My Pilates Trainer flashed a look of disapproval when I told her I was going to London to meet my Guru. No, I wouldn’t miss any workouts; she took offense to my use of the sacred term, Guru, in reference to someone in the Business World; even worse Marketing!
But in the sense that a Guru is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses these abilities to guide others; Seth Godin is my Guru.
He is the expert I turn to every day seeking enlightenment, and somehow he always manages to deliver. Every day(sometimes twice a day) he posts a thought provoking idea, concept or story on his blog. If this is starting to sound like hero worship, I am only getting started!
When Seth Godin announced that he would be in London, I instinctively knew I had to act fast. Immediately, I called my business partner and booked two tickets. Sure enough, the “London Session” was a sold out event , no advertising required. Luckily, the organizer invited us to a “Meet and Greet” with Seth, which resulted in a front row seat for the day.
Why were we so excited to see Seth Live? First of all, in Seth’s own words, “The real world still matters,”. Reading his blog, his 10 best selling books, and communicating via e-mail are not the same as looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and seeing how they interact with people in real life. Throughout the day, Seth made himself completely accessible; no signs of ego or diva- like behavior. From the front row, I could imagine why a guy might want to shave his head and start acting like Seth; his character is worth emulating.
What would the other members of Seth’s tribe be like in person? I was curious to meet them too. The crowd of 400+ came from all walks of life; from a major music label to indie musicians, big companies like Shell, Microsoft and IBM to plenty of online marketing types. The non-profit sector was also represented, my favorite was a young Vicar in the Church of England, a testament to the fact that we are all in the business of trying to make our story heard!
More than anything, I wanted to see Seth think; and he did not disappoint. He has a very special gift for quickly turning individual questions into answers that interest and appeal to a broader audience. To illustrate how much Seth values authentic conversation over monologue, he spent 75% of his time with us answering questions and only 25% presenting. (This is an admirable goal for any speaker!)
The intensity of his stage presence combined with the never ending flow of provocative ideas, left us all with a headache. Mission accomplished, Seth! We were on our own in London to recover from Information Overload Hangovers. Luckily there is already a support group for people like us! Have you met your Guru lately?
Suzy Ogé is an American born business woman living in The Hague, The Netherlands. 
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I was suffering my last bout of jet lag and then I read this.
What a kind and generous post. Thanks Suzy!
It was just so much fun to be there!
The post and comments made me smile!
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