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minimalmike's review against another edition
3.0
Writing: 3.56
Story: 3.06
Overall: 3.31
Didn't enjoy this book. I don't mind long books at all, in fact, I'm a fan of them, but this book was needlessly long. Being a "Linchpin" can be broken down in far fewer words than this. Also, the author made, or rather tried to make quite a few points that I did not agree with at all. It seemed like sometimes he was saying things to try and be the insightful contrarian, but just ended up sounding silly.
I also was not a fan of the format of the book. It felt more like reading bullet points or a PowerPoint presentation as opposed to a book.
Story: 3.06
Overall: 3.31
Didn't enjoy this book. I don't mind long books at all, in fact, I'm a fan of them, but this book was needlessly long. Being a "Linchpin" can be broken down in far fewer words than this. Also, the author made, or rather tried to make quite a few points that I did not agree with at all. It seemed like sometimes he was saying things to try and be the insightful contrarian, but just ended up sounding silly.
I also was not a fan of the format of the book. It felt more like reading bullet points or a PowerPoint presentation as opposed to a book.
rooafza's review against another edition
3.0
Marketing guru and Serial shipper Seth Godin on being indispensable, creative and fighting the status quo. My only nitpick was his praise of the Huffington post over the NY times on the former being more innovative(lolwut). Also mostly anecdotal.
meganbish13's review against another edition
Did not enjoy this writing style, it was super choppy and didn’t have a flow. Also 60 pages in and I felt like the author just kept saying the same information but in a slightly different way.
nosfredatu's review against another edition
4.0
Un livre inspirant et motivant. Quelques théories qui tiennent pas la route, mais ça donne envie de faire de grandes choses!
mgmoore's review against another edition
4.0
Few are better at what they do than Seth Godin, and I really liked this book. But, it's not his best. He rehashes quite a bit of material covered better by others, and I don't agree with some of his broadsweeping generalization (e.g. the purpose of public education is to provide a pliable workforce for the elite).
But, there are lots of great take aways as well, both for the employer and the employee. I particularly liked his discussion of art and the artist in the workplace. I'll be applying quite a few things I've heard here, and even the repeat material was a great reminder. Recommended for anyone who wants to live life intentionally, find meaning in their work and be better than average in this new world we're living in.
But, there are lots of great take aways as well, both for the employer and the employee. I particularly liked his discussion of art and the artist in the workplace. I'll be applying quite a few things I've heard here, and even the repeat material was a great reminder. Recommended for anyone who wants to live life intentionally, find meaning in their work and be better than average in this new world we're living in.
sarahellen's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed feelings on this one. There were some really great parts, but the choppy writing style was a bit frustrating for me personally. I enjoyed the last half of the book much more than the first. Specifically, the section on the Culture of the Gift was my favorite. Also as someone for whom emotional labor is already the largest part of my job, many points seemed obvious to me, though I'm sure they are not for people in other careers. Still would recommend.
schwarmgiven's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book--easy idea presented quickly and efficiently.
Loved the Comic Book, Grateful Dead, etc. references. in fact, all of the examples are remarkably good in this book.
Strongly recommended for the repeat audible listeners...
Loved the Comic Book, Grateful Dead, etc. references. in fact, all of the examples are remarkably good in this book.
Strongly recommended for the repeat audible listeners...
foosreadsandwrites's review against another edition
3.0
I was incredibly impressed with the ideas presented in Linchpin. The idea that art is the new currency of our world was a breath of fresh air. I struggle to believe that there are CEO's and Pastors and teachers that believe in this idea like Godin, but I'm begging, praying, pleading for them to come over to this way of thinking. Not only that, but Godin presents the idea of generosity in a new way - showing that, in fact, the only way to get what you want from your work is to give your work away without any expectation of reciprocation. As always, I wish the book was a little shorter - but who can be blamed for ranting about a subject that's worth ranting about?
