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A review by architr
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin
2.0
“Job security” no longer exists.
Godin knows you don’t want to hear this, but the heads-up is for your own good. For more than 100 years, a tacit agreement held true between employer and employee: Companies promised decent wages, solid benefits and job security in exchange for obedient workers who punched the clock, met expectations and followed the rules. The illusion of job security turned workers into timid tagalongs that were terrified of self-expression, innovation or risk. That contract is no longer valid. Vast economic and technological changes created an insecure workforce victimized by globalization, downsizing and layoffs. Unemployment rises, pensions disappear and workers lose their houses in record numbers. The prospects are grim. You work as previous generations did but reap few of their benefits. However, Godin says, you do have some choices.
2. You can embrace either hopelessness or opportunity.
The employer-employee system shattered into millions of disconnected parts. Unmotivated employees resign themselves to their lot. They don’t believe they can make a difference, so they no longer try. Even white-collar workers in tidy offices who believe they are a step above the masses perform numbingly repetitive tasks devoid of creativity. Now you can either bemoan your fate and embrace hopelessness, or climb out of the rubble and seize the opportunity to create a bright, new future.
3. Cast off mediocrity.
Society discourages creativity and artistry. For centuries, the working world compelled individuals to conform to one of two roles under different guises: bourgeoisie or proletariat, manager or laborer, leader or follower. The old rules said to stay out of trouble, obey instructions, work diligently and receive your just deserts. Godin’s new perform-or-perish rules demand that you stand out, be extraordinary, and create something new and innovative.
4. Become a “linchpin.”
You can stand above the crowd by becoming a linchpin – an invaluable, indispensable employee who inspires everyone else. Be unique, inventive and dynamic. Project a winning attitude, even if naysayers surround you. Be the person others ask for help. When your colleagues depend on you, your firm will pay you accordingly. In an economic downturn, you will be the last person laid off.
5. Linchpins inspire through wisdom and shrewdness.
Linchpins aren’t brilliant all the time. They stand out due to their ability to recognize and seize opportunity. But to be a linchpin, Godin says, you must be smart and crafty, as well as hard working. Linchpins surpass their peers by combining wisdom about the job with shrewdness. Every interaction with your colleagues or clients is an opportunity to act as a linchpin in some way. Musicians, writers, painters and dancers create art because they must share their gifts. Financial reward or acclaim motivates few of them. Becoming a linchpin means becoming an artist. It means performing at your best because you simply can’t do otherwise.
6. Tune out your “lizard brain.”
Your lizard brain is wired for survival and fight or flight. It rules all animals by telling them to hunt, find shelter, stake out territory, and hide or fight their attackers. It fears risk and sows self-doubt and mistrust. It evolved earlier and has greater power than the creative part of your brain. Creative, optimistic, successful people tune out messages from their lizard brains. They don’t take failure personally. They don’t think of themselves as losers. They gain strengths from setbacks.
7. Beware of the danger of comfort.
When you reach that uncertain stage about making a change, Godin says go for it. Of course, it’s not his mortgage at stake, but he’s trying to be encouraging when he advises not succumbing to the paralyzing grip of fear. People whose phobias control them cling to dead-end jobs because they feel safe. They find change unsettling or frightening. They prefer a miserable status quo to the unknown. They don’t worry about failure because they never take risks. Trying something new or breaking old patterns means exposing yourself to criticism. To evolve, ignore tasks that abet procrastination. The nearer you are to a breakthrough, the more you will embrace distraction. Surfing the Internet or checking your email is a lot easier than being creative and initiating change. Most people won’t commit to self-discipline, but that’s the key to productivity.
8. Don’t let anxiety rule you.
Anxiety is the most useless emotion. Unlike fear, which alerts you to legitimate threats, you manufacture anxiety. It springs from imaginary worst-case scenarios you create in your mind. It inhibits creative production. Feeling stressed out about something that hasn’t happened isn’t logical. But Godin says, instead of trying to escape anxiety, just get used to it, and it will dissipate. With practice, you can break an anxiety cycle by recognizing its early signs. To embrace change, decide that nothing is going to stand in your way. No amount of self-doubt or negativity can derail you. March ahead fearlessly.
9. Giving is better than taking.
Generous, committed people understand the power of giving. They recognize the value of supporting others – with time, money or talent – and being part of something larger than themselves. Sadly, altruism gains little admiration. Society emphasizes consolidating power, accumulating possessions and soliciting praise. Yet some people share their bounty while asking for nothing in return. You defeat the purpose of giving when you give for money, personal gain or reciprocity. Giving fortifies the bonds among people and strengthens the community. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), for example, charges no dues; its meetings are free. People attend to receive and to give help – a philosophy that makes AA a powerful, close-knit community. Don’t think you can’t practice generosity until you’re successful. Many successful people never made money their goal; it flowed in because their priorities were in order. As a linchpin, consider how you can donate your art, your efforts, your inspiration and your energy.
10. Life will provide challenges you can’t control. Just keep believing in yourself.
Develop the right perspective and see things the way they really are. Linchpins understand that life offers many challenges they can’t control. If you go into a business meeting anticipating the outcome, you set yourself up for disappointment. Godin says hold back: Don’t emotionally invest in a situation that has so many variables that you can’t predict the outcome. Linchpins can accept the things they can’t change and still move forward.
You can settle for mediocrity because change is intimidating. Or you can defy the status quo. Look beyond the horizon, improve the world and strengthen your relationships. Persevere, and ignore lizard brain self-doubt messages. Don’t get in your own way.
