Are You a Wandering Generality or Meaningful Specific?
Posted by | Posted in General Posts | Posted on 20-02-2009
Ever since I saw the interview between Seth Godin and Loic Le Meur on YouTube, I’ve been pondering what Seth Godin said about being the best at one specific thing. I know most of us are fairly good at different things (I know I try), but how often do we decide only to do that one specific thing we excel at. How many times do we just focus our energy on that one thing? It has made me wonder…
But while I’m pondering, here is an excerpt from Seth’s interview about why he’s not on Twitter. Either watch it (around the 9:13 mark of the clip) or read the transcript below. Then answer this question: In our effort to be all things to all people (clients, family, coworkers etc) are we fragmenting our efforts so that we aren’t anything to anyone? While I still don’t buy the “jack of all trades, master of none” cop-out which says to me that multi-tasking is evil…I don’t know. I know there are multiple talents that we possess and can enjoy, but there is probably one that we do really well and need to develop. The kicker is when we can’t develop that one thing because we are trying to master everything else. What do you think?
“I’m a huge fan of social software. I think that Twitter is the bomb. I think Facebook is wonderful, but they’re not for me. There are a couple reasons. The first biggest reason is as I wrote in The Dip, being best in the world at something is extremely valuable. Being 5th best is not very valuable. Say you went to go out to by a video camera; you could have bought any $2,000 video camera you want. So the world [to you] was $2,000 video cameras. So which one are you going to buy? The best $2,000 video camera or the 5th best $2,000 video camera? [You’d buy] the best one in any category…
The world doesn’t mean the whole world, just your world right now.
So I’m the best in the world at being me. I’m the best in the world at having a marketing blog…at least today…not forever. I’m the best in the world at writing the kind of book I write.
If I started using Twitter, I would have to stop being the best in the world at those things because I’d have no time. And I wouldn’t be the best in the world at using Twitter either, because there are people that are way better at it. Chris Brogan is way better at using Twitter than I will ever be. I’m late [in adopting it] and he has a knack for it and I don’t. I’d have to work too hard and I’m too insecure and it would mess me up. I’m a work-a-holic in remission, so I’d have to work hard not to do it wrong.
I picked my thing and I’m good at that and I enjoy being good at it. And I try to get better at it. But if I said… oh no I can do this and I can do this and I can do this…and I know how to bake… and I can do this…then all of a sudden I’m a wandering generality instead of a meaningful specific. And so my message to people is…if you want to be the best in the world at using Twitter to talk about Olympic Decathlons…go…do that. But don’t tell me that I have to go be mediocre at it just because you want to tweet with me. I’m really accessible. When people write me email, I write back. Every single person in the world that has ever written me an email, I write back…because I like non-anonymous direct private communication. It works for me. It doesn’t work for me to have anonymous people yelling at me. It’s just not interesting to me.
So I’m hearing from people, I’m interacting I’m learning from them. I am not saying I’m not interested in what these people have to say. All I am saying is I have no staff, I am who I am I. I’m not telling you how to do what you do, let me do my thing.”
Something to ponder for the weekend…here’s the video link:
Seth Godin Explains his latest book Tribe & Why He’s not On Twitter to Loic Le Meur at TED 2009
on 
on 
on 
on