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Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 9,316 ratings · 789 reviews

"This is what the future of work (and the world) looks like. Actually, it's already happening around you." -Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
In bestsellers such as "Purple Cow" and "Tribes," Seth Godin taught readers how to make remarkable products and spread powerful ideas. But this book is about you-your choices, your future, and your potential to make a huge difference in w...more

ebook, 256 pages

Published January 26th 2010 by Portfolio (first published 2010)

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Jan 23, 2011 Davide Rapetti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"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 patto di mutuo aiuto tra...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Rob Brazier rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like many books in this genre, this book suffers from being too long. The core content, however, is fantastic. Seth's thoughts on "shipping", beating the resistance, and giving gifts were useful and inspiring. I'd recommend the audio book to anyone--makes it easier to skip past the repetitive chunks once you've got Seth's point.

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Mar 24, 2013 Shalom rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, business

Not quite finished with this yet but it seems as if it could be condensed to a one page blog posting. In fact I wonder if he just expanded a blog into this. It is so incredibly repetitive without inventing any major insights. "Be indispensable and be artistic". Give me a break, that isn't even an insight, it's a fact if life. Try to be useful at your job and contribute more than just the minimum. Thank Seth.
Now that I finished, I reaffirm the wasted hours I spent reading this book. It is a boor...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Farnoosh Brock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business-spirit

Seth Godin needs no introduction. A world class marketer, a best-selling author of a dozen books, an unmatched voice of influence, not to mention a sincerely genuine person on every interview and interaction. This was the first book of Godin that I read.

I did not find this book so compelling that I did put it down. I read it in spurts. I even came close to shipping it off to a friend but I came back to it. I read it. I finished it. I devoured it. I loved it.

Brilliant thoughts expressed in simple...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Mike O'connell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Read this book!
Read this book!
Read this book!
Provacative and stimulating, Godin goes beyond the trappings of his early marketing books with what is his most compelling book. Provocative and a little conspiratorial, if you want to shake up your thinking, it's a great read. The big idea- great organizations are organized around difficult to replace individuals, who do art. The status quo of the industrial age is dying, that of easily replaced cogs that do a day's work for a day's pay. In the conne...more Read this book!
Read this book!
Read this book!
Provacative and stimulating, Godin goes beyond the trappings of his early marketing books with what is his most compelling book. Provocative and a little conspiratorial, if you want to shake up your thinking, it's a great read. The big idea- great organizations are organized around difficult to replace individuals, who do art. The status quo of the industrial age is dying, that of easily replaced cogs that do a day's work for a day's pay. In the connected age companies that rely on cogs race the the bottom, companies that employ Linchpins create remarkable work that you want to share with your friends and neighbors.

Does that sound a bit confusing and out of context... well yes it is a bit, so read this book!

5 Quotes- Linchpin:

1 - On Following Instructions "You have been brainwashed by school and by the system into believing that your job is to do your job and follow instructions. It’s not, not anymore." Godin, Seth (2010-01-19). Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (p. 5). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

2- On Cogs "The PERL (Percentage of Easily Replaced Laborers) In the factory era, the goal was to have the highest PERL. Think about it. If you can easily replace most of your workers, you can pay them less. The less you pay them, the more money you make. The city newspaper, for example, might have four hundred employees, but only a few dozen salespeople and columnists were hard to replace on a moment’s notice. The goal was to leverage and defend the system, not the people." (p. 10). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

3- On School: "Teaching Remarkable Where do the great artists, writers, product developers, copywriters, inventors, scientists, process engineers, and chefs come from? Explain this: If I make a list of great artists (Alice Waters, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Spike Lee, Eliyahu Goldratt, Muddy Waters, Cory Doctorow, Richard Feynman, Shepard Fairey), not one of the names on this particular list is the product of a school designed to create him or her. A great school experience won’t keep you from being remarkable, but it’s usually not sufficient to guarantee that you will become so. There’s something else at work here." (pp. 28-29). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

4- On Hiring Linchpins: "Secret Memo for Employers You want your employees to be indispensable. Really? After all, if they’re the linchpins, you have to treat them better. Pay them fairly. You won’t be able to quickly fire them for any reason, knowing how easy they will be to replace with all those folks lining up at the door. The linchpin represents a threat to the orderly execution of your agenda, because the linchpin is necessary. The linchpin has power!" (p. 35). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

5- On the Lies We Tell When Hiring: The Boss’s Lie “What I want is someone who will do exactly what I tell them to.” “What I want is someone who works cheap.” “What I want is someone who shows up on time and doesn’t give me a hard time.” So, if this is what the boss really wants, how come the stars in the company don’t follow these three rules? How come the people who get promoted and get privileges and expense accounts and are then wooed away to join other companies and get written up in the paper and have servants and coffee boys . . . how come those guys aren’t the ones who do this stuff? (p. 37). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

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Nov 14, 2012 Algirdas Raščius rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seth Godin tries to convince the reader to became a "linchpin" in his organization as opposed to being a "cog".

