Seth Godin joins us to explain the generosity of authority.Talking PointsWhat “authority” means to SethThe first things that Seth thinks of when it comes to funding a missionTwo different gamesWriting every dayLevels of freelancingImposter syndromePodcastingAkimbo workshopsComfort zone vs. safety zonePublishingWord of mouthWriting a bookFinding your alignmentMaking a decisionQuotable Quotes“The more they charge, the more authority they actually get.” –SG“If you win the game to be the most generous, then you earn the privilege in the area where you seek to have authority, to exchange status.” –SG“If you’re not feeling like an imposter, I would argue, you’re not working hard enough.” –SG“If you think your secret is what people are paying for, you’re crazy.” –SGRelated LinksSeth GodinAkimbo WorkshopsTranscriptJonathan StarkHello and welcome to the Business of Authority. I'm Jonathan Stark.Rochelle MoultonAnd I'm Rochelle Moulton.Jonathan StarkAnd today we are joined by legendary marketer Seth Godin. Seth, welcome to the show.Seth GodinThank you for having me.Jonathan StarkThank you so much for joining us. I'm very excited about this conversation. I've been thinking about it for two years, so I'll try not to pummel you with random questions that are too weird but the first we want to start with, given the show title, it's the Business of Authority, what does the word authority mean to you in the context of a business?Seth GodinThat's a great place to start. I don't think it means what most people use the word authority to mean. Authority usually means what a manager has, which is power, which is the ability to get other people to do what want even if they don't want to do it. I would say that in your case what we're actually talking about is reputation. What we're talking about is a variation of trust, which is trust to the power of provability, meaning not only do I trust you but I can go to my partners, my bosses and my employees and insist that they trust you as well because you have earned that through your reputation.Jonathan StarkYes, I love the distinction. It's not the boss kind of authority. You will "respect my authorita", fabulous. Okay, so what are first things that come to mind when someone is starting to establish authority? I think it happens over time, has a lot to do with, like you said, trust and that trust has to exist in something and that something is the audience. So, you're on a mission and authority is on a mission. They're moving toward a vision that they see in the future. They're trying to lead people to that goal. What are the first things that come to mind when you think about funding that mission by building a business around it so that you can keep doing it?Seth GodinThere was a pre-question which I'll do first. Yes, as you pointed out it is in the eye of the beholder. There's a funny joke, being headed executive gets bumped off a flight on Delta and marches up to the counter and says, "Do you know who I am?", and the person behind the counter gets on the PA system and says, "Medical alert, we have someone with amnesia at the front desk. He doesn't know who he is." If she doesn't know who you are then it doesn't matter who you are and this is the McKinsey Trap. The McKinsey Trap is you're getting paid X number of dollars at McKinsey and you realize they're marking you up 4X, so you quit McKinsey and go out on your own and you can't even get paid a quarter of what you used to get paid. Well, it's the same consultant giving the same advice, so why is there a 16X difference in the comp. The reason is because when you hire McKinsey you are not buying advice. You are buying the privilege of telling the board what McKinsey said and that's what they sell. That is my current definition of useful authority in this case. It has nothing to do with proving you are right and everything to do with the mantel that you have earned in the eye of the consumer.Seth GodinNow, what that gets us is to is this whole riff a