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Jan 29, 2012

Davide rated it:

"nessuno é indispensabile" é una grande frottola che torna utile a molti, un luogo comune che permette ai responsabili aziendali di tenere alla briglia i dipendenti, un'ottima scusa per i dipendenti più svogliati per parlar male di colleghi più bravi o più coraggiosi nell'assumersi responsabilità.

I tempi sono cambiati, e Seth Godin lo spiega molto bene, con la sua scrittura veloce e piacevole: non esiste più (o é in via di estinzione) il modello di lavoro che prevede il pat More...

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Aug 24, 2011

Melissa rated it:

Whenever we went to the McDonald's near my college campus, it was like dining at a five-star restaurant. At this particular Mickey D's, every single customer was greeted by the most cheerful and friendliest guy I have ever encountered. He held the door open, asked you about your day, stopped by your booth to see how your Big Mac was, and engaged you in some witty repartee.

People loved this guy. The Husband and I certainly did. Its been 20 years since I last laid eyes on the guy and More...

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Apr 27, 2011

Chad rated it:

Seth Godin dishes out thought-provoking advice on standing out and succeeding in an economy of commodity goods and services. His advice: in a world of cold, commercial systems, you must make transactions personal and human. Emotional labor sets you apart. You can’t compete simply on your ability to complete the task (the physical or intellectual labor). Interact and connect with people, and give gifts by by going beyond what your job requires.

The best summary I found is when Godin sa More...

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Jan 15, 2011

Francis rated it:

Seriously, if you want to know why your children's school seems to not be teaching them to think, if you want to know why you hate your job, read this book.

Our entire education system is built around creating good factory workers, who have no initiative and do what they're told. You may sit in a call centre or push numbers into a computer all day - but it's still a factory, think about it. Guess what - the factories are all gone or on their way, and cost-cutting means that you can't co More...

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Jan 10, 2011

Matt rated it:

This book is more like it. After Purple Cow I was going to give Seth Godin one more shot and he proved himself this time. It makes me want to read The Dip and Tribes. This book was great and had some really good takeaways. Godin took his idea of being a purple cow and explained it this time. There were moments in the book where his ideas were very clear. He provided a great explanation about how we become cogs in life. We are taught to be machines and simply take orders. I think his Cand More...

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Jan 04, 2011

Jeffrey rated it:

Linchpin, like most of Godin's recent books, is full of short, varied meditations on the necessity of becoming an indispensable producer in the workforce. I flew through the book in two days, but spent much of the next two weeks re-reading small sections at a time, giving some of the ideas the time and consideration they deserve.

Godin isn't attempting to write a "How To" manual here. There is little in the way of step-by-step advice or processes (other than the pointedly blu More...

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Jan 01, 2011

Darell rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 22, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? By Seth Godin (pp. 256)

A pop-psych, business book that looks at the role of the worker. Godin makes the argument that the modern industrial workforce has reached its peak and people are no longer valuable by just their ability to just do their jobs or fill a spot on the team. Efficiencies in technology have made people easily replaceable. The middle-American white-collar job is on the way out, just like the blue-collar factory worker has phased out a More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 22, 2010

Tommy rated it:

I have to read these type of books for work twice a year for a mandated "Team Book Club". As a caveat before getting into this, I hate things that are mandated. Also I read a lot and have a huge list of things I want to read, so having to take time out to read something like this, can feel like a bit of a waste of time.

So now, I like Seth's blog and check it from time to time when I have the time. This one should have stayed as a blog post. It would have been good in that le More...

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Aug 02, 2010

getAbstract rated it:

Rich though rambling guide on how to become indispensable at work

Warning: If you absorb all business blogger Seth Godin’s advice, you could end up overworked and underappreciated. Godin’s antidote to mediocrity and conformity is so effective and convincing that it may have the unintended consequence of making you the go-to person for your whole organization. Godin stipulates that everyone faces a choice: An individual can choose to live day after day, year after year, languidly going More...

