Sheepwalking

Seth Godin talks about a behavior he calls "sheepwalking" on his blog and in his book "Tribes:"

"I define "sheepwalking" as the outcome of hiring people who have been raised to be obedient and giving them a braindead job and enough fear to keep them in line."

He talks about how people are made to act effectively as sheep, reporting to their jobs every day and just doing what is expected of them, staying completely within the boundaries already established in business. But what if these boundaries are really just limiting potential of employees, as well as the companies they work for?

But how can be combat the epidemic of sheepwalking? Godin has some ideas:

"Step one is to give the problem a name. Done. Step two is for anyone who sees themself in this mirror to realize that you can always stop. You can always claim the career you deserve merely by refusing to walk down the same path as everyone else just because everyone else is already doing it.

The biggest step, though, comes from anyone who teaches or hires. And that's to embrace non-sheep behavior, to reward it and cherish it. As we've seen just about everywhere there's been growth lately, that's where the good stuff happens."


Read the entire post on sheepwalking here. And check out Godin's book Tribes. It kind of made me feel the way I used to in college - like I really could be successful and do something I love...