the top instead of the bottom. More than that, though, the book outlines a massive change in our economy, a fundamental shift in what it means to have a job.
In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth was founder and CEO of Squidoo.com,. His blog (find it by typing "seth" into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, a job he got after selling them his pioneering 1990s online startup, Yoyodyne.
He's known as a pioneer in online education, and was the founder of the altMBA.
You can find every single possible detail that anyone could ever want to know at sethgodin.com
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book insightful and motivating. They describe it as an engaging and easy read with nice stories. The style is described as simple, raw, and plain. Readers appreciate the author's unique personality and encourage them to be unabashedly individual. The straightforward layout works well for tribes and modern societies.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book insightful and inspiring. They appreciate the profound lessons, easy to digest and implement. The book is motivating and packed with thought-provoking ideas that they can't wait to begin. Readers enjoy the analogy between magic and leadership. They are encouraged to follow their passions and lead others to effect change.
"...It's going to make you excited about following your heart, about following your passions, and showing you the absolute need for you to be a leader..." Read more
"...For all of these great insights and succinctly articulating the way the world is changing around us, and for effectively inspiring us to become..." Read more
"...to adapt to change, then you will find some inspiration and very helpful insights. As Seth says, "You get to make the choice."..." Read more
"...The newsletter connected the tribe members. It turned a disparate group of career engineers into a working community."..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and easy to read. They find it motivating and understandable, making it suitable for those who like to think big. The book is not academically dense, which some readers appreciate.
"I loved the book so much I wrote this article... [...] --- My name is Gregory Cox, and I am a Heretic...." Read more
"...If being part of change speaks to you, then this book would be a great read. If you are looking for a step by step manual, look elsewhere." Read more
"...There are no chapters--just quick-reading, page-turning marketing/leadership insights: * Leadership Discomfort: "Leadership is scarce because..." Read more
"...To me, Tribes seems very conversational. It is an easy-to-read, motivational book about standing up for something you believe in and making a..." Read more
Customers enjoy the stories in the book. They find the premise relatable and appreciate the realistic examples. The author's storytelling skill makes the book easy to read.
"...Godin uses very realistic and relatable examples to prove how tribes exist in everyday life; these examples range far and wide and can be applicable..." Read more
"...marked up more than twenty -- Tribes reads like a dizzying rush of adrenalized common sense; you can almost imagine Godin pounded it out over one..." Read more
"...Depending on personality, one may find that the small anecdotes, the switching between ideas, the ease of reading, and the pace in which he floats..." Read more
"...Their sizes are basically the same, both are full of useful stories and anecdotes; the writing is broken down into bite size pieces and it's..." Read more
Customers appreciate the simple and straightforward style of the book. They find it easy to follow with a straightforward layout and short sections.
"...his statements, and his tips for success, while brief, do come across as well thought out...." Read more
"...This book was laid out perfectly for that, short sections that you can get through pretty quick in case you need to leave the book to do something...." Read more
"...The `chapters' are miniature and they resemble blurbs or thoughts instead of book chapters...." Read more
"...Overall, I appreciate Godin's conversational voice and raw style...." Read more
Customers find the book's personality unique and distinct. They say it encourages individuals to stand out from the crowd and unite a tribe. The book provides great examples of people who have stood out from the crowd. It is also described as insightful, original, and humorous at times.
"...book, Tribes, to the ideal business book that is "easy to understand, distinct, practical, credible, insightful, and provides great reading..." Read more
"...is not as simple as having followers; it is a complex and multi-faceted thing...." Read more
"...It provided great examples of people who have stood out from the crowd and stepped into leadership...." Read more
"...He's very insightful, definitely an original, and pretty humorous at times...." Read more
Customers find the book's straightforward style works well for tribes and modern societies. It examines how the best tribes operate, no matter how big or small they may be.
