Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Figuring out how to be indispensible and make a difference in a time of cutbacks and downsizing is no easy task. But, this is exactly what Linchpin shows us how to do.

Think of Linchpin as a how-to manual for turning our work into art. Think you're not an artist, or that there's no room for creativity in your job? Think again. It doesn't matter if you wait tables, work in accounting, or design cities. Godin says that each and every one of us has the power to turn our work into art. We can all work with insight, generosity and creativity. The only reason we don't is that we think we can't.

Linchpin shows us how to defeat any idea that we're not good enough, smart enough or creative enough to be truly indispensible. Godin not only helps us break through these negative barriers, but he offers creative ideas and thought-provoking questions to help us work with empowerment, creativity, and passion. Or, in his words, do artistic work.

The wonderful thing about this book is that Godin convinces us that we really can do this. Being indispensible is not something that's out of reach. It's all in the choices we make and the attitude we take.

More significantly, Godin shows us how important it is that we do take these steps. Our world is no longer one full of factories and automatons. Managers and workers alike must break out of the cycle that accepts mediocrity. We can no longer wait for a boss to tell us what to do. We can't afford to just fit in anymore. We have to learn to think for ourselves and take risks. We have to become indispensible.

Many of you have probably heard of Seth Godin. He's written several international best-sellers including Tribe and Purple Cow, and he's the founder and CEO of Squidoo dot com. His business blog is one of the most widely read on the Internet.

So, keep listening to find out why being the best doesn't mean you're indispensible, why being a great troubleshooter can give you job security, and how to overcome that tiny voice that says you're not good enough to be remarkable.

Now, when it comes to how Linchpin is organized, leave it to Godin to shake things up a bit. Yes, it has chapters, but none of them are numbered. And, each chapter is made up of several, smaller sections, almost like mini essays.

The downside to this is that if you come across nuggets of wisdom you want to save for later, they might be hard to find again unless you use a highlighter. But the good news is that breaking up all this text into mini-essays means it's really easy to open the book at any page, on any day, and get a dose of Godin's brilliance and out-of-the-box thinking.

This is a book that can be read five or ten minutes at a time, which is great if you're busy and have to do your reading in short chunks. Whether you're a manager who's been working for thirty years or a fresh college graduate looking for your first job, you should find something useful in Linchpin.

So, how do you actually become a linchpin? Well, we should probably start by defining what a linchpin isn't.

Godin shatters some ideas about becoming indispensible right off the bat. For instance, being the best at what we do doesn't mean we're a linchpin, unless we're far and away the very best in our field. And having in-depth knowledge about our industry won't do it either. There is always someone, somewhere, who knows as much as we do. And we're also not linchpins if we're willing to work more hours for less pay, or do what the boss says without question.

What's the magic formula for being a linchpin? Well, Godin starts by advising you to think about what would make you impossibly good at your job. Really think about this. If your organization wanted to replace you with someone far better at your job than you, what would they look for? It's a question worth pursuing, because the answer illustrates a point Godin makes throughout the book. When we think about what would make us impossibly good at our job, we see that we have choices.

Linchpins aren't born indispensible. They become that way. Godin stresses again and again that it's our choices, not our talents, that make us linchpins.

On page 57, Godin brings up the concept he returns to several times in the book – it's called emotional labor. Emotional labor is not a new term, as it's been around since the 1970s. It describes work that's open, generous, and exposes our creativity. It's work that comes from our feelings, not our body or intellect. Emotional labor is when we spend our time genuinely connecting with others.

A later essay, on page 82, describes the concept in much greater detail than his first one, on page 57. We'd have liked to have seen this in-depth look at emotional labor earlier in the book. If you find yourself wanting more on emotional labor when you start reading, keep in mind that he will explain himself later on. And, you can always skip ahead to find out more.

If we want to be linchpins, we also need to become troubleshooters. And Godin illustrates how important troubleshooters are with a wonderful little analogy.

Imagine you own a restaurant and you have four waiters. Times are tough, and you're going to have to lay one of them off. Three of your waiters work hard. The fourth is good too, but this fourth waiter is also a master at solving problems. He can placate an angry customer, figure out the temperamental computer system, and handle the chef when he's had too much to drink.

Which waiter do you think gives you the most value? Which waiter can't you live without? It's a fairly easy answer.

When we're unafraid to take initiative and troubleshoot a problem, we increase our value to our organization dramatically. Troubleshooting is an art. If you're willing to put yourself on the line to do it, then you're well on your way to being a linchpin.

Another useful discussion is about fear. Many of us are afraid of taking the steps we need to transform the way we work. And sure, it's risky. Our co-workers might look at us funny if we start making ourselves more open and vulnerable. Our boss might raise her eyebrows at our crazy ideas. So what do we do with that fear?

