687. The Path Forward: Leading With Purpose in 2026 - Seth Godin
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This one is a grounding exhale.
Today, we’re bringing you a powerful conversation from the We Are For Good Summit with our friend Seth Godin — it's for anyone carrying the weight of leadership in uncertain times.
Because here’s the truth: uncertainty isn’t a season anymore. It’s the environment. And if you’re feeling the pressure, the risk, the emotional toll of caring deeply about work that matters… you are not alone.
Seth challenges us to rethink what risk really is (hint: it’s the feeling of risk that trips us up), why attachment fuels burnout, and how trust is built — and burned — through small, consistent actions. We talk about belonging and leadership, and about the courage it takes to stay in the arena when the outcomes aren’t guaranteed.
We also dig into:
How to innovate when nothing feels stable
Rebuilding trust through behavior, not branding
Using AI as a tool (without losing our humanity)
Communicating experimentation and risk to donors
Letting go of entanglements that keep us stuck
And why agency — not compliance — is the future
Seth reminds us that we didn’t sign up for perfect — we signed up to keep moving toward better. To feel the fear and move forward anyway, tell the truth, bring people together, and stay responsible to the work we care about. If you’re tired but still called, questioning but still committed, this conversation is for you. 🩵
“Leadership is an invitation to give people the thing we desperately want.”
Episode Transcript
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Episode Highlights:
Tribes & belonging: organizing the table you wish existed (4:42)
Burnout, attachment & the cost of caring (7:25)
Risk vs. the feeling of risk in nonprofit leadership (14:43)
AI, automation & why decisions—not tasks—are the real work (23:42)
Telling the truth inside your organization (32:30)
Communicating experimentation & risk to donors (33:50)
Agency in the age of AI: undoing indoctrination (37:21)
The lifeguard story: courage isn’t about credentials (27:59)
Seth’s One Good Thing: “Find the others. This is the point.” (39:30)
Powerful Quotes
“You can’t do good work without dancing with all the other parts.” - Seth Godin
“No one wants to be in your tribe. They want to be in a tribe with each other.” - Seth Godin
“All burnout is a symptom of stress. Stress is wanting two things at the same time.” - Seth Godin
“The attachment is what causes us pain, not what happened.” - Seth Godin
“Trust is built on consistency.” - Seth Godin
“If you make a promise and don’t keep it, that action is a burning of trust.” - Seth Godin
“We don’t have trouble with risk. We have trouble with the feeling of risk.” - Seth Godin
“You can’t cost-reduce your way to greatness.” - Seth Godin
“If you want to be on the frontier, you chose to be on the frontier.” - Seth Godin
“Scientists don’t repeat experiments that work—they figure out what doesn’t on their way to what does.” - Seth Godin
“Tell the truth. What are you actually afraid of?” - Seth Godin
“When you build trust, you give up the freedom to do whatever you want in exchange for keeping your promise.” - Seth Godin
“Find the others. Organize the others. Spread the word. Make it contagious. This is the point.” - Seth Godin
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