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Jul 19, 2010

Kendra rated it:

It is Godin's belief that most of us are lucky enough to have a choice in life. We can choose mediocrity or we can choose to do something remarkable with our talents. This self-help book motivates people to think of their work as a form of art. It doesn't matter if you are the CEO of a billion dollar company or a barista at a local coffee shop, everyone has a choice about how they perform their particular skills.

Why do you go to work every day? Is there some reason besides a payche More...

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Jul 16, 2010

Hinch rated it:

Linchpin is occasionally over the top, repetitious, and disjointed, but the core message is sound, and it's passionately delivered. The basic premise of the book is that the world has changed, and that working harder, faster, and cheaper than your colleagues or competitors is no longer a guarantee of success. We need to do more than follow instructions. We need to fight against the notion that we are commodities; cogs working in a factory that can be easily replaced with a cheaper and more effic More...

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Jun 30, 2010

Annalaura rated it:

This newest book by former marketing executive for Yahoo and creative thinker Seth Godin has got to be one of his best. In it he asks the ultimate question- “Are you a linchpin?” Do you even know what a linchpin is? I know I didn’t until I read this book. Well a linchpin is a valuable piece used to hold screws together in many manufactured items and machines such as cars and motors. Without it the item will not work or function properly.

Throughout the course of this book, Godin ex More...

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Jun 06, 2010

Book rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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May 03, 2010

Will rated it:

Linchpin is one of those career self-help books that are popular airplane reads. I was ready to give it a terrible review, but then I spent an hour skimming it. During that abbreviated read, I ran across a simplified view of the modern workplace and how it differs from a naive and inaccurate view of the workplace of yesteryear, a few run-of-the-mill inspirational stories including one about Richard Branson that's memorable, and some ambiguous descriptive advice about how to stand out in your car More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 19, 2010

Brian rated it:

This is a preachy, slightly condescending, some what annoying, repetitive book about how to thrive in a new era of work and a new economy. Sounds like I'm down on it, aye? Not at all. I loved it. It is full of ideas that are perfect for creative professionals. It outlines our past economy, school system, work mindsets and ideas about work. Bit by bit, it builds up a case for how to thrive doing what you love, giving to others and doing 'art'. His definition of art is broad, conceptual and More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 09, 2010

Jay rated it:

I first came across Seth Godin when I picked up last year’s “Tribes.” I’m now a loyal reader of his blog: www.sethgodin.com. Though he addresses marketing, creative passion, and innovation mainly through a corporate / entrepreneurial lens, I have found many of the concepts and prods he presents as very relevant to our work in communities. In fact, that’s the frame – dramatically improved community outcomes -- I am going to use as I highlight two ideas from “Linchpin” which have value far beyon More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 01, 2010

Julie rated it:

I'm ambivalent on this one. A few years ago, I read another of Godin's books, Meatball Sundae, which explained that you cannot use "sundaes" (web 2.0 marketing) to sell "meatballs" (old-school, average products for average people). Which was a good argument, I suppose, except that Godin never really explained how you can transform your "meatballs" into "ice cream."

So when I picked up his new book, Linchpin, I wasn't sure what to expect. Unlike G More...

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Mar 16, 2010

Jerry rated it:

Quite simply the most profound book about business, creativity, and the future of work that I've ever read. Though I've been a fan of Seth Godin's for a while, this book makes me realize that everything else he's ever written was preparation for this masterpiece. It's like he's channeling wisdom about how to contribute, connect, and create with compassion and excitement from some other plane. Really, it's that good.

Though the title may make it sound like the book is about how to More...

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Mar 01, 2010

Mark rated it:

I've found myself reading several other Godin titles in the past so there must be enough there that I keep getting drawn back... but I do have to remind myself -- again -- that while Godin is a master of the blog format he just isn't up to the full-length book format. His ideas, while generally brilliant, come at the reader in bullet-point format and if they were condensed into a more flowing narrative they would be about 1/2 the length and not nearly so redundant.

So that's the majo More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2010

Reggie rated it:

This book is about being an artist. Whether you're a painter or an accountant you can bring unique talents to the job and become indispensable, a linchpin. I've been reading Seth's daily blog for a long time, but I'm embarrassed to say this was my first time reading one of his books. It was eye opening.