Godin knows you don’t want to hear this, but the heads-up is for your own good. For more than 100 years, a tacit agreement held true between employer and employee: Companies promised decent wages, solid benefits and job security in exchange for obedient workers who punched the clock, met expectations and followed the rules. The illusion of job security turned workers into timid tagalongs that were terrified of self-expression, innovation or risk. That contract is no longer valid. Vast economic and technological changes created an insecure workforce victimized by globalization, downsizing and layoffs. Unemployment rises, pensions disappear and workers lose their houses in record numbers. The prospects are grim. You work as previous generations did but reap few of their benefits. However, Godin says, you do have some choices.
2. You can embrace either hopelessness or opportunity.
The employer-employee system shattered into millions of disconnected parts. Unmotivated employees resign themselves to their lot. They don’t believe they can make a difference, so they no longer try. Even white-collar workers in tidy offices who believe they are a step above the masses perform numbingly repetitive tasks devoid of creativity. Now you can either bemoan your fate and embrace hopelessness, or climb out of the rubble and seize the opportunity to create a bright, new future.
3. Cast off mediocrity.
Society discourages creativity and artistry. For centuries, the working world compelled individuals to conform to one of two roles under different guises: bourgeoisie or proletariat, manager or laborer, leader or follower. The old rules said to stay out of trouble, obey instructions, work diligently and receive your just deserts. Godin’s new perform-or-perish rules demand that you stand out, be extraordinary, and create something new and innovative.
4. Become a “linchpin.”
You can stand above the crowd by becoming a linchpin – an invaluable, indispensable employee who inspires everyone else. Be unique, inventive and dynamic. Project a winning attitude, even if naysayers surround you. Be the person others ask for help. When your colleagues depend on you, your firm will pay you accordingly. In an economic downturn, you will be the last person laid off.
5. Linchpins inspire through wisdom and shrewdness.
Linchpins aren’t brilliant all the time. They stand out due to their ability to recognize and seize opportunity. But to be a linchpin, Godin says, you must be smart and crafty, as well as hard working. Linchpins surpass their peers by combining wisdom about the job with shrewdness. Every interaction with your colleagues or clients is an opportunity to act as a linchpin in some way. Musicians, writers, painters and dancers create art because they must share their gifts. Financial reward or acclaim motivates few of them. Becoming a linchpin means becoming an artist. It means performing at your best because you simply can’t do otherwise.
6. Tune out your “lizard brain.”
Your lizard brain is wired for survival and fight or flight. It rules all animals by telling them to hunt, find shelter, stake out territory, and hide or fight their attackers. It fears risk and sows self-doubt and mistrust. It evolved earlier and has greater power than the creative part of your brain. Creative, optimistic, successful people tune out messages from their lizard brains. They don’t take failure personally. They don’t think of themselves as losers. They gain strengths from setbacks.
7. Beware of the danger of comfort.
When you reach that uncertain stage about making a change, Godin says go for it. Of course, it’s not his mortgage at stake, but he’s trying to be encouraging when he advises not succumbing to the paralyzing grip of fear. People whose phobias control them cling to dead-end jobs because they feel safe. They find change unsettling or frightening. They prefer a miserable status quo to the unknown. They don’t worry about failure because they never take risks. Trying something new or breaking old patterns means exposing yourself to criticism. To evolve, ignore tasks that abet procrastination. The nearer you are to a breakthrough, the more you will embrace distraction. Surfing the Internet or checking your email is a lot easier than being creative and initiating change. Most people won’t commit to self-discipline, but that’s the key to productivity.
8. Don’t let anxiety rule you.
Anxiety is the most useless emotion. Unlike fear, which alerts you to legitimate threats, you manufacture anxiety. It springs from imaginary worst-case scenarios you create in your mind. It inhibits creative production. Feeling stressed out about something that hasn’t happened isn’t logical. But Godin says, instead of trying to escape anxiety, just get used to it, and it will dissipate. With practice, you can break an anxiety cycle by recognizing its early signs. To embrace change, decide that nothing is going to stand in your way. No amount of self-doubt or negativity can derail you. March ahead fearlessly.
9. Giving is better than taking.
Generous, committed people understand the power of giving. They recognize the value of supporting others – with time, money or talent – and being part of something larger than themselves. Sadly, altruism gains little admiration. Society emphasizes consolidating power, accumulating possessions and soliciting praise. Yet some people share their bounty while asking for nothing in return. You defeat the purpose of giving when you give for money, personal gain or reciprocity. Giving fortifies the bonds among people and strengthens the community. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), for example, charges no dues; its meetings are free. People attend to receive and to give help – a philosophy that makes AA a powerful, close-knit community. Don’t think you can’t practice generosity until you’re successful. Many successful people never made money their goal; it flowed in because their priorities were in order. As a linchpin, consider how you can donate your art, your efforts, your inspiration and your energy.
10. Life will provide challenges you can’t control. Just keep believing in yourself.
Develop the right perspective and see things the way they really are. Linchpins understand that life offers many challenges they can’t control. If you go into a business meeting anticipating the outcome, you set yourself up for disappointment. Godin says hold back: Don’t emotionally invest in a situation that has so many variables that you can’t predict the outcome. Linchpins can accept the things they can’t change and still move forward.
You can settle for mediocrity because change is intimidating. Or you can defy the status quo. Look beyond the horizon, improve the world and strengthen your relationships. Persevere, and ignore lizard brain self-doubt messages. Don’t get in your own way.