By seth godin
“Yes, I know it’s heretical, but I’m advocating quitting. Quitting often, in fact. Not giving up and abandoning your long-term strategy . . . but quitting the tactics that aren’t working.” So says Seth Godin, best-selling author of The Dip and many other books that make you think!
The Dip is about the architecture of quitting, when to get out and when to hang in there. Seth Godin will tell you that there is nothing new here, but then he will help you think differently about the old so that it becomes its own kind of new. I appreciate that.
Why think about the Dip? Because the mass market is dying. “There is no longer one best song or one best kind of coffee. Now there are a million micromarkets, but each micromarket still has a best. . . . And being the best in that world is the place to be” (12).
What we need to know:
“The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery.” It is bureaucracy and busywork! (17) Successful people don’t ride out the dip, they lean into it.
Cul-de-Sacs (French for “dead end”) is the situation where you work and you work and you work and nothing much changes. The opportunity cost for this kind of effort is too high. Get out! (19)
“Stick with the Dips that are likely to pan out, and quit the Cul-de-Sacs to focus your resources” (20).
The Ciiff: Like smoking, The Cliff is the long habit of doing something that isn’t working (like pursuing a singing career when one is good, but not good enough to make it) and doing it for so long that “you can’t quit until you fall off, and the whole thing falls apart” (21).
Think about it:
Strategic quitting (think Jack Welch and be #1 or #2 or get out) vs Reactive quitting (also called serial quitting, i.e. quitting when the effort to pursue the dream is painful). Most people quit when it is painful and stick when they can’t be bothered to quit (16).
“Scarcity … is the secret to value. If there wasn’t a Dip, there’d be no scarcity” (19).
Adversity: “In a competitive world, adversity is your ally. The harder it gets, the better chance you have of insulating yourself from the competition. If that adversity also causes you to quit, though, it’s all for nothing” (26).
Diversification: Many people diversify when the hit the Dip. It feels like the right thing to do, but “the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded by a marketplace in search of the best in the world" (29).
Seth Godin’s Simple Rule: “If you can’t make it through the Dip, don’t start. If you can embrace that simple rule, you’ll be a lot choosier about which journeys you start” (32).
My takeaways:
Seth got me thinking and evaluating and deciding: Yes, there isn’t anything new under the sun, but Godin got me thinking about what needs to change in my own life. One thing I am quitting (and it is easy and hard) is my CarSafari YouTube videos; a good idea for a different season. I don’t have the time to invest to see that plan through the Dip. I am grappling with what else I must quit.
Quit all the Cul-de-Sacs: It is necessary to conquer the Dips and quit the Cul-de-Sacs that one is currently idling his/her way through (33).
Defending tactics: “Don’t fall in love with a tactic and defend it forever. Instead, decide once and for all whether you’re in a market or not. And if you are, get through the Dip” (51). This was helpful for me in higher education as one tactic (blended education vs online education) is not generating the engagement it once did in graduate education. Many are defending that tactic when it is actually holding us back from the more effective tactic for fulfilling our mission in that arena.
When to Quit: “You should quit if the project you’re working on has a Dip that isn’t worth the reward at the end. Quitting the projects that don’t go anywhere is essential if you want to stick to the right ones” (59). “If you are not able to get through the Dip in an exceptional way, you must quit. And quit right away” (47).
When NOT to quit: “Quitting in the Dip is usually a short-term decision—and a bad one. When people quit, they are often focused on the short-term benefits. In other words, ‘If it hurts; stop!’ Wrong move” (53). Winners understand that taking the pain now prevents a lot more pain later. The same applies to the strategic management of organizations. . . Is the pain of the Dip worth the benefit of the light at the end of the tunnel” (55).
Pushbacks and Critiques:
Seth Godin uses the words “success” and “successful,” but he never defines success.
Godin contends, “Don’t play the game if you realize you can’t be the best in the world” (43). Says who? Some enjoy playing without feeling they must be “king of the mountain.”
About college football: Godin says it is all based on a pyramid scheme of players who aspire to the NFL but will never make it. Really?! Most D2 and D3 players know they don’t have the NFL goods, but love playing the game “for the love of the game” (See page 35).
Seth’s necessary corrective:
The Vince Lombardi mindset: Quitters never win and winners never quit. Not so! Successful people quit fast and quit often if that pursuit keeps them from what they need to be to be the/their best. “Quitting frees up your resources to obsess about the Dips that matter” (43). This is a very important point!
Some final words from the author:
The decision to quit is often made in the moment. But that’s exactly the wrong time to make such a critical decision. The reason so many of us quit in the Dip is that without a compass or a plan, the easiest thing to do is to give up. While that might be the easiest path, it’s also the least successful one (67).
Conclusion:
Godin says, “Never quit is an awful piece of advice.” After reading The Dip, I agree. Now, what do I quit first? Certainly not this book.
