The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable

Originally I rented this book’s audio edition from my library so I could listen to it while exercising. Loved the book so much that I purchased the hardcover.This may be Seth Godin’s best book , even better than the ‘purple cow’. And, yes, It is Godin’s book because he conceived the idea and talked all 33 (or better: 32 + himself) into writing this book. The book’s concept is a genius. The topic is the Big Moo, which cannot be defined by one single person. The Big Moo is not a riddle but the fluent four dimensional quality of an extreme purple cow, which keeps on having purple calves (“the calves” are my personal definition, Godin does not say so in his book). Logically according to their different home environments and (business) circumstances, these calves need different “nourishments to grow”, just like Austrian or Swiss cows who live on high pastures eat different foods than cows in the flatlands of the Netherlands, Indian ‘holy’ cows, or even yaks in Nepal or Tibet.By inviting so many different brilliant contributors, Godin circles the topic, allows different concepts, perspectives, and facets to shine, which together create the puzzle of a portrait of the Big Moo, a purple cow which keeps having calves.My favorite stories (I listened to them three times)• How to be a failure• This is your first test• The remarkable Gertrude Bell• The one thing you can’t download• Ten Things Smart Start-ups Know• Fire the GatekeepersBittersweet was the story, “Tear down this wall”. My kid brother Michael had told me that the wall was about to come down in 1988. Since I had had traveled Berlin, seen the wall, and even crossed over at Checkpoint Charlie, I told Michael to “not be silly.” About a year later, when indeed the wall came down, I stood corrected. Sadly Michael, my brilliant brother, died four years later from Multiple Sclerosis. Still, it made me proud again that he saw the signs nobody else saw.5 stars for the Purple Cow and 6 for the Big MOO,Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger

I purchased this book prior to reading Purple Cow which wasn't a mistake per se, but I read a few pages of this then decided to purchase and read Purple Cow before ultimately tackling the Big Moo.Most of Seth Godin's work centers around a premise to get the reader to really think then eventually act on that thinking. This title is no different--it's a collection of essays compiled by some of the best marketing and business minds around in an attempt to get you to think about your current (or possibly a past) situation and what changes you may wish to make to become remarkable instead of ordinary.It's a quick read which delivers on its objective to generate actionable thought. It's also fun to try to figure out which author wrote each essay as he/she isn't identified for each.Highly recommended as a sequel to Purple Cow.

For people who have read my other reviews, or heard me speak, you will know I have a great fondness for author Seth Godin. I have read his books for years, and his thoughts and messages are always valuable. He certainly is not the deepest thinker when it comes to marketing, but he does offer a fresh approach as to how to effectively get your message heard. The Big Moo is a Seth Godin edited book. He invited 33 business, marketing, thought leaders, etc. to write a short essay (usually 1-2 pages each) on how they think businesses will prosper in the next five, ten, fifteen years. Seth never does anything in the norm, and this book is no exception. When you read the 33 essays, they are uncredited. While he does tell you who the 33 authors are, he does not tell you what they wrote. I'm not sure what his purpose was, and I'm not sure it matters whether you know or don't know. It is just Seth being Seth. The message that the book puts forth is the fact that you, or your company, can't just be good, or even great. You have to be remarkable if you are going to stand out from the crowd. This is a quick read, and I do recommend it. As is true with all of Seth's books, if you walk away with one idea that helps make you remarkable, it is worth the $19.95 that you pay for the book. By the way, it should be mentioned that all of the profits generated by this book are going to charity, and none of the 33 thought leaders were paid for their essays.

The book consists of 33 three short essays all written by different authors also known as The Group of 33. Each author provides an anecdote, a story or straight forward advice on how to transform yourself or your company from 'average' to 'remarkable'. Whether it's marketing, starting a business, or self-improvement, everyone will find something to ponder.It is a pleasure to read (multiple times) and makes a great gift. Personally, I have a dozen of bookmarks in this book, and every once in a while I re-read some of the essays for both motivation and to analyze and improve my priorities.

Recall Gladwell's description in Blink about speed dating? Well, this is speed mentoring---33 idea bursts about getting better,and getting better faster. Some of the Big Ideas: consensus kills; make mistakes but learn from them---otherwise it is just something that happened to you; know there is value from seeing what's both on the surface and what's beneath it. And the killer lesson, running through each: it's when you think you are safe that you are most likely in danger. Useful, easy to digest, well worth a second and third read.

I’m a huge fan of this book because it is divided into short (1-2 page) stories that can be read quickly as time allows or from cover to cover. Highly recommended - especially for colleagues.

Usual sort of dribble about how big corporates need to develop culture, quality and people etc etc. A very dull read. However the intro page "You are not a cog" page was great! All down hill from there though.However the copy I bought was only 10p so wow. Yes it was a bit 'used' but perfectly clean and readable. Just like borrowing a book off a friend really. The seller was prompt and I would buy from them again definitely. But the book itself, worth it just for that one intro page which I could type here, but that would be a spoiler.

I'm not a big reader at all, but have really recently got into business, entrepreneur books and similar. For me this book didn't really have that feeling of engagement to me as a reader and felt a bit over the place. The idea of 'The Big Moo' is a great idea but this book didn't go the lengths to make The Big Moo stand out.

Book you can pick up and put down.. short and to the point. Enjoyable read. Purchase was smooth and straightforward.

Das Buch ist reich geschmückt mit kleinen Anekdoten und exzellenten Ideen für den Arbeitsalltag und das tägliche Leben. Seth Godin ist mit diesem Buch und mit "The Dip" über Nacht mein Lieglingsautor geworden.