“People like us, do things like this.” What I learned from Seth Godin’s altMBA

The one thing I enjoy most about owning a business is the authority to control my destiny. I am reportable to nobody, except myself, my business partner and my team. It’s great.

Yet, with all the advantages of being your own boss, there are trade-offs.

The trade-offs I’m referring to aren’t the stereotypical stresses that come with entrepreneurship i.e. unstable income, fear of failure, 80-hour work weeks and sleepless nights. I consider these aspects applicable to employed life - not exclusive to entrepreneurship.

The biggest trade-off for me is living in constant fear of not doing enough.

I work the best when I am accountable to somebody. I crave feedback and guidance - whether that be from my staff, clients, my family or mentors. I desire feedback so I have direction to constantly improve as a human.

In a career environment, you generally have this structure. You report to your boss or manager, your KPIs are defined, the path is paved. When you are the boss, however, it’s up to you to create that structure. It requires an enormous amount of self-discipline.

In absence of an accountability partner, I tend to be complacent (aka lazy). I am not highly self-motivated - unlike my doggo Bella whom will go ballistic for walkies - rain, hail or shine (side note: I admire the motivation of dogs).

Anyway, not growing is my biggest fear.

Rolling into the second year of #Startuplyfe, this anxiety was creeping in. As we engage more clients, grow our team, develop new partnerships - my role as a leader has forcibly kicked-up a gear. The network is expanding, and I must ensure my personal growth matches the pace.

To combat this vulnerability, I set four primary goals at the beginning of 2017:

The actions that fell out from these goals?

1.   Tell better stories

• Read more fiction and study story telling techniques
• Write a story per month
• Keep a daily journal
• Practice storytelling on my clients

2.  Creativity

• Join Seth Godin’s altMBA
• Experiment with drawing
• Ask better questions

3. Analytics/Financial advisory

• Learn to ask better questions (be a coach, not an ‘advisor’)

4.    Be an exceptional communicator

• Join Toastmasters
• Actively seek out public speaking opportunities
• Ask more questions

This story is about point 2(a).

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I first came across Seth Godin’s altMBA via episode #138 of the Tim Ferriss show. I must admit, prior to that episode, I wasn’t largely familiar with Seth Godin. I knew he was a marketing and leadership thought leader – however I hadn’t made time to read any of his work.

Despite this, I was so inspired by Seth’s interview that I explored his online program – the altMBA, which he described in that very episode.

In February 2017, I applied for it.

In March 2017 I was accepted into the April 2017 cohort.

On April 19 I started it

Last week (23 May) I finished.

So what is it?

The website describes the altMBA as “a 4 week online workshop designed by Seth Godin for individuals who want to level up and lead.”

It’s intentionally vague.

To be frank, I struggle to explain what the altMBA is. Is it an online course? Is it a platform?

What is it for?

I would describe the altMBA as a tool to ignite self-exploration. The content, resources and community are designed to challenge your accepted view of the world – pushing you to stretch and exercise your muscle of critical thinking.

The environment is akin to an incubator. Free from judgement and bias of ‘the outside world’, the altMBA is a space that allows you to explore the edges of your work, challenge all assumptions and rediscover all possibilities.

What does the course look like?

Three projects are due to be shipped each week, followed by feedback to peers and a reflection script. The workload is laborious, both from a time and emotional perspective.

Fortunately, perfection is the enemy in the altMBA. Even if your Lizard Brain tried to resist it, the cadence of the program does not allow it. You are given the opportunity to explore unopened doors of your work via a reflection script, post feedback from generous peers and coaches.

How do I get good grades?

Although it is technically a course, there are no right answers.

There are, however, plenty of wrong answers.

“There are plenty of indefensible points of view. There’s sloppiness, fear, tardiness, shortcuts and hacks. All of which we weed out. But the prompts aren’t fact based school assignments. They are open doors.”

What I have learned

This program 10x my expectations and I genuinely feel like I’ve levelled up as a human. Here’s what I learned.

a) We are all irrational

Humans act in ways that are contrary to logic. It’s easy for us to look at other people and say that their behaviour is irrational. What are some examples?

