Saturday, September 08, 2007
A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick)
By Seth Godin (Penguin Books, 2007)
Between miles 20 and 21 of the Boston Marathon, runners must climb the infamous Heartbreak Hill—over one-half mile of steep incline. Research shows that around the 20 mile mark marathoners began to exhaust the stores of energy in their muscles. For this reason, Heartbreak Hill is positioned at the worst possible point of the race. Just when runners are hitting their peak of physical fatigue, they find themselves staring up an enormous hillside.
Seth Godin’s conception of “The Dip” is reminiscent of Heartbreak Hill. He describes The Dip as a place of resistance. Like Heartbreak Hill, The Dip is the point in the journey where people are most likely to quit. It’s an obstacle causing the majority of contestants to give up. “The Dip,” Godin writes, “Is the long slog between starting and mastery.” The Dip is the inglorious and often difficult process of attainment.
Along life’s path, The Dip weeds out competitors, separating the winners from the losers. As Godin writes, “The people who set out to make it through the Dip—the people who invest the time and the energy and the effort to power through the Dip—those are the ones who become the best in the world.” Yet, the ones who make it through The Dip are rare. Most give up. By forcing so many people to quit, The Dip creates scarcity. The Dip thins the ranks until only the best remain.
Readers may expect Godin to adopt a rah-rah tone of cheerleading and encouragement to help people press through The Dip. On the contrary, Godin advises people to quit before reaching The Dip as often and as adamantly as he argues for them to persevere past it. In Godin’s experience, some Dips are drop-offs to nowhere, and they have no upside. “If you realize you’re at a dead end compared with what you could be investing in,” writes Godin, “Quitting is not only a reasonable choice, it’s a smart one.”
The Dip is a short book and a speedy read, but for those looking to hit the highlights, the following areas are of note: What it means to be the best in the world (pages 10-12), The Dip defined (pages 16-19), the contrast between quitting and failing (page 63), and questions to ask before quitting (pages 66-71).
As a marketing guru, Godin has a penchant for developing trendsetting ideas. His books also have a nimble, creative style which makes them entertaining and memorable. Godin writes as a storyteller rather than an academic, and The Dip draws more from appealing illustrations than concrete research. Readers will find its style compares favorably with many of the longer, more methodical books on business leadership.
In writing The Dip, Seth Godin helps his readers clarify when to quit and when to press forward tenaciously. He encourages leaders to discern what their destination will be on the other side of The Dip. For those who will benefit by struggling through The Dip, Godin offers inspiration. For those who won’t get anything by surviving The Dip, Godin advises them to think about channeling their efforts elsewhere. As a whole, the Dip isn’t a book with formulas or five-step takeaways. Rather, Godin offers up intriguing ideas about the challenging times in life, and how they filter the best from the rest.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
Between miles 20 and 21 of the Boston Marathon, runners must climb the infamous Heartbreak Hill—over one-half mile of steep incline. Research shows that around the 20 mile mark marathoners began to exhaust the stores of energy in their muscles. For this reason, Heartbreak Hill is positioned at the worst possible point of the race. Just when runners are hitting their peak of physical fatigue, they find themselves staring up an enormous hillside.
Seth Godin’s conception of “The Dip” is reminiscent of Heartbreak Hill. He describes The Dip as a place of resistance. Like Heartbreak Hill, The Dip is the point in the journey where people are most likely to quit. It’s an obstacle causing the majority of contestants to give up. “The Dip,” Godin writes, “Is the long slog between starting and mastery.” The Dip is the inglorious and often difficult process of attainment.
Along life’s path, The Dip weeds out competitors, separating the winners from the losers. As Godin writes, “The people who set out to make it through the Dip—the people who invest the time and the energy and the effort to power through the Dip—those are the ones who become the best in the world.” Yet, the ones who make it through The Dip are rare. Most give up. By forcing so many people to quit, The Dip creates scarcity. The Dip thins the ranks until only the best remain.
Readers may expect Godin to adopt a rah-rah tone of cheerleading and encouragement to help people press through The Dip. On the contrary, Godin advises people to quit before reaching The Dip as often and as adamantly as he argues for them to persevere past it. In Godin’s experience, some Dips are drop-offs to nowhere, and they have no upside. “If you realize you’re at a dead end compared with what you could be investing in,” writes Godin, “Quitting is not only a reasonable choice, it’s a smart one.”
The Dip is a short book and a speedy read, but for those looking to hit the highlights, the following areas are of note: What it means to be the best in the world (pages 10-12), The Dip defined (pages 16-19), the contrast between quitting and failing (page 63), and questions to ask before quitting (pages 66-71).
As a marketing guru, Godin has a penchant for developing trendsetting ideas. His books also have a nimble, creative style which makes them entertaining and memorable. Godin writes as a storyteller rather than an academic, and The Dip draws more from appealing illustrations than concrete research. Readers will find its style compares favorably with many of the longer, more methodical books on business leadership.
In writing The Dip, Seth Godin helps his readers clarify when to quit and when to press forward tenaciously. He encourages leaders to discern what their destination will be on the other side of The Dip. For those who will benefit by struggling through The Dip, Godin offers inspiration. For those who won’t get anything by surviving The Dip, Godin advises them to think about channeling their efforts elsewhere. As a whole, the Dip isn’t a book with formulas or five-step takeaways. Rather, Godin offers up intriguing ideas about the challenging times in life, and how they filter the best from the rest.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