This reviewer summed it up nicely:

"Too many people accept a day's pay for a day's work. They clock in, do their work like automatons, and clock out. Most businesses More...

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Feb 09, 2010

Steve rated it:

see my blog for unfolding review, section by section: www.hayhows.blogspot.com.

Great great stuff on giving, becoming indespensable, arther than just being cog in the organisation.

Seth Godin: "Linchpin: Are your Indispensable?"
I don't read many business books. Most of them don't interest me, especially the stand, text-book types. But I do enjoy some of these cutting edge thinkers like Daniel Pink and Seth Godin because I think they are onto something, not More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2010

Lain rated it:

Seth Godin is a genius. There's no two ways about it. He has an uncanny ability to get at what's wrong with our current business culture and recommend ways to position yourself -- and your company -- for success.

In this, his latest book, he takes on the idea of the artist. Artists, he says, are not those who work merely in clay, paint, and ink: Anyone can (and should) be an artist in their field. Artists can be marketers, salespeople, CEOs, accountants, and garbage collectors. What s More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Keith rated it:

I certainly enjoyed reading it. It is mostly like an inspirational book encouraging you to be unique. I think it is really good advice. However, I suspect if you are reading this book, you probably already have the basic idea: be a seeker, be daring, look for ideas that stand out, don't be afraid. It points out how our culture trains us for conformity and restraint, and how this fits with the lizard brain.

We know that the world is changing, and just as Dan Pink writes, there will More...

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Aug 03, 2011

Eventure added it

Thank you Seth Godin. I especially like these following quotes:

*"What they should teach in school: 1) Solve interesting problems 2) Lead" (47).

*"Organizations that can bring humanity and flexibility to their interactions with other human being will thrive" (61).

*"The artist creates his idea knowing that it will spread freely, without recompense" (86).

*" Ishita Gupta wrote, Every day is a new chance to choose. Choose to change your perspective. Choose to flip More...

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Jul 25, 2011

John rated it:

"I find Godin's writing style challenging as it seems he is always yelling at me. I'm not sure his train of thought is this fragmented but his writing is not cohesive. As such, there were tangents that I struggled to follow and entire sections that seemed out of place.

All that said, Godin makes a strong case for the next generation corporation in a Flat, wired world, channeling Friedman and Tapscott's points along the way. He also helpfully confronts the institutional paralysis More...

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May 24, 2011

Missjgray rated it:

This book was really quite excellent. A little scattered and if you don't "already" know Godin's language, it's a tad like jumping into the deep end. But it's worth learning how to swim.

This book was very inspiring and informative. I learned a lot and solidified a lot of what I read most days on Seth's blog.

I almost didn't bother reading the book, because I read his blog all the time, but I was given a free copy from a contest. The book has proven to be fasci More...

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Mar 27, 2010

Rachel rated it:

I read this on the plane. While I do read Seth Godin's blog from time to time, I usually take what he says with a grain of salt. He decries the current white collar workplace as being a factory, and instead argues for individuals to "rise up" and become artists (this ethos might explain the front cover image). Art, in his sense of the word, does not just mean, say, painting an exquisite portrait of a poodle, but rather putting integrity and effort into what you do.

Whi More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Johanna rated it:

(audio book) I don't think audio is the best format for this book. I still want to get my hands on a hard-copy, because I'm not sure I got out of this book as much as I could have. However, the fact that I'm still interested enough in the subject matter of the book to want to see it printed must mean that I got something out of it.

Format: So the audio felt like I was being read a long series of short philosophical and inspirational snippets. I couldn't always tell when one section was More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Angel rated it:

Gets three stars because "I liked it," but I did not "really like it." When I started it, I thought much of the content would be statements of the obvious. And there are quite a few of those in this book. But Godin also provides some things to think about, including a thing or two that librarians can learn. I did find myself taking notes from the book now and then, and I will likely post some of those in my blog later. At the moment, I just wanted to get a quick review in so More...

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