BOOKS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
by Michael Addis
#2. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable by Seth Godin
Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, speaker and legend. His books make a big dent in the world. His blog, at over 1 million subscribers, even more. He’s authored 17 books, including the bestsellers Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us and Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable which sold over 150k copies. Seth Godin teaches readers how to make remarkable products and spread powerful ideas. He wants to guide you into making a huge difference in whatever field you choose. He’s all about learning and never stopping. Recently a reporter from Forbes asked him to name the one book every struggling entrepreneur should read. His answer?
“If you’re a struggling entrepreneur, how dare you say you can only read one book to fix your business! You should read a book a day from the library, they’re free, until you’re not a struggling entrepreneur anymore.”
The key point of this book is: linchpins are the indispensable employees of a company. They are artists. They take a stand, have courage, they take their work personally, they are willing to fight for what’s right and don’t compromise. Ironically, in many businesses, those guys get fired. But in a great business, making great work, often those guys become so valuable that the company knows that firing them is a bad idea (e.g. firing Steve Jobs from Apple). As Godin puts it, "your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it.” That is a linchpin. Just as an artist doesn’t ask you what colors you should use for his painting, the linchpin doesn’t require hand-holding and step-by-step instructions from his bosses.
Historically we look at business this way: there are managers and executives on one side… and their are laborers on the other. But that distinction can be disrupted. and their are , they feel you are either management or labor. Now there's a third team, the linchpins. These people figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.
"Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back. It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must."
Godin clarifies what makes someone an artist: "It’s about intent and
communication, not substances.” In that regard, anyone in any field, in
an organization can be an artist. They have energy, they’re always
moving and they lean in to their efforts with creativity. We all like
to laugh at the bullshit marketing ploy of telling Subway employees that
they are “sandwich artists.” But honestly, if you make a sandwich, BE
an artist about that sandwich. Make it something special, put yourself
into it, and view it as work, but not a job. If you make yourself that
person, chances are, you aren’t going to work at a Subway restaurant.
But you might be a guy who works with numbers or interacts with
customers. If you do it with passion, you will make yourself
indispensable.
"Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. They may not be famous but they're indispensable. And in today's world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom."
Godin tells us "Someone can always do your job a little better or faster
or cheaper than you can.” His point is, don’t try to beat others on
price alone. You will lose. The people who make products infused with
art, such as a Hermes scarf, a Porsche sports car or any Apple product,
can’t be knocked off. The people who makes these products are artists.
If you make a basic knit scarf, car or computer with no “art” to it,
you are now making a commodity. Someone will make it cheaper, the
market will buy THERE version, and you’ll be screwed. You are
dispensable.
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