Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

by Seth Godin

This is where the thrashing and dreaming begin. It’s very hard to get the people you work with to pay attention at this moment. Since the deadline is so far away, their lizard brains are asleep and there’s no fear or selfish motivation available. People focus on emergencies, not urgencies, and getting yourself (and them) to stop working on tomorrow’s deadline and pitch in now isn’t easy. A big part of the work, then, is to get yourself (and your team, if you have one) to step up and dream. On a regular basis, collate the cards and read ’em aloud to the team. This process will inevitably lead to more cards. Then, put the cards into a database. I use FileMaker Pro, but you can use any simple database. (You can even use a pad of paper.) If you have a group, try to find a group database for the Web. Every card gets its own record. The record can include words, images, sketches, and links to other cards. The idea is that this is your thrashing playground. Let the team play along. Rearrange. Draw. Sketch. Make sure everyone understands that this is the very last chance they have to make the project better.