Prisma Graphic promotes educational development among its leadership and sales team and one of the
ways we do that is by offering a book club.We get together bi-monthly, share thoughts about the book, as well as leadership and personal insights gained from it. After one book is read, a different person chooses the next book.
A recent book we read was Tribes by Seth Godin. In this book we learned the definition of a tribe, its significance and how it translates to our positions at Prisma Graphic.
WHAT is a tribe?
A tribe is a group of people that shares a common interest, leader and idea. There are many different types of tribes, large and small, non-profit and for profit, local and global. The internet is changing the dynamic of tribes.
There are now thousands of tools and ways to connect with people around the world. Some tribes call for infrequent involvement from members or leader and there is very little familiarity among members (think Wikipedia). Other tribes require daily action and everyone knows each other (think Prisma)!
WHY the focus on tribes?
Tribes that share a strong passion and belief are powerful forces that can change the world and influence markets. Everyone has a need to “belong” and tribes can fulfill this desire in us.
Also compelling is the fact that the marketplace rewards organizations who are creating positive change and remarkable new products. A great example is Apple. In just over one decade, this tribe from Cupertino, CA has revolutionized the entire music and cell phone industries with iPods and iPhones.
Organizations that don’t challenge the status quo get left behind. We need only look at the American auto manufacturers who, if not for the government and taxpayer bailout, would certainly be in a different situation today.
What about Prisma? Prisma is a tribe.Yes, we are one of the leading marketing and print service providers in the country – and #1 ranked in Arizona – but this didn’t just happen by coincidence.  Leadership, vision and teamwork created what we have today, but this can change. It is not a given that we will always be #1 in Arizona.We are all called to share in our vision as an organization – we aren’t here to simply “punch the clock” each day. If we want to remain a leader in the marketplace, everyone must participate. It is helpful to see ourselves as a tribe, an organization that shares a firm belief and requires contribution from everyone.Our core strengths as an organization lie greatly in our relationships with each other, our embrace of new technologies, our excellent custom-manufactured products and our world class customer service. Bob and Simon cannot do this alone! In our case, the efforts of everyone at Prisma are required to maintain a powerful and influential tribe. Everyone is expected to do their part, embrace change and, in many ways, to lead.
The good news is that it is fun to help create extraordinary products and delight customers. Through our individual efforts, Prisma will maintain our leadership and continue to be rewarded by the markets we serve.
And to each of our teammates we say…..
The Prisma tribe needs you!