Well, Godin says this is the question that separates linchpins from ordinary people. Most of us experience fear, and then we stop doing whatever it is that's making us afraid. Then, the fear goes away.

Linchpins feel the fear. They acknowledge it. And then they proceed anyway.

The section titled How to Make the Olympic Ski Team is especially thought provoking.

Matt Dayton skied Nordic in the 2002 Olympics. And, he taught Godin a powerful lesson on perseverance. Dayton said that the person who leans forward the most wins the race.

Now at first glance, this may not seem much of a lesson. But Godin drives it home with his insights when he applies this lesson to our daily lives. Godin writes that in a race, there's one moment that separates the winner from the losers. There's often a problem or setback that causes most people to quit.

This problem isn't really a problem, however. Linchpins, winners, see this instant as their chance. It's the moment they've been waiting for. The person who embraces the problem, who leans into it, is going to win.

Linchpins find new solutions to the problems that most people have given up on. Yes, sometimes they have to break the rules to do this. And it can be scary to think about getting fired. But this is the risk you take if you want to be indispensible.

We know that many of the points Godin makes throughout the book might make some readers uncomfortable. After all, many of us shy away from the very thought of opening up our hearts at work. We draw back from the idea of taking risks and truly connecting with our co-workers because to do these things we have to become vulnerable. We have to let our guard down and risk being hurt or shunned. But if you stick with Godin, he addresses all these feelings starting with a passage called The Resistance.

This chapter was our favorite, hands down. We loved it because most of us are going to experience feelings of fear or hesitation reading this book. But Godin pushes us through these feelings by analyzing why we feel this way, and offering strategies for overcoming them. Without this section, we think the book would not be nearly so effective.

Godin opens the chapter by telling us about shipping. And no, he's not talking about the transfer of goods by boat or plane. In Godin-speak, shipping is when we create, produce and deliver something. Shipping is when we write a blog post and publish it. Shipping is when we create a sales presentation and deliver it to our colleagues. It's the very act of doing that gets us to the next step.

Now, we all might think we ship on a regular basis. But Godin says that most of the ordinary people 'thrash' a good deal before they ship. Thrashing is when we brainstorm and tweak and rewrite, or deconstruct the whole thing and start over. Really, thrashing is delay.

Now, some amount of thrashing is essential. We do need to edit and tweak to make sure we do quality work. But when to thrash, and how much, is an art, Godin says. Linchpins thrash very early in a project. Ordinary people thrash a lot late in the project. Thrashing can quickly turn to resistance and avoidance if we're not fearless about moving forward.

One of the most fascinating sections in the Resistance chapter has to do with our lizard brain. Godin explains that we all have two brains. One is our regular, thinking brain. The other brain is our amygdale. This part of our brain is closer to our spine, and the chemicals that generate our emotions. Godin calls this part of our brain the "lizard brain."

The lizard brain is why we work on a huge project for a week and never back it up on our computer. It's why we eat one more donut when we know we shouldn't. It's why some sales people will walk out the door with a sale, and others will give up when the going gets tough.

What does all this have to do with resistance?

Well, when our lizard brain feels threatened, it wants to flee. This threat could come from anything, like a looming deadline, a pushy client or our role as a manager. When our brain sees a threat, we instinctively want to back away.

We all have a lizard brain. But linchpins have learned to shut it up, so they can go on to accomplish great things. Godin gives us several essays about our lizard brain, as well as some smart strategies for overcoming it.

Our favorite strategy is that we need to go out of our way to seek discomfort. Why? Because our lizard brain craves comfort. It craves the safe and the known. But when we deliberately put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, we're forced to awaken a part of ourselves that stays asleep when the lizard brain is in charge. According to Godin, discomfort brings engagement and change, and it means we're doing something that most other people won't do. And, this can often lead to our success.

So, what's our last word on Linchpin?

Like all Godin's books, this is a gem. This book is filled with one brilliant insight after another, and we could only cover a fraction of what's in there.

We think that readers will love this book because it's truly a call to action. Godin writes with such passion and eloquence that you can't help but be moved as he pleads for us to consider a different path. You can feel his sense of urgency coming off the page, and every essay, no matter how short, is written from his heart.

Linchpin forces you to take an in-depth look at yourself and your goals. This, as we've said before, may not be comfortable for some readers. But if we want to make a difference we must be willing to look at our complete picture, the good and the bad. Godin's genius is that he compels us to consider some hard truths about ourselves, but he does so with respect and warmth.

Linchpin isn't a call to quit our current job and start the next big company. It's a book that shows us how to be remarkable in the job we're already doing. And this is why we think it's so valuable to readers. The book is a challenge for us to step up to the plate and do our best, most artistic work.

Linchpin, by Seth Godin, is published by the Penguin Group.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Click here to buy the book from Amazon.