The Song of Significance

Sooner or later, all motivation is self-motivation. Either the points become part of who we are or we cease responding to them.

What if we built an organization people would genuinely miss if it were gone?

Humans are not a resource. We are not a tool. Humans are the point.

Significant organizations are team-centric. Their goal is to make a change happen, and to do that with and for a group of people who care about making an impact. That’s why the smallest viable audience is the engine of marketing in our modern world, and why enrollment from the team is so much more valuable than being a convenient place to work.

concept like the Japanese term kokoro is difficult. It means heart, spirit, mind, and self. It’s the inner and outer expression of who we are and what we’re capable of. Even if you don’t speak Japanese, the word is likely to resonate.

The most skilled and committed people are participating voluntarily. They have options.

Significant work requires us to make commitments and to keep them. To create change. To explore the liminal space on our way from here to there. This is difficult, and when the song of safety is hard to hear, it can be challenging to move forward.

If you only have time to read one section, please make it this one: 46. The Generous Audacity of Significance

Our job as leaders (as opposed to industrial managers) thus becomes clear. Instead of threats and scarcity, and instead of compliance and control, we have the opportunity to help people become significant. We can establish a foundation of safety and then build a culture of affiliation and status, where forward motion is a benefit in itself—even mor