Seth Godin’s name keeps popping up once you read a lot of books in the self-improvement category so I decided to give him a shot. He typically writes books focused on business and marketing and he said this was one that focused more on the individual so that’s why I chose this one as my entry into Seth Godin’s world.
What I loved most about this book was the message to be different and to resist the status quo. It’s a manifesto to fight the “Resistance” which is anything and everyone that keeps you the same and in the status quo.
Standing out at work is not a novel idea, however, it’s more than just working really hard and showing up. To be indispensable, you have to challenge the status quo and produce art.
Roy Simmons coined that phrase and I like it a lot. “Most artists can’t draw.”
Godin, Seth. Linchpin (p. 83). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artist takes it personally.
Godin, Seth. Linchpin (p. 83). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Seth illustrates this by talking about resumés. Everyone has a resumé. It’s hard to stand out on your resume because it looks like everyone else’s resume and it’s just another statistic they use in a pool of candidates. Instead of telling your employer, show your employer. If your employer googles you and doesn’t find anything, how are you showing that you are indispensable?
In my experience, there are triggers that happen in the workplace that indicate we are sticking to the status quo. They usually materialize in comments like:
“Well, that’s not my job, you have to talk to this person”
“Let’s not reinvent the wheel”
My personal favorite – “We’ve always done it this way”
How many times do blindly follow the status quo and how many times do you take a step back and find a better way?
The other concept is the idea of the Resistance. The Resistance is the force that keeps us from behaving differently. We want to do things that are accepted by the group and if we deviate from the norms, we risk alienating ourselves. We don’t want to be laughed at. We don’t want to be ridiculed for a bad decision. We don’t want to be embarrassed by showing someone our work. This is the Resistance at play. We want to be comfortable. The linchpin acknowledges that if they seek conformity, they are just another cog in the wheel.
So what exactly is one supposed to do to be indispensable? This book doesn’t provide a step-by-step guide and it would be ironic to do so. Step by step guides are for the cogs in the wheel.
On a final note, one key idea that struck a chord with me was that you have to produce and publish your art regularly. I struggle with this because it’s hard to know when to mark something as “done”. It’s also so easy for a project to be delayed because everyone usually waits to provide feedback until the last possible moment which ultimately delays the completion date. It’s summed up in these passages:
“Real Artists Ship” When Steve Jobs said that, he was calling the bluff of a recalcitrant engineer who couldn’t let go of some code. But this three-word mantra goes deeper than that. Poet Bruce Ario said, “Creativity is an instinct to produce.”
Godin, Seth. Linchpin (pp. 101-102). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Saturday Night Live goes on each week, ready or not. The show is live, and it’s on Saturday. No screwing around about shipping. There are no do-overs, no stalls, no delays. Sometimes the show suffers, of course, but on balance, it’s the shipping (built right into the name) that actually makes the show work.
Godin, Seth. Linchpin (p. 103). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition
I have also have to thank Seth for pushing me to start my blog.
I recommend this book to anyone looking become more than a “cog in the wheel” and those who feel as though they are “going through the motions” in life.
Check out the book on Good Reads or Amazon