At the end of each of his fantastic Akimbo podcast episodes, Seth Godin fields one or more voice recorded listener questions.

Listeners typically introduce themselves, ask their question and then thank Seth for the work he does.

I was struck on a recent episode by a listener who signed off her question with “Thanks so much not only for the work you do but the way you do it.”

If you’re at all familiar with Seth’s extensive body of work, it will come as no surprise to you that he has built up a lot of fans by changing the way we — as business owners, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and marketers — think about marketing.

Marketing is a topic towards which many in the general public — and more than a few heart-centered business owners and freelancers — have a deep-seated sense of suspicion and antipathy.

Bad marketers have given the word a connotation of deceit and trickery, often leaving us feeling like we’ve been cheated after dealing with them.

Given that this is not an uncommon impression of his craft, the fact that Seth has been able to build up not only the size but the quality of audience that he has is remarkable at first glance.

Look closer, however, and you’ll quickly realize that while there are a million and one marketing gurus in the world, there are few, if any doing it the way Seth is.

At the core of his work is a deep thread of empathy, generosity, honesty, heart and love for the work he does and those it is intended to help.

The How Changes People

When I heard the listener-submitted question above, it sent a chill through me.

There’s was an emotion in the questioner’s voice when she said “the way that you do it,” that conveyed much more than a simple thanks for good, even impactful, work done.

It hinted at an inspiration, and a motivation to show up bigger and more fully in her own work. That she had been changed not just by consuming the content of Seth’s work, but by interacting with him in the way he interacts with every member of his audience.

Showing Up Generously

When we believe in the work we’re doing it’s easy to justify straying from our values, treating people a little less like people, and taking the occasional short cut if it means moving closer toward creating our vision for the world.

But What we achieve, accomplish, and create is not the only way to change our communities, cultures, and people we interact with.

By showing up to our work generously, vulnerably, honestly, with heart, compassion, and empathy for those we work with, those the work is for, and the work itself, we have the opportunity of inspiring a more generous, honest compassionate world.

Imagine for a second that Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman and the rest of the PayPal Mafia had been united by the same generous, honest, empathetic value set that drives Seth Godin’s work.

The impact and reach of the work that group did together and has now gone on to do individually stretches into every corner of our culture and has undoubtedly changed the world. No doubt each and every one of their successive companies has spun off additional founders who will continue to shape our world through ever more integrated technology.

How would our world today be different if at the core of all that work, the work it spawned, and the work it will continue to spawn was a focus on compassion and heart?

Yes, the What matters.

Do work that excites you, that means something, that makes the world a better place, for one person or for everyone.

But know that if you’re only focusing on the What you’re missing out on creating impact that has the potential to go far beyond the product of your work.

The How matters every bit as much as the What.

It’s the How that moves, that inspires, that changes people from the inside out.

And so the challenge, if we truly want to be leaders in the world is this:

Do work that means something in a way that means something.

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Want to hear more about building an audience around work that matters? I think you might enjoy these reads!

https://medium.com/@jeremyenns/ideas-need-leaders-25950eaa90bhttps://medium.com/@jeremyenns/ideas-need-leaders-25950eaa90b