Are You a Linchpin?
I just wrapped up the newest book from Seth Godin called Linchpin. It was a gift from his publicist, and much appreciated. Great read for those of us who want people to find fulfillment in their life including their careers. If more bosses grasped the value of linchpins, the world would be a much better (and happier) place.
Here are some of the thoughts that grabbed my attention:
- “A genius looks at something that others are stuck on and gets the world unstuck.”
- “The compliant masses don’t help so much when you don’t know what to do next.”
- “The world works too fast for centralized control… It turns out that pushing decision making down the chart is faster and more efficient.”
- “Art is never defect-free. Things that are remarkable never meet spec, because that would make them standardized, not worth talking about.”
- “Every day, successful people race to give away their expertise and to spread their ideas.”
- “It’s impossible to make art for everyone. There are too many conflicting goals and there’s far too much noise. Art for everyone is mediocre, bland, and ineffective.”
- “If you don’t pinpoint your audience, you end up making your art for the loudest, crankiest critics.”
- “Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you’re doing something that others were unlikely to do, because they’re busy hiding out in the comfortable zone.”
- “The temptation to sabotage the new things is huge, precisely because the new thing might work.”
- “It’s not an accident that successful people read more books.”
- “E-mailing is fun, but it rarely changes the world.”
- “Great bosses and world-class organizations hire motivated people, set high expectations, and give their people room to become remarkable.”
- “Telling people leadership is important is one thing. Showing them step by step how to be a leader is impossible.”
- “Real change happens when someone who cares steps up and takes what feels like a risk.”
- “A team at rest tends to stay at rest. Forward motion isn’t the default state of any group of people, particularly groups with lots of people. Cynics and politics and coordination kick in and everything grinds to a halt.”
This is just a tease. I think you’ll love the rest of the book. If you’re interested in checking it out, here’s my Amazon link.
ps – Seth, thanks for the kind acknowledgment. That was a fun surprise. You inspire me.
Tony,
I’m a big fan of Seth Godin too. Thought I would say that before my question.
Some might say a business shouldn’t have indispensable people in it. No one should be indispensable. Is this a danger in the direction Seth has set?
Regards,
Leadership Freak
Dan Rockwell
Recent blog – Go with Average Joe
http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/go-with-average-joe/
Just finished the book. All I can say is its about time. Should be required reading for all Christian leaders. No… back-up it should be required reading for ALL Christians, after the Bible, of course.
Stability and normalization seem to be the goal of a lot of organizations (no matter what they say), but that kind of systemic mediocrity seems to always lead to “bunting for singles.” Not a bad way to increase shareholder value, but it can be a miserable way to work. I think Seth’s point in Linchpin is that real, exponential value is almost always created when people decide to confront their fear of “what might happen if I __________?” I took it more as a personal challenge than an organizational mandate. He talked about that a little on our podcast (http://www.accidentalcreative.com/podcasts).
I like Seth’s books, thank you for taking these quotes and putting them up, I am getting the book. SOLD!