Good Taste Is Prediction
Inspired by on Lenny's Podcast
Seth Godin defines good taste as knowing what other people want just before they do - and that's exactly the skill you're building when you anticipate your toddler's meltdown.
Seth Godin has written 21 bestselling books about ideas that spread. When asked how to develop good taste, he has a surprising definition.
'I define good taste as knowing what other people want just before they do. So if you're the only person who wants peanut butter covered licorice, you're entitled to eat peanut butter covered licorice, but you don't have good taste because everyone else thinks that's weird.'
This reframes taste from a mysterious gift into a learnable skill: pattern recognition plus empathy.
Watch a skilled parent with a toddler. They see the meltdown coming before it happens. They know when hunger is about to tip into disaster. They sense when overstimulation has crossed the line. That's taste - knowing what someone needs before they know it themselves.
'People are seen as having good taste when they bring something to the world that the world didn't necessarily expect but is glad to see.'
You build this skill by paying attention. By noticing patterns. By being present enough to predict what comes next.
PM Theme: User research and empathy
Parenting Theme: Anticipating needs
“I define good taste as knowing what other people want just before they do. So if you're the only person who wants peanut butter covered licorice, you're entitled to eat peanut butter covered licorice, but you don't have good taste because everyone else thinks that's weird.”Seth Godin · 00:05:54
“People are seen as having good taste when they bring something to the world that the world didn't necessarily expect but is glad to see.”Seth Godin · 00:05:54
