This book happened to catch my eye as I was walking by the desk of our Manager of Training and Development one morning (it probably helps that it’s bright orange). I walked in, and noticed it was written by Seth Godin (Tribes, Purple Cow, The Dip), who I’m a huge fan of – his works are always inspirational, and he’s extraordinarily passionate about his subject matter.
In “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable”, Godin attempts to convert all of us from a factory drone mentality, to becoming a linchpin – to be remarkable, insightful, an artist (regardless of their field). Up until now, Seth argues, most of our employers have wanted these “drones” – and our school system and factory processes have trained us to do just that. However, in today’s world and into the future, what will be especially valued by almost all employers is an “artist”. The term “artist” refers to anyone who performs work that “matters”, work they sacrifice for, and/or work that truly makes a difference to those around them. Seth says that there are “artists who work with numbers, business models, and customer conversations. Art is about intent and communication, not substances”.
Godin argues that everyone has the capability to become these indispensable artists/linchpins. Every organization has at least one linchpin already, some have a dozen or more. We all know them, they’re consideredindispensable by almost everyone they have a relationship with, consulted by everyone in their department (and others as well), they’re the person that goes the extra mile because they want to, not because they have to.
One of my favorite stories in the book is about Richard Branson, who ultimately founded Virgin Air. He once found himself at an airport in the Caribbean, and his flight was cancelled. He simply chartered a plane, found a blackboard and announced the availability of seats, and ended up making it home on time and having all his other passengers cover his costs. That’s a linchpin.
The other element Godin introduces us to is the “lizard brain”. Godin refers to it as the part of your brain that wants to stay safe above all else – it wants to do what’s expected, what’s easy – it wants to avoid doing anything that isn’t “safe”. Fighting it is hard, says Godin, but if you want to be a linchpin, you have to fight it, and the more you do it, the easier it will be. Godin does caution us, though, that not every boss, not every employer, may be quite ready for this transformation. He suggests using caution at first, until people see the true value that you can bring to every phase of your worklife.
This book is essential reading for any leader or knowledge worker. In fact, most of his books are – if you haven’t read others, I’d suggest starting with this one, then maybe heading to one of his other more recent works – “The Dip” for example. Godin has proven not only how good a writer he is over the last number of years, but how critical his books are for the business world. I look forward to his next work.