"...expect to receive essentially as much as they give... Clubs work well in modern societies because these societies view the autonomous individual as..." Read more
"...And they need you to lead them. He examines how the best tribes operate, no matter how big or small they may be...." Read more
"Seth Godin's straightforward style works perfectly for Tribes. Leading is not a recipe, but rather a production based on individual tastes...." Read more
"...For those wanting to better understand how tribes work, grow, spread, and how leading them happens, then this could be a great next read for you." Read more
Customers find the book simple and engaging, not a how-to manual or motivational tract. They appreciate that it doesn't provide a set of steps or a mindset to achieve them. However, some feel it lacks structure and structure is frustrating, making applying the concepts challenging.
"...There is no forward or introduction. There is no table of contents. There are no chapters...." Read more
"...It's neither a dry how-to manual nor cliched motivational tract, but rather an enthusiastic endorsement of standing up and taking the..." Read more
"...If that is the intention of the book, it fails miserably. There is no how-to, there is no research - just mere anecdotes of nobodys who one day..." Read more
"...read but the lessons are profound, easy to digest and easy to implement, you'll find yourself highlighting many passages of the book...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's credibility. Some find it down-to-earth and true, using real-life examples. Others feel the content lacks meaningful elaboration or evidence, and is devoid of ideas and insights.
"...Godin uses very realistic and relatable examples to prove how tribes exist in everyday life; these examples range far and wide and can be applicable..." Read more
"...with endless assertions about tribes, often with little meaningful elaboration or evidence): 1. Everyone can be a leader 2...." Read more
"...little book if filled with BIG IDEAS that are down-to-earth and fundamentally true...." Read more
"...There is no forward or introduction. There is no table of contents. There are no chapters...." Read more
Reviews with images

Sustaining a Tribe
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2010I loved the book so much I wrote this article...
[...]
---
My name is Gregory Cox, and I am a Heretic.
What I learned from Seth Godin's Tribes.
Hello everyone. My name is Gregory Cox, and I am a heretic AND leader.
I wanted to start this review that way, because the book Tribes by Seth Godin is going to make you a bold person. It's going to make you excited about following your heart, about following your passions, and showing you the absolute need for you to be a leader in your business, your family, and your life. And - and this is what it's all about - other people's lives.
Are you ready to be a leader?
Why is it that Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead were followed around like a second coming of Christ? With only one top 40 album, the Grateful Dead became a complete movement unto themselves. And there's a reason. This book addresses that.
The Grateful Dead: one Top 40 album, HUGE following.
Tribes used to the local. Now, their global. There is the ability in our lifetime (!) to instantly communicate with one another, all over the world. And we are just beginning. Someday soon even, I don't even think languages are going to be a barrier. In our lifetime we will most likely see instantaneous communication between cultures, without learning different languages.
So, are you ready to be a leader? It's not whether you can get in touch people anymore, it's if your signal to noise ratio is high. That means what you say is more important than how many times you say it, or how loud you shout it. It's about speaking with authority and purity. It's about speaking with passion. It's about saying I know the way.
It's fun to be a heretic.
I am a heretic. Hence, the impishness.
For me, being in business for myself is much about being my own boss. One might say that's a cop out. One might also say that it's a greater responsibility. Especially to my clients.
I'm supposed to be the court jester, the fool, the dreamer, the magician, the one that challenges opinions and beliefs. Especially in marketing.
After all, if marketing is a predator and prey interaction, one might say that I am supposed to think like a heretic. I can't beat out my competition if I'm doing the exact same thing they are doing.
Leadership is not management.
Leadership is about creating change that you believe in, not about ordering people around. It's about changing status quo, not maintaining or managing it. There is no stability in life. Everything changes all the time, including in marketing. So, welcome change with open arms.
1000 true fans.
1000 fans will bring you enough attention and support to make a great living. 1000 fans will support you through your life - financially and otherwise. Many of the organizations that I (and Seth, apparently) have bumped into care about numbers, not fans. This is a very bad way to enter into the future.
Let me ask you this: do you think it's important to get on Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn because it will bring you money, or because it will connect you with the people that will influence your future? QED.
Envision yourself rich beyond your wildest dreams.