Separate praise for Godin as a writer:
As a Christian, I tend to make all secular books, whether business or otherwise, with a grain of salt. Godin made that need to guard myself a virtual nonissue. Of course, there are references to buddhism and other cultures, but always in the best "take what's wonderful and use it" kind of way. I didn't get the impression that Godin was a born-again believer and a disciples of Jesus or anything, but in spite of comments that most Christians would be offended by (although probably shouldn't be), Godin made himself extraordinarily accessible and open. He made himself vulnerable and presented his artwork for those who were willing to receive it. In doing so, he listened to his own advice....a rare trait.
And he only charged so he could count if his art was working or not (and hopefully, so he could fund himself writing another book and continue blogging). Buy the book; read it. It'll help you connect with people and view yourself as a one-of-a-kind gift to the world, like you are.
Separate praise for Godin as a writer:
As a Christian, I tend to make all secular books, whether business or otherwise, with a grain of salt. Godin made that need to guard myself a virtual nonissue. Of course, there are references to buddhism and other cultures, but always in the best "take what's wonderful and use it" kind of way. I didn't get the impression that Godin was a born-again believer and a disciples of Jesus or anything, but in spite of comments that most Christians would be offended by (although probably shouldn't be), Godin made himself extraordinarily accessible and open. He made himself vulnerable and presented his artwork for those who were willing to receive it. In doing so, he listened to his own advice....a rare trait.
And he only charged so he could count if his art was working or not (and hopefully, so he could fund himself writing another book and continue blogging). Buy the book; read it. It'll help you connect with people and view yourself as a one-of-a-kind gift to the world, like you are.
joelkarpowitz's review against another edition
3.0
Am I alone in thinking that every motivational work book could pretty much be summarized in two or three paragraphs? It's not that I don't enjoy them, because the style of this sort of self-help book tends to be very conversational and with lots of entertaining (or semi-entertaining) examples. But most of the time it seems like the author has about a handful of ideas designed to make you rethink your approach to your job/life/etc. and then spends two hundred plus pages belaboring the point. It's why, though these books are easy to read, I never get particularly excited about reading them.
That said, in Linchpin author Seth Godin did make some great suggestions that have encouraged me to shift the way I think about my career. In essence, Godin suggests that the real key to success, career satisfaction, and (though he downplays it) profit is to make yourself an indispensable part of your organization, to figure out what "art" you have to offer the world/your company/your clients/etc. and then not be afraid to go "off script" and make human connections doing so. He talks about getting out of the mindset that all work is about exchange (I do a service, you pay me) and being taken care of and should be about giving gifts and blazing trails. It's all very shiny, happy, "let's hold hands and sing songs and realize how special you can be if you'll get out of your comfort zone," and some of his advice is still a little pie-in-the-sky (e.g., the best linchpins don't need resumes because their work and what they've accomplished is their resume--they don't fit in as an easily replaceable cog, so why would they apply for the same jobs that everyone else with a resume does), but I like rethinking my job as a teacher as art, and I like rethinking how I teach.
I got an email this week from a former student who was amazed and thought I would need to know that he got his first college essay assignment and that the teacher said they didn't want a standard five-paragraph essay. This was a student who I had repeated conversations with about understanding the form and organization and why it mattered. I wrote him back to tell him that--shocker--I agreed with his teacher. The five-paragraph essay is boring, it's flat, and any "formula" for good writing eventually grows stale and, well, formulaic. But the basics of learning how to write a five paragraph essay (what I had hoped I was teaching him) give you the groundwork to explode the formula. Once you know how to organize and clarify your thoughts, you can go a million different directions with them. Yes, I also stopped (for the most part) writing five paragraph essays after high school. But that's because I knew how to structure my thoughts in ways that were (for the most part, I hope) clear and understandable. Once you can do that, then it doesn't matte whether you're writing one paragraph or a thirty-page essay. The form provides a base, but the art comes from the ideas and insights that the form helps you to make clear.
