Blocking Your Own Paradigm Shifts

(Are you) Getting in your way? via Seth's Blog by Seth Godin on 11/29/07

Seth Godin asks the question, So, as a percentage of the time you spend at work, what percent would you say qualifies as "marketing"?

Now Seth has a definition which is likely more expansive than that of most people.

"I'm going to count educating yourself, networking, creating products, creating media, spending money, building networks of sneezers, inventing great stuff, executing great stuff, motivating front-line people and telling stories."

Based on this criteria I do a good deal of marketing both at my dayjob and with my online persona. My work depends upon constant communication. In some ways I do more marketing of projects than I do managing of projects. Often, it is the same thing. The best management takes good marketing. At least if I use Seth's definition.

The other two choices according to Seth are:

• Selling your ideas internally/waiting for approval
• and
• Dealing with the chaff of responding to inbound junk and wasted time in meetings.

Which is also true, and since I work for government, perhaps even more so. Seth doesn't attribute this to environmental or organizational factors though. I am guessing he sees the individuals he is talking about as change agents. Since they are supposed to be changing, improving, enhancing the image of who they work for in a substantial way, not just veneer, then they should be able to do the same for themselves. Sometimes the most needed personal paradigm shift is to market ourselves to ourselves.