[Video] Going Tribal: To Make Business Connections

I’ve jumped on the tribal bandwagon.  Have you?

Seth Godin wrote the book, Tribes and is a master business connector.

All it takes for a tribe to form, Godin writes, “is a shared interest and a way to communicate.”

I belong to two tribes, an online and an offline one.  What makes them successful?  Cooperation and a “give first” philosophy.

When people who are like minded, band together for a common cause, it creates synergy and accelerates each individual’s potential.

The offline organization that I belong to has been a tribe for over 21 years.This is way before the concept of Tribes became popular.  It continues to work because those who embrace it’s culture enable it to grow and nourish its members.

Just like packs of animals, those who choose to go it alone, or do not embrace the cooperative spirit, leave and slink off to the jungle. Some survive and others do not.  The umbrella of the tribe creates a unified sense of purpose and increases everyone’s ability to succeed faster and more efficiently.

I recently joined an online tribe as well.  It’s new and I have already seen how powerful it can be in terms of traffic, interaction and community.  The important factors that will make it succeed are:

1. Focus on creating value for it’s members and for those whom the tribe is serving.
2. Stay connected and continue to contribute to the tribe.  Our online tribe syndicates each of its members content. I set aside a few minutes each day to review and share content that I feel would be valuable to others in my sphere of influence. Content that appears to be on the take rather than in the spirit of giving tends to be left alone.
3. Keep members clear on what the culture and purpose of the tribe is through education, member interaction and systems.

In this Facebooked, Twiiter-ized, RSS-fed world, Godin notes, individuals have more leverage than ever before to create change and build inter-connected groups of supporters around a common idea or cause.

I suggest finding a tribe that resonates with your purpose, whether it is offline, online or both.  Below is a video that features Seth Godin and provides more information on the concept of tribes. What tribe works for you?  Please leave comments and let me know what you think.