According to author "the linchpin is an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create, and make things happen". The linchpin does not work to the manual provided by this boss, he invents his own map. He creates an art and gives it as a gift for free without expecting direct compensation. Compensation usually follows by itself.

To became a l...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Robert Chapman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: personal-development

This is the second book I have read from Seth Godin, the first was Poke The Box. I really enjoyed Poke the Box, and it was no surprise to me that I also enjoyed this book very much as well. At a high level I would say that everything I have read so far from this author really boils down to a philosophy of being, how each of us can change to become more successful and thus be happier in our jobs and lives.

Linchpin is about what it takes in today’s workplace to become indispensable. I liked the op...more This is the second book I have read from Seth Godin, the first was Poke The Box. I really enjoyed Poke the Box, and it was no surprise to me that I also enjoyed this book very much as well. At a high level I would say that everything I have read so far from this author really boils down to a philosophy of being, how each of us can change to become more successful and thus be happier in our jobs and lives.

Linchpin is about what it takes in today’s workplace to become indispensable. I liked the opening of the book where the author explains the two ways employers can win today – by cutting corners and making products cheaper or by embracing thinking employees, artists as he calls them.

In the industrial age, the factory did not need labour as much as labour needed the factory. This is no longer true, now one person with laptop is the labour and the factory. I loved how the author described the factory as the place where people go to work to be told what to do and get paid.

In todays workplace the artist is the one who applies their unique gift to their work and actually ships. That concept of shipping comes up over and over again in the book as it is so important to being truly indispensable. Depth of knowledge alone is not sufficient anymore to be indispensable, it must be combined with something else to have value.

I agree with the author when he says the system we have in place now in so many workplaces is broken, and I come back to what he said in the beginning of the book about the two ways to win. The way forward for employers is to embrace thinking employees and realize that one person with a laptop or a few guys in a garage with a net connection can create art and change the game. The way forward for employees is to understand how to truly bring value to their work and in turn the organization.

It’s a short book, so I’m not going to itemize the tips the author gives to become indispensable, you’ll need to read the book for that. Rest assured it’s well worth the investment of your hard earned money and personal time(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Matthew Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I once went on a roller coaster in California, named the "X". It would slowly click its way some 150 feet above the ground with 50 nervously twitching passengers on board. As soon as you began the first drop, the ride would spin you on your head so many times, sometimes you weren't quite sure were the ground was. This was a similar experience to reading this book.

A powerful and intriguing book that flips you on your head every three or four paragraphs. One thing that occasionally I had an issue...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Nick Arkesteyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another Amazing Seth Godin Book. This book is about making yourself indispensable. It goes into how the world intends to make factory workers out of everyone in almost every profession. Doctors, Engineers, Public Officials are all now just cogs in a machine that are easily replaceable. The average person is just a cheap machine that works a "fair" days work for a "fair" days pay. As soon as you can be replaced by something or someone cheaper, you will be.

This book is about making yourself so rem...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Benjamin Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: economics, creativity

Godin's ideas, I think, are sound. Stop following the rules, trying to please your boss, and keeping your head down. White-collar desk jobs are the new factories, and what the world needs now – what the economy needs – are people willing to be authentic, do their own thing, and make art. Waiting tables can be art. Selling life insurance can be art. What matters is not necessarily where the art takes place, but simply that it does take place; that we each find what it is we're geniuses at, stop b...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Christine marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: business, on-hiatus, non-fiction

July 2012, page 136:
PAUSE TO REFLECT..

I purchased "Linchpin" because, of course, everyone's talking about it; so, although Seth Godin's POV doesn't often click with me, I figured it's wise to keep up on the latest information, & I'd surely find at least a few good nuggets to take away. Every book has *some* takeaway, I believe, even if I wholly dislike or disagree with it. "Take the best & leave the rest," as they say.

As expected, I've found a couple nuggets that I like--particularly t...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Tom Bentley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Linchpin is Seth Godin's challenge to do your life's best work. That's big: your life's best work. Its message is that no matter if you're a pizza cook, a shaman or a 30-year Member of the Board, it's time to make something--something that matters--happen. And to make it happen with clarity, with humility and with a generous heart. The book's message is appropriately urgent, because these are urgent times, where molasses-bound mediocrity suffuses the workplace, where convention pulls the air out...more Linchpin is Seth Godin's challenge to do your life's best work. That's big: your life's best work. Its message is that no matter if you're a pizza cook, a shaman or a 30-year Member of the Board, it's time to make something--something that matters--happen. And to make it happen with clarity, with humility and with a generous heart. The book's message is appropriately urgent, because these are urgent times, where molasses-bound mediocrity suffuses the workplace, where convention pulls the air out of the room.

