Let me put this simply. Seth Godin writes small books.  Small pages, small word counts. The only thing that Godin doesn’t skimp on is in the area of ideas and useful information. Every time I’ve finished another of his “small” books I come away with a new voluminous list of actions to take – each small page rife with handwritten notes and folded corners.

His latest work, Tribes (Portfolio, 2008) breaks down a newly fashionable leadership thought; that humans in the workplace and throughout the world are simply looking for their proper tribes – those who share their thoughts, passions, and tangibly or intangibly connected spaces – and how each of us can become (make that NEED to become) a leader of such a tribe.

Citing obvious groupings of intended communities such as the ever-faithful “Dead Heads”, the tribe of fans who followed the Grateful Dead around the globe to the not so intended or commercial short-term tribe of a man who tired of waiting in line to enter a too-busy club for a party and instead turned a deserted bar in the area into a party of his own through quick thinking and effective social networking.

Much of the book focuses on leadership, the willingness and ability to become a heretic who isn’t afraid to swim upstream in order to achieve goals. Find your passion, or purpose. Identify, organize, and connect people who feel similarly into “communities”, motivate them to engage and achieve, and viola – you’ve got yourself a tribe.

Pick up this book for your next flight or extended waiting room stay. An hour or two will be more than enough to get through Tribes with time to spare, but the lessons and tips Godin imparts will last a lifetime.