Kindle Edition
This is the first book I purchased using Amazon’s Kindle for PC application. My first impression is: I really like it. Kindle for PC is quite easy to use and very readable. I do believe I will purchase more books this way.
One “phobia” I have is that I hate to write in books, so I rarely put notes in them. I can count on one hand in how many books in which I’ve written notes. With the Kindle for PC it was very easy to highlight text and type in some notes. This allowed me to save the thoughts parts of the book inspired in me. At the end of this review, I will share some of those notes.
One downside to the Kindle for PC app is that one cannot share books with friends. I like to pass along books I purchase to those whom I think will benefit from them and I can’t do this with the Kindle. Also, there are no page numbers as in a traditional book. I haven’t made up my mind whether this is really a detriment or not.
The Book
Godin starts out Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? (Amazon Affiliate link) insisting everyone is a genius, though, perhaps, not in the “genius” way we think of Einstein, Hawking or other Nobel Prize winners. He stresses, though, that everyone is a genius in their own way. Each of us has something in us which makes us unique and hard to replace in the workforce.
He tells us that we need to find our niche, that thing which is an art to us that no one else can or will do. We need to transfer that knowledge and skill to the workplace to make ourselves the “Linchpin” – the essential piece which holds everything else together.
The great truth is that all of us, no matter what we do for a job, can be a linchpin. He uses the example of a waiter a couple times in the book. One can be a waiter who gives friendly, honest, but otherwise un-noteworthy service. Anyone can do this. Or, one can be a waiter who not only does the minimum, but goes above and beyond by giving the best service possible to each person. This is the one who remembers regular customers and brings their preferred drinks without asking, who remembers which customers like extra napkins or what kind salad dressing they prefer. This is the person who makes the dining experience unique and who would be sorely missed if she wasn’t there anymore. She is the reason customers tell their friends to come to this particular restaurant. She is the linchpin.
A great example of a linchpin is Dolores at a New York 7-11 who remembers all her customers by name, what kind of coffee they like, and asks about their families. She isn’t just running a cash register and making sure coffee is made. She’s taking that extra step (or three) to make sure everyone who comes into her store feels like one of the family. People drive past other 7-11s and coffee shops just so they can buy coffee from her. The experience is worth the extra drive time.
It’s the art that’s important, and the gift one makes of the art. Seth writes, and I agree, that the more you give away the more you get. It’s really counterintuitive, but true nonetheless. By giving more, you will get more back.
No Magic Formula
Some people will be put off that Godin does not give out a step-by-step plan or a roadmap to become a linchpin. In reality, he can’t because there is no roadmap. Everyone has to figure this out for themselves because each person has to learn what their unique art is and how to give it away. There is an entire chapter of the book devoted to this idea.
The book didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know. It did, though, encapsulate many diverse things I’d been taught and learned on my own over the years. Godin has a way of articulating things in a way that causes me to think, “Aha! I knew that was right and he explains it better than I do.” I get these nuggets reading his blog, too. The ideas in Linchpin are also things we all need to be reminded of from time to time. Godin has an excellent way of putting into words the details of concepts which otherwise might be overlooked or forgotten.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels they are stuck in a rut career-wise and to young people seeking out their place in the workforce. I think it will offer some inspiration to those who want to learn to get ahead in the “new economy.”
Here are some parts of the book which gave me pause for thought:
Quote:
… understand that your competition has been building a faceless machine just like yours. And when your customers have the choice between faceless options, they pick the cheapest, fastest, more direct option. If you want your customers to flock to you, it’s tempting to race to the bottom of the price chart.
In a world that relentlessly races to the bottom, you lose if you also race to the bottom. The only way to win is to race to the top.
When your organization becomes more human, more remarkable, faster on its feet and more likely to connect directly with customers, it becomes indispensible.
My Thoughts:
This is where social media can be quite beneficial. By working hard to talk to customers, to help them solve their unique problems, to help them become artists themselves, we become indispensible. In this way, the value we add to the relationships we have with customers becomes worth more than the higher price we might charge. The product no longer is a simple commodity. Instead it’s paint filling a canvas.
Quote:
… how come the stars in the company don’t follow these three rules?
My Thoughts:
In the Army many people who aspired to leadership thought they had to kiss butt to get ahead. They would advise:“Do what you’re told,” “Don’t think for yourself,” “Don’t take risks.” This is what my friend John calls “The Uriah Heep School of Leadership.” That type of “leader” only gets so far and then his or her career stalls.
The people who really rise to the top are the risk-takers. They are the ones who are willing to buck the system to get better results. They are the “Pattons,” and not the “staff weenies.” I’m not talking about reckless ones who needlessly risk the lives of those they lead. I’m talking about the ones who work in the trenches, who truly care for those in their charge, who spend personal time learning more about their fields and how to be better leaders. They are the ones who make sure their people have everything they need to succeed, who set them up for success instead of setting them up for failure.
In one unit I was assigned to the command had a “zero defect” policy for commissioned officers. This meant, in effect, that if any officer messed up, the command would make sure their career was ruined. This led to a culture of fear, and I believe it was a huge mistake. No one is perfect, I think we all know that. If you foster a climate of fear of making mistakes, you end up creating a fear of making decisions, too. This is bad for any organization.
Quote:
Talking about not having a traditional resume, but proving you are a linchpin by other means
If you don’t have a resume, what do you have?
How about three extraordinary letters of recommendation from people the employer knows or respects?
Or a sophisticated project and employer can see or touch?
Or a reputation that preceeds you?
Or a blog that is so compelling and insightful that they have no choice but to follow up?
Some say, “Well, that’s fine, but I don’t have those.”
Yeah, that’s my point. If you don’t have those things, what leads you to think you are remarkable, amazing or just plain spectacular? …
Great jobs, world-class jobs, jobs people kill for – those jobs don’t get filled by people emailing in resumes.
My Thoughts:
In my post “Be That Expert” there is a great story there about how two guys showed themselves to be experts through social media. Their time and effort in demonstrating themselves experts as in their field paid off in more than just money – they are paid well to do what they love. That’s the best reward of all.
Quote:
You won’t often be able to persuade the standardized HR system to make an exception. A better plan: find a company that understands the value of the linchpin. Find a company that doesn’t use a computer to scan resumes, a company that hires people, not paper.
My Thoughts:
This is like the “zig-zagger” or the “Hybrid” (thanks to Chris Baily and Julie Hunt for those insights) who doesn’t fit into the “normal” hiring process but finds a place which will value what he/she can add to the organization.
Quote:
As we have seen over the past decade, none of that by-the-book marketing schtick works so well. Now, it’s more common to see the success of a brand like Jones Soda – not because founder Peter Van Stolk followed the rules, but because he’s an artist. …
… The Huffington Post, which will soon make more money than any newspaper in the country, threw out the rules. They have no printing plants, no revered style manual, not even a fancy building. Instead, they’re staffing up with artists and change makers. If they succeed, it will be because they confronted the resistance.
My Thoughts:
Think “Chaos Scenario.” The art in the marketing is making the connection with the person who “gets it.” It’s not just a commodity. The formerly cutting edge media are now complacent and stodgy – and they are dying inside. If they do not adapt, they will die on the outside, too.
Linchpin: Are You Indispensible by Seth Godin (Amazon Affiliate link). Well worth the read.
Images courtesy of Penguin Group USA