What Godin insists is that everyone is an artist, a person whose unique skills, insights and enthusiasms combine so that they can produce art in their work. It's that pizza cook who discovered that a little chipotle and cayenne in the sauce made people exclaim "Wow!" at the tables. Trivial? Perhaps. But not if we all offered our particular art--the essence of meaningful effort--in a world where just getting by is good enough. Seth posits that this art is that special something, something extra--it's what makes a REAL exchange between humans. And that though the offering of art is a gift, it's entrepreneurial too: summoning your best, and giving it has cascade effects, it's generative.

The book extensively addresses the voice that says "No!" in all of us: the lizard brain. Fear is the lizard brain's song of paralysis; the basilisk that both protects and prevents forward movement. Godin gives workable advice on unclogging the arteries of that lizard brain so that your joints flex toward "Yes!"

Linchpin is formatted so that Seth's ideas come in blog-bites: chunky canape servings, perfect to roll around the mouth and mind, noting spice and scent. I read it as part of my Slow Book movement: savoring a passage, reflecting on its flavor, digesting its impact--and licking my lips to taste it again.

So, the essentials: Don't settle. Your life is your shot (your cosmic chance, if I can risk guru-rrificness) to make a difference. Going through the motions of your career, your relations with others, your relations with yourself = drag. Making a difference, offering your art through your work and actions = world-changing; indispensable.(less)

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May 08, 2012 Loy Machedo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Linchpin by Seth Godin

After watching Seth on TED talks and accidentally noticing his books on more than one occasion, I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase his books. I wasn’t sure if his books were worth the investment, but hey, what the hell.

But having done that, I must admit, I am impressed with the man. He is quite a creative crackpot who comes up with great ingredients and strange concoctions – some of which you might have tasted before but now being...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

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 while I can'...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Chad Warner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: college graduates, entrepreneurs, businesspeople

Shelves: business, self-help

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 says,

"You mus

...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Francis Fish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone stuck in a rut, or afraid of losing their job

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 compete with...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Candyland ex...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 blunt advice to "Ship"...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Darell Schmick rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What I can appreciate about this book: Godin's energy, the bits of insight that Godin produces as he pulls together thoughts and ideas from various readings (see his bibliography at the end of the book), the illustrated planes, like the "quadrants of discernment" which made a lot of sense.

What got in the way of truly enjoying this book: The bits of insight didn't string well together--evident that these paragraphs were dictated by voice and lazily worked in to most passages, Godin's misunderstan...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 as a viable, f...more 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 as a viable, family sustaining role. Both the American Dream and how people view their roles, self-assessment must be done or people will falsely blame their companies for their layoffs and downsizing.

He makes the point that individuals who find the passion in their roles – who consider themselves artists of delivery of their chosen professions are the ones who will succeed in the future. He also makes a great case for people in all walks of life to step up and believe in what they do or find something that creates that passion. After all, if you don’t love what you spend the majority of your time on, why should one expect others to view them as indispensible. Artistry and passion being the new keys to success.

Godin gets a little repetitive, but it can be excused due to Godin’s desire to fire up those who are listening to the message. He almost hits people over the head with the side of his book. He looks to make people who have been trained to think a certain way for the last 70 years look at work differently.

I would normally find his kind of rah-rah cloying and self-serving motivational blather, but he really seems to believe in what he’s arguing. He uses some well researched material from a bibliography that could serve as a reading list for a college degree in modern business and sociology. Anecdotes are relevant and interesting. Godin may be one of my new favorite authors in the Atal, Gladwell, and Pink rooster of popular business authors. Another Godin selection will determine if this was just a one-off. If Godin’s idea is just a little contagious, the world will be better off because of it.
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Dec 22, 2010 Tommy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 length. In book form,...more

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Aug 02, 2010 getAbstract rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 through the...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Kendra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

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 paycheck that keeps...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Hinch rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 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 efficient component. We live in an increasingly educated and connected world, and being "good enough" is no longer the safe option; there are plenty of people with your skills, many of whom are prepared to work for less. If you are to survive, you must stand apart. You must be a linchpin.