Now what is important to you? Where would you throw your time?
Well, that's what should be important to you right now. It's important a start with the right mindset. And there are many books that say the same thing. If all you're here to do is to make money, you probably won't make much money. There are exceptions, of course. But are they happy?
Being a leader means being uncomfortable.
You know, Jesus made his disciples uncomfortable. He wanted them to be leaders.
The very nature of leadership is to lead others. That means there's nobody in front of you telling you what to do or where to go. That means it's going to be uncomfortable. Get over it.
If you accept the fact that you must be a leader, then you must accept the fact that it will be uncomfortable. Use your discomfort to drive you forward. I believe that adopting the right mindset means pushing towards discomfort. If you feel yourself becoming too comfortable, it's time to shake things up.
Your tribe members are not blind sheep.
If your followers do what you say without question, two things will happen. One, you will never ever find a quiet time to yourself ever again. Two, your tribe will never grow.
Hey, it's getting better.
They use to burn heretics at the stake. At least you don't have to worry about that anymore.
Why settle when you can achieve greatness?
And perhaps this is why I wrote this article for Vision Fridays. There is no logic in going for mediocrity.
And now that you have the ability to connect with everyone in the world very quickly, why not try out some of those crazy ideas on the global populace?
Why not challenge yourself throughout your life? Why not challenge others? The limit of what you can do is most certainly less restricting than you think it is. Why not find out the limits of your capabilities?
Start a tribe. At the very least, at the end of your life you won't have to wonder.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2010Tribes is a shotgun blast that takes aim at the old way of doing things with many pellets from a new vision. It has relevance for all of us: those interested in the future of their religious traditions should, perhaps, pay particular attention. I'll discuss this more at the end of my review.
This new vision of how we are living is what Seth Godin calls "Tribes." We've always had tribes because it's in our nature, but the nature of those tribes has been changed by the Internet and other forces.
I chose to read this book because I saw countless references to it in other things I was reading. I read Michael Hyatt's blog (he's the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers), and he described it as essential for authors who want to gain a readership (tribe). But there are many other ways Tribes applies to all of our lives.
A tribe, according to Godin, "is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea" (p. 1). Throughout the book, Godin throws out an amazing number of ideas about tribes, their nature, and how we should all be leading tribes. The book is filled with wonderful information for understanding how people connect today, and a lot of great advice about how to create tribes based on what we love.
Here are many of the key assertions that are worth noting (I say "Key" because the book is filled with endless assertions about tribes, often with little meaningful elaboration or evidence):
1. Everyone can be a leader
2. Each of us has more leverage than before
3. Geography is less important (p. 4)
4. Tribes are looking for leaders (and connection), and you can be that leader, regardless of how you've seen yourself in the past
5. "Tribes are about faith" (p. 9).
6. "Marketing is the act of telling stories about the things we make" (p. 15).
7. "Stability is an illusion" (p. 16).
8. "Great leaders create movements by empowering the tribe to communicate" (p. 23).
9. To turn a group into a tribe you only need a shared interest and a way to communicate (p. 24).
10. "Organizations that destroy the status quo win" (p. 35).
11. "Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead" (p. 55).
12. "Tribes are increasingly voluntary" (p. 67).
13. Faith is underrated and religion is overrated (p. 79).
14. 5 key elements to creating a "microenvironment" and 6 principles for "microenvironments"
For all of these great insights and succinctly articulating the way the world is changing around us, and for effectively inspiring us to become leaders, I give Tribes 4 stars.
But, there are a lot of negatives that should be acknowledged about the book.
1. Godin tries too hard to play the part of the poor, persecuted "heretic"
2. Tribes is big on ideas but small on development or fair discussion (he's too much of a cheerleader)
3. This is an amazingly small book, both in number of pages and in the size of the pages. And the last third of the book or so seemed like fluff.
4. Godin only asserts and gives anecdotes: he doesn't develop or provide much evidence for his ideas.
5. MORE IMPORTANTLY, Godin seems incapable of comprehending that he might be wrong on any of his points. He doesn't seem to have time to acknowledge the ways in which what he describes may not lead to bliss for all.