• Why waste the time and the effort in voting when you know your single vote would not make a difference?
• Why do people waste money on lottery tickets when they know the odds are considerably against their favour?
• Why the hell would anyone vote for Trump? He’s clearly insane.

Rather than pointing out the lack of logic, scratching our heads, and trying to understand why people don’t behave in ways that are “obviously beneficial” from our point of perspective —we’re better off embracing the way things are and learn how to work with these quirks instead.

Everyone has a different worldview which results in ‘irrational’ behaviour. Their narrative has been formed by their upbringing, their values, their social circles…advertising.

Smart marketers exploit these foibles, using empathy. If we take the time to listen, understand and see the world through eyes of our intended audience, we can shape our message and speak the same language – encouraging them to see our perspective.

b) Empathy is at the root of everything

Want to change someone’s mind? Start with empathy

Want to be a better leader? Start with empathy.

Want to change the world? Start with empathy.

This may be obvious to people, but it wasn’t obvious to me. I’m an accountant – we are not known to be ‘people, people’.

I am not always great at offering generosity of spirit to others. I generally accept people’s point of view/perspective but don’t leap to understand why they think like that. I see and just accept. It’s not that I don’t care - I just CBF understanding why they think like that. It consumes mental energy.

I learned that practising empathy can open my mind.

If I allow myself to see the world through another person’s lens, I give myself permission to be persuaded. This has the potential to shine a light on possibilities previously overlooked.

Equally, by exercising this muscle of putting myself in another’s circumstances, I can begin to understand their view. The goal? To collectively develop a connection, and ultimately, trust.

If I’m going to stand on a pedestal and declare what I believe in to help and influence others, I need to help the world understand my assertion. To help them see the world as I do.

But first, I need to understand them.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood” – Steven Covey.

The altMBA has helped me become aware of my empathy (…lack thereof). I have a lot more work to do, however, I am already seeing a difference in my day-to-day. I am learning to ask better questions and not just ‘listen’ to the answers, but be acutely aware of the choice of words being used, the subtle movements of voice and facial expression.

Instead of pulling my hair out and thinking to myself ‘why you so stupid!?” - I find myself taking the time to transport myself into their world. To understand why they did, or more commonly, did not make what I consider the obvious choice.

The results so far have been remarkable.

c) Just ship

How many times have you embarked on a side project and got nowhere with it?

How many times have you made excuses because of lack of time and money?

What are you afraid of?

I’m not a perfectionist and I am proud of the work I do ship. But what gets shipped is only 5% of work that is created. I have a library of unfinished work as the old habit was to ‘save as draft’ – to be picked up another day.

The altMBA has helped me eliminate my fear of imposter syndrome and waiting for ‘inspiration to strike’.

If it’s not now, it’s never.

I have given myself the authority to stand up and present to the world my assertion. My ideas may not be original, but let’s be frank – who’s are? Steal like an artist and flavour it with your personality. Ignore the haters and your internal dialogue.

Just ship.

What I have gained

In addition to the principles that I have learned throughout the course, I learned a lot about myself. I surprised myself with the quality and output of work I achieved whilst balancing the other pillars of my life – business, relationships, health. I unearthed a new level of productivity that I didn’t realise existed.

One of the key takeaways was to be more generous. I’m not talking about generosity from a charity sense, but generous with people. Spend the additional time to provide meaningful and constructive feedback to others. Help them improve and recognise good work and deeds when you see it. Practice being a good finder.

This principle applies not just to others, but equally to yourself. We are our own harshest critic. Be generous with yourself and be proud of your work and who you are. Lead from within.

The most valuable takeaway

Of everything I have learned and gained, the most valuable thing I can take away from the AltMBA is the community. I join the ranks of a diverse group of professional, ambitious, and talented MOFOs. They are in the change-making business, and I am proud to be a part of the clan. I have gained life-long friends that will make me accountable to my promises and push me harder than I could on my own.

I have found my tribe.

The philosopher Epictetus once said:

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”

The altMBA has changed me in the best way possible.

Now the real work begins.

Let’s make a ruckus.

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Interested in finding out more about the altMBA?

I am hosting a webinar, sharing the lessons learned, followed by a Q&A session. If you're curious about what the program entails and whether it’s the right fit for you - here's your chance.

Register here.