Seth's writing style is unique. It's clear and it's catchy. I'm frequently amazed at the lucidity of his thinking. And yet, when I try to recount his ideas to another, I routinely come unstuck. His direct statements, disjointed style, and passionate expression combine to smooth over irregularities of detail and unsound conclusions; anecdote becomes fact, and inspiration becomes truth. However, despite oversimplifying, and overselling the message, Seth delivers a soliloquy that is relevant and urgent. This is not a ten point plan to greatness; it is a call to action. It is a self-help book that warns us that change is necessary. It pleads that we follow our creative instincts, leverage our humanity, and foster our individuality. We need to rally against the lizard brain, that voice inside our head that so desperately wants to keep us safe, to avoid embarrassment and failure. Fitting in, working only off the manual, wedding ourselves to a fixed future... these are not the tenants of the linchpin, and they will not make us indispensable. If we want to survive in a world that is a race to the bottom, we must strive to be irreplaceable. We must work to create, just like artists, personal gifts that change people. And we must be brave enough to offer those gifts to others.(less)

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Jun 30, 2010 Annalaura Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 examines several...more 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 examines several issues including the traditional methods of public education and makes the reader think about whether he or she is or is not a linchpin. He further pushes this idea by explaining that everyone needs and must learn to become one if they plan to survive and thrive in our modern economy. Being a linchpin according to this book means that you are so valuable to your employer that they cannot afford to replace you and in fact, even if they could afford it they would not be able to because you as a person are one of a kind.

Given the new learning model that we have been using for the past year, I couldn’t help but think as I read this book that much of what we are striving to do at the college is to create linchpins rather than machines that can easily be replaced. Godin argues that a traditional school teaches students to become good at school, to only follow directions and to become a master test taker but it does not prepare them to exercise creativity and to contribute to the world in a larger sense above and beyond that of factory work or routine exercises that really anybody could do.

Furthermore we are taught that failure is bad whereas a linchpin embraces and learns from failure.

In addition he concludes the book by sharing with us the seven characteristics of a linchpin and explaining with enough detail although not in extreme detail how you can become a linchpin and exercise what he calls art and help to change the world.

If nothing else this book will give you some food for thought and just may change how you think about traditional jobs and education forever.

Read more book reviews on my blog.
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Jun 06, 2010 Book Calendar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, media, marketing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Linchpin Are You Indispensable by Seth Godin

I read this book because Ron Hogan at the Book Bloggers Convention on May 28, 2010 used The Seven Abilities of the Linchpin as part of his part of his presentation on professionalism and ethics for blogging. It intrigued me enough to want to pick up the book.

Seth Godin is strongly tied with new media. He has a blog and runs a social network called Squidoo. I recently reviewed another of his books, Purple Cow. He is very familiar with the changing envir...more

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May 03, 2010 Will rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Will by: Amazon

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

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Apr 19, 2010 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 not at...more

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Apr 09, 2010 Jay Connor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 beyond...more

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Apr 01, 2010 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business-and-society

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 Godin's other books, Linchpin isn't about marketing...more

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Are you a linchpin? If so, how?	2	58	Mar 04, 2013 07:01pm
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About Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.

Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world, and he is also a renowned speaker. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.

Seth was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the indust...more

More about Seth Godin...

Books by Seth Godin

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers

Poke the Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

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Quotes from Linchpin: Are You Indi...

“The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed.

Someone can always do your job a little better or faster or cheaper than you can.

The job might be difficult, it might require skill, but it's a job.

Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.

I call the process of doing your art 'the work.' It's possible to have a job and do the work, too. In fact, that's how you become a linchpin.

The job is not the work.” — 114 people liked it

“Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that's creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.

What makes someone an artist? I don't think is has anything to do with a paintbrush. There are painters who follow the numbers, or paint billboards, or work in a small village in China, painting reproductions. These folks, while swell people, aren't artists. On the other hand, Charlie Chaplin was an artist, beyond a doubt. So is Jonathan Ive, who designed the iPod. You can be an artists who works with oil paints or marble, sure. But there are artists who work with numbers, business models, and customer conversations. Art is about intent and communication, not substances.

An artists is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artists takes it personally.

That's why Bob Dylan is an artist, but an anonymous corporate hack who dreams up Pop 40 hits on the other side of the glass is merely a marketer. That's why Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, is an artists, while a boiler room of telemarketers is simply a scam.

Tom Peters, corporate gadfly and writer, is an artists, even though his readers are businesspeople. He's an artists because he takes a stand, he takes the work personally, and he doesn't care if someone disagrees. His art is part of him, and he feels compelled to share it with you because it's important, not because he expects you to pay him for it.

Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn't matter. The intent does.

Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that creates change in another.” — 44 people liked it

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