For example, he glibly announces that geography is less important, and affirms this as a good thing. But he shows no awareness of the ways in which a "virtual" world may be a less fulfilling world.
There's no room for the notion that many people, and not just people of religion or "the factory" as he calls it, are discovering that stability is a rare and precious commodity and highly to be sought. For him, change and novelty rule the universe - and should.
And don't get me started on his simplistic notions of how "faith" is what's really important, and "religion" is just sort of a leach or parasitical attachment to this generic faith we should all have.
This leads me to my final point, one that applies to people of faith and who actually believe in a stable religious identity of some sort. I encourage you to perform the following thought (or "gedanken", as Einstein called them) experiment. When you read Tribes, substitute the word "Church" every time you see "Tribes." What you'll discover is a lot of truth, but also a lot of nonsense or error.
Like it or not, Godin is describing a world that is becoming ours, and we all need to understand it better.
Top reviews from other countries
- Felipe VelosoReviewed in Brazil on July 16, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This is a book for people that want change, and are willing to do it. I would recommend to anyone that has the courage to do so.
- Saumya singhReviewed in India on September 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Must buy if interested in management
I came accross this book recommendation by many managers and leaders online.
I gave it a shot and it was worth it. Deep insights by the author which is surprisingly a result out-of-the-box thinking. Go for it!
Saumya singhMust buy if interested in management
Reviewed in India on September 1, 2023
I gave it a shot and it was worth it. Deep insights by the author which is surprisingly a result out-of-the-box thinking. Go for it!
Images in this review
- GabrielReviewed in Canada on January 6, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Genius.
Honestly, I can't believe this muh magnificience is contained within this small book. It might be that I really correlate and ''fit'' with the content, just like a relationship, when you fit, sparks can happen. if you feel like a leader and have always knew you were here to lead in some way, even if it's just that you know you're here to have a leader attitude in the household, family, friendship, surrounding. It is something that will awaken the leader within.
Know that this book about ''leader'' has nothing to do with domination, Seth Godin understand very well the game, and is not into abuse, persuasion and other things that are not in correlation with honesty, he is very clean and wonderful, it's true leading that he is talking about.
I'm still quite at the beginning of the book and I can tell, I don't know if there is spiritual quotes or spiritual masters named in the book, but for sure, this is leader spirituality, this is mastery. Go ahead a get it my friend hahaha.
I love it... He wakes up my own genius... That's what genius is.
GabrielGenius.
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2019
Know that this book about ''leader'' has nothing to do with domination, Seth Godin understand very well the game, and is not into abuse, persuasion and other things that are not in correlation with honesty, he is very clean and wonderful, it's true leading that he is talking about.
I'm still quite at the beginning of the book and I can tell, I don't know if there is spiritual quotes or spiritual masters named in the book, but for sure, this is leader spirituality, this is mastery. Go ahead a get it my friend hahaha.
I love it... He wakes up my own genius... That's what genius is.
Images in this review
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Manolo MacchettaReviewed in Italy on August 5, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Seth Godin è davvero bravo ad anticipare i tempi e scriverci su libri.
Seth Godin è famosissimo per la mucca viola, the dip, permission marketing... tutti libri che pur non essendo i primi a parlare del rispettivo argomento sono quelli che a tutti gli effetti lo hanno sdogato.
Questo libro sulle "tribu" è l'ennesimo libro da leggere e nonostante non sia più recentissimo è ancora molto attuale e assolutamente motivante, anche al di fuori del tema del titolo...
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Amazon CustomerReviewed in Mexico on March 20, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars El libro que inspira a la acción inmediata
El libro de Seth Godin es un gran ejemplo que inspira a tomar acción inmediata... necesitamos más líderes que se comprometan a llevar a sus tribus a un mejor futuro ya!... si cree que puedes cambiar tu destino y el de muchas personas valiosas, este es el libro que debes escuchar.