Over 1,100 business people registered to hear best-selling business book author and marketer Seth Godin interviewed about his latest book The Icarus Deception. The webinar interview, held on 12 February, was part of the popular BOOKED for Lunch author series. The Icarus Deception is a thoughtful yet logical framework about making meaningful work through sharing your art. The book has been described as Godin’s ‘bravest and most challenging book yet’. The title and its concept are taken from Greek mythology – the story of Icarus, who in an attempt to escape from Crete using wings made by his father, flew too close to the sun (despite being warned not to fly too high). The wax on his wings melted and Icarus plunged to his death. The lesson: Do not fly too high. Listen to the experts. According to Seth Godin, the greatest challenge of today is that we’re living in revolutionary times. And that today, it is MORE dangerous to fly to low (to stick to an old model of success and achievement) that it is to fly too high.
“It’s so easy to go to work and do the social networking… Go to six meetings, have lunch, and then have the process again. Then you come home and your spouse asks, “How was your day?” – you say it was “busy”. All you did was ensure the industrial entity you worked for is free of risk.” – Seth Godin, during the webinar.
It’s more difficult, and more rewarding, he explains, to put yourself and your art on the line, out there for the world to see. Godin spoke of his ideas of trust, vulnerability, ‘emotional labour’, and the changes to corporate and industrial culture. He offered relatable examples and he spoke specifically about six daily habits for being an artist. These are:
- Sit alone; sit quietly
- Learn something new without any apparent practical benefit
- Ask for bold feedback; ignore what you hear from the crowd.
- Spend time encouraging other artists
- Tech, with the intent of making change.
- Ship something you created
Webinar attendees filled the Twitter stream with memorable quotes under the hashtag #booked. Lynne Cazaly, leader in communication and engagement, was also inspired to create visual sketch notes:
Here are some comments made by listeners about what they loved the most about the webinar:
- “Hearing directly from Seth Godin and Bernie is an absolute treat… Thanks so much for making this accessible!”
- “Refreshing and timely affirmation that the corporate life is not the only path. Some people do embrace it, but for the rest, it is very encouraging to know that there are other more suitable paths.”
- “Great facilitation, great speakers, thought provoking and very current content, thank you.”
- ‘The pace- lots covered in a short amount of time.’
If you’ve missed out on this live webinar, HerBusiness is giving you the chance to listen to our free recording. Click here to request the recording of The Icarus Deception.
