Book Review - The Dip by Seth Godin
Category Book Review
Normally I like the books that Seth Godin puts out. They're confrontational, off-beat, and they make you look at your current surroundings in a different light. In his latest book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick), he attempts to explain the difference between when it's right to quit and when it's right to keep on slogging in order to separate yourself from others. While I agree with his basic premise, this seems to be one of those "hindsight is 20/20" issues.
The book is short.. as in a whopping 80 pages. So regardless of whether you agree or disagree with him, the time investment here is minimal. It's worth spending the hour or so to get his take on this. The basic message as I saw it was that there's a "dip" in the process of going from beginner to expert, from starting out to dominating a market. These dips are where things are not easy any more, not much fun any more, and it seems as if you've hit a brick wall. But these barriers to excellence are what keeps the scarcity level up when it comes to being an expert in any given field. Your goal is to understand whether you're in a dip (and whether you should push on) or whether you're in a cul-de-sac (where you'll never rise beyond what you are at that point). Quitting in a dip is OK, if you determine that you can better utilize your time and talents in other areas where you are willing to push through the pain points. Quitting in the dip is *not* OK if you're just too lazy and tired to spend the time and effort it takes to become an expert. But for those who *are* willing to push past the dip, the rewards are high as few people are willing to put in that effort. You could likely come up with a few other messages from the book, but that seems to be the overriding one.
The problem I see here is that there's little to go on when it comes to picking out a dip vs. a cul-de-sac. In hindsight, it's easy to tell when someone succeeded vs. when someone should have known there was no chance to win. But when you're in the midst of a dip, you don't have the benefit of knowing how it's all going to turn out. You may see that there's a chance to win, while everyone else sees a cul-de-sac. It's easy to point out examples from the past, but how often do we know or point out stories of someone who continued to persevere and ended up dying a slow, quiet death anyway? You really can't, and as such it makes it somewhat difficult to apply this book to the here and now.
The basic message about dips and pushing through is important, and it's well worth examining your efforts in that light. But if you're expecting a cut-and-dried formula to differentiate between dips and cul-de-sacs, as well as assurance as to how it will all turn out, you'll be highly disappointed. There's no way to tell how the future is going to play out...
Normally I like the books that Seth Godin puts out. They're confrontational, off-beat, and they make you look at your current surroundings in a different light. In his latest book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick), he attempts to explain the difference between when it's right to quit and when it's right to keep on slogging in order to separate yourself from others. While I agree with his basic premise, this seems to be one of those "hindsight is 20/20" issues.
The book is short.. as in a whopping 80 pages. So regardless of whether you agree or disagree with him, the time investment here is minimal. It's worth spending the hour or so to get his take on this. The basic message as I saw it was that there's a "dip" in the process of going from beginner to expert, from starting out to dominating a market. These dips are where things are not easy any more, not much fun any more, and it seems as if you've hit a brick wall. But these barriers to excellence are what keeps the scarcity level up when it comes to being an expert in any given field. Your goal is to understand whether you're in a dip (and whether you should push on) or whether you're in a cul-de-sac (where you'll never rise beyond what you are at that point). Quitting in a dip is OK, if you determine that you can better utilize your time and talents in other areas where you are willing to push through the pain points. Quitting in the dip is *not* OK if you're just too lazy and tired to spend the time and effort it takes to become an expert. But for those who *are* willing to push past the dip, the rewards are high as few people are willing to put in that effort. You could likely come up with a few other messages from the book, but that seems to be the overriding one.
The problem I see here is that there's little to go on when it comes to picking out a dip vs. a cul-de-sac. In hindsight, it's easy to tell when someone succeeded vs. when someone should have known there was no chance to win. But when you're in the midst of a dip, you don't have the benefit of knowing how it's all going to turn out. You may see that there's a chance to win, while everyone else sees a cul-de-sac. It's easy to point out examples from the past, but how often do we know or point out stories of someone who continued to persevere and ended up dying a slow, quiet death anyway? You really can't, and as such it makes it somewhat difficult to apply this book to the here and now.
The basic message about dips and pushing through is important, and it's well worth examining your efforts in that light. But if you're expecting a cut-and-dried formula to differentiate between dips and cul-de-sacs, as well as assurance as to how it will all turn out, you'll be highly disappointed. There's no way to tell how the future is going to play out...
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