Are you Indispensable?
It’s no secret to those who know me that I am a Seth Godin fan. He’s written some great books, and his book “Tribes” really stirred me to think about how we organize our world today. This week, on Michael Hyatt’s blog (Michael Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers), he had an interview with Seth Godin about his latest book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Our world of work has trained us to be compliant, follow the rules kind of workers. There’s a book, a map, a policy manual, and as long as you do that, you’re considered a “good worker.” And yet, what that really means is you end up being a cog in a wheel, and quite replaceable at that. It leads to people being commoditized. Not our work, but the people themselves. I come from an industry where there is a lot of talk about commoditization, and this book was an eye opener for me that it is really often the people that get commoditized, not just the work they do. We’re taught from the time we are in school the importance of fitting in, being sure that we are “average,” and when we step outside that box, there is always someone there to pull us back in line and make sure we are compliant. What is sad to me is that we build that in people when they have so much more to offer.
Companies sometimes even look for that in a person. I had an opportunity this week, while reading this book, to speak with an employer about someone they were considering hiring. Their comment was “we don’t want someone who thinks they know how to do something better than the boss, we need a person who can follow OUR way of doing things.” That comment would have saddened me before reading this book, however, since I was in the middle of reading it, it really was almost heartbreaking. It’s all around us. A friend recently told me she was told by a supervisor, “If your boss tells you to do something, you just do it, no questions, no thinking, just do what the boss wants, that is how you survive here.” She is a brilliant, talented woman with so much to offer and yet is being trained into submission. I recently heard, as well, from someone dear to me, “I just want someone to tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” Again, a very talented, creative person who has been taught that compliance to the rule book is the way to success. The examples could go on and on.
Godin defines linchpins as ones who invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. A linchpin doesn’t care that there is no map or rule book, they just figure out what to do. He calls what they creating art. Each day becomes a work of art for them because they love what they do and put their best selves forward. Each day becomes a work of art for them.
He also speaks of the “lizard brain,” that part of us that is afraid to not fit in. So many times the lizard brain gets in our way and we end up listening to it instead of doing what we can to really make a difference. It is our culture that has engrained this into us, from the time we were kids, being taught that you need to fit into someone else’s view of what “normal” is. Sadly, because we are afraid of being ridiculed, the lizard brain often wins. In addition, I think that today’s economy creates such a fear of one losing their job that often the lizard brain wins because we get in a mindset of “this is better than nothing.” How sad.
The challenge is to really take a bold step to look at who you are and what you want to do to create your own art. What can you do to connect with others and really make a difference? Sometimes you can make that difference right where you are. Create a work of art. Don’t ask permission, just do it. And, yes, sometimes it may mean stepping away from the place where we are and going in a completely different direction, away from the familiar and routine. Yet, in doing that, we find true freedom and the ability to truly make a difference. That, in my opinion, is amazing.
I do believe this book has the power to change lives, IF you read and apply it. If you are ready for something different in your life, something that reinvents you, this is a must read. I challenge you to get it and read it. I would love the discussion we could have about what we all see along the way. You can purchase the book with the link above, which is an Amazon affiliate link.
Who are the linchpins you have met in your life? Someone who really made a difference. Someone who didn’t do things just because it was the thing to do. Someone who gave to the community in ways that impacted people. Leave a comment and tell me your linchpin story.
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Yes, but…(what a great way to begin a rebuttal!) Do you think that the general population now can afford to be creative? To step away from what they know and do to blaze new trails? I believe some of us are just in “survival” mode, panicking at the thought that we might not be trained to do anything else and still have bills to pay. I guess that is my “lizard brain” talking.
My husband blazed a new trail for himself after being in the printing business for 30 years. Now he’s doing what he loves and enjoys. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly the money he used to make…but, fortunately for me, he barely has any stress in his part-time job as an employee and his part-time self employment–which means I can keep him around a lot longer. And I am a lucky woman!
Deb, I frankly think we have no choice but to be creative if we want to survive. I understand that survival mode, really I do. And yet what I also know is that sometimes that survival mode is a miserable place to be. In the last few months I have learned that when you really evaluate it, you have more skills than you know. It is our lizard brain that convinces us that we can’t do anything different than what we have always done. And yes, I imagine sometimes that does mean living on less, and I’ve found in the last two months that is entirely possible, it just means adjustments. Still, I think it is worth it because of just what you said about your husband. Happier, less stress. How’s that for an answer to your rebuttal?