I wonder if I'm teaching my students that enough. I don't want my students to all produce the same end product. I want them to discover their own voices and ideas. Every essay, even with tenth graders, I try to tell them that there's not a "right" essay that I'm looking for. There's not a single answer to an essay prompt, there are many. It's taking their unique insights, supporting them, and presenting them in a clear, meaningful, and convincing manner. I think that's what Godin's getting at. Quit thinking that you have to be the same kind of teacher (or web designer, banker, etc.) as everyone else, and figure out what you have to bring to the table that's unique. That's your art, and that's what you can nurture and develop and share with the world. Doing so turns you from a cog into a linchpin--and what do you know, it makes your job more enjoyable as well.
That's not a bad message. It's one that has had me reconsidering how I approach my subject and what it is I want my students to walk away from my classes thinking, feeling, and understanding. It's got me thinking about what unique abilities I have as a teacher that I can bring to bear more fruitfully--things like patience, and my sense of humor, and my expectations, and my tech savvy-ness, and so on and so forth. So I guess, for all the fluff, I like what Godin's saying here. (And what do you know, I explained it in five paragraphs after all.)
Grade: B
That said, in Linchpin author Seth Godin did make some great suggestions that have encouraged me to shift the way I think about my career. In essence, Godin suggests that the real key to success, career satisfaction, and (though he downplays it) profit is to make yourself an indispensable part of your organization, to figure out what "art" you have to offer the world/your company/your clients/etc. and then not be afraid to go "off script" and make human connections doing so. He talks about getting out of the mindset that all work is about exchange (I do a service, you pay me) and being taken care of and should be about giving gifts and blazing trails. It's all very shiny, happy, "let's hold hands and sing songs and realize how special you can be if you'll get out of your comfort zone," and some of his advice is still a little pie-in-the-sky (e.g., the best linchpins don't need resumes because their work and what they've accomplished is their resume--they don't fit in as an easily replaceable cog, so why would they apply for the same jobs that everyone else with a resume does), but I like rethinking my job as a teacher as art, and I like rethinking how I teach.
I got an email this week from a former student who was amazed and thought I would need to know that he got his first college essay assignment and that the teacher said they didn't want a standard five-paragraph essay. This was a student who I had repeated conversations with about understanding the form and organization and why it mattered. I wrote him back to tell him that--shocker--I agreed with his teacher. The five-paragraph essay is boring, it's flat, and any "formula" for good writing eventually grows stale and, well, formulaic. But the basics of learning how to write a five paragraph essay (what I had hoped I was teaching him) give you the groundwork to explode the formula. Once you know how to organize and clarify your thoughts, you can go a million different directions with them. Yes, I also stopped (for the most part) writing five paragraph essays after high school. But that's because I knew how to structure my thoughts in ways that were (for the most part, I hope) clear and understandable. Once you can do that, then it doesn't matte whether you're writing one paragraph or a thirty-page essay. The form provides a base, but the art comes from the ideas and insights that the form helps you to make clear.
I wonder if I'm teaching my students that enough. I don't want my students to all produce the same end product. I want them to discover their own voices and ideas. Every essay, even with tenth graders, I try to tell them that there's not a "right" essay that I'm looking for. There's not a single answer to an essay prompt, there are many. It's taking their unique insights, supporting them, and presenting them in a clear, meaningful, and convincing manner. I think that's what Godin's getting at. Quit thinking that you have to be the same kind of teacher (or web designer, banker, etc.) as everyone else, and figure out what you have to bring to the table that's unique. That's your art, and that's what you can nurture and develop and share with the world. Doing so turns you from a cog into a linchpin--and what do you know, it makes your job more enjoyable as well.
That's not a bad message. It's one that has had me reconsidering how I approach my subject and what it is I want my students to walk away from my classes thinking, feeling, and understanding. It's got me thinking about what unique abilities I have as a teacher that I can bring to bear more fruitfully--things like patience, and my sense of humor, and my expectations, and my tech savvy-ness, and so on and so forth. So I guess, for all the fluff, I like what Godin's saying here. (And what do you know, I explained it in five paragraphs after all.)
Grade: B