ARE YOU A "LINCHPIN"?How to Become Indispensible
Work + Money
Seth Godin, Author, Linchpin
Are you indispensible? This is the question Seth Godin, bestselling author of the newly publishedLinchpin, poses to readers. In this interview, Godin tells us what it means to be indispensible, and why being indispensible, or a "linchpin," is the surest path to success.
What is a “linchpin”?
A linchpin is someone who does work that matters, someone who would be missed if they were gone. A linchpin is someone who has no trouble answering the question, "Why shouldn't I pay someone else less to do what you're doing?" They're a contributor we can't live without.
Why is being a linchpin so necessary today?
The economy has shifted, probably forever. The industrial age is over. The idea of compliant workers following instructions and generating output in a factory (any kind of factory) doesn't work when your competition is everywhere. All that we can do to earn more than the minimum is to be human, to connect, to lead and to create art.
What are the four defining qualities of a linchpin?
A linchpin is someone who does work that matters, someone who would be missed if they were gone. A linchpin is someone who has no trouble answering the question, "Why shouldn't I pay someone else less to do what you're doing?" They're a contributor we can't live without.
Why is being a linchpin so necessary today?
The economy has shifted, probably forever. The industrial age is over. The idea of compliant workers following instructions and generating output in a factory (any kind of factory) doesn't work when your competition is everywhere. All that we can do to earn more than the minimum is to be human, to connect, to lead and to create art.
What are the four defining qualities of a linchpin?
- Work without a map, figure out what to do next instead of waiting to be told.
- Conquer the lizard, the fear of being laughed at. [The lizard brain is a recurring theme inLinchpin -- it is the primal part of the brain that operates out of fear, not out of creativity or vision.]
- Ship it out the door. Ship, always ship. [To ship is to send out the product, to share your product with the world.]
- Practice generosity. Art in all its forms involves a gift, something more than expected or demanded, something personal that changes the recipient.
How can you know if you are a linchpin?
