Seth Godin’s Linchpin: An Unsettling Call to Be Indispensable
Growing up I learned a great deal about how things worked in the physical world from working outdoors with my father. Most days we would have at least a few hours to work on our property using a bright orange Kubota tractor. My job was linchpin keeper. If you change a part in the machine, you have to make sure you replace the linchpins or the whole thing will eventually fall apart. Seth Godin’s latest book is entitled Linchpin. A linchpin is indispensable and this title instantly made sense to me.
Linchpin is his 12th book. This one impacted me almost as much as his ninth book The Dip. In his most recent book, Tribes, he encouraged us to lead. In Linchpin he goes further, pleading with the reader to be the indispensable member of a tribe.
In our society linchpins are those individuals that hold things together. Yes, organizations might succeed or thrive for a while without them, but eventually as pressure is applied and structures are tested, things will fall apart. Mr. Godin clearly illustrates that we are in a critical time of history. The age of cogs and factories worked for a while, but everything has changed. A new breed of worker and leader are now required. We need linchpins to solve our problems, keep us connected, and inspire us with art. People who are linchpins are creative, good at connecting with others, and able to see solutions like no one else. They truly are indispensable.
As Seth Godin explains this concept to his readers, he turns their minds upside down in order to convince them that they are in some way capable of being one. It can be a bit disconcerting that he refrains from handing us a roadmap, since we are a society reared on self help books. Instead, he explains how we got here, criticizing the public education system for creating cogs to fill factories and consumers to buy what they produce. He quotes Woodrow Wilson in his argument that we get exactly what we focus on. In the end we wind-up with drones that do what they are told.
There is no shortage of pundits today that criticize the flaws of our education system, but few will offer a solution. He challenges teachers to inspire student to think instead of follow rulebooks and ace tests. He even goes as far as telling us to give ourselves a D for the rut we have fallen into.
In his chapter titled The Resistance he leaves the reader very unsettled and challenged to no longer be ruled by anxieties and everything that holds us into complacency. Throughout the book I could not help but reflect on the story told in the movie Apollo 13. Three linchpins stand out, each one indispensable to the mission. Astronaut Ken Mattingly puts away his frustration from being pulled from the mission to spend hours in the simulator to solve a problem and bring his friends home. Nasa Engineer and master innovator John Aaron works endlessly with Mattingly. In the film Gene Kranz played by Ed Harris makes the ultimate call for his linchpins to do what they do best, “Let’s work the problem people. Let’s not make things worse by guessing.” We love stories like this because we don’t really grow up hoping to be conveyor belt operators or stuck in cubicles doing meaningless work. We dream of changing our world.
Linchpin could be Mr. Godin’s greatest work so far. He treats the subject with history and sociology as well as a compelling mix of fact, story and philosophy. Using examples that will both shock and inspire, Linchpin leaves you feeling like you have no choice but to reassess your current situation and make the changes he so eloquently urges us toward.
I want to hear about linchpins you know. Leave a comment telling me about them. I will choose my two favorite stories and send the authors a free copy of Linchpin. I can’t wait to read them. I will announce the winner in a few days.
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Authors like Seth (and now you) made me realize I need to recognize myself as a linchpin in the program I will now have to develop for a nearby community. Until reading your comment about Seth's book, I thought I was just a guy with a bunch of ideas. But the timing of his post this morning about Why Write A Book couldn't have been more perfect.
Yesterday I had a conversation with an attorney who listened to my idea and said it sounded like I was putting the cart before the horse. I realized he was right, and that all the ideas I was trying to glue together were the cart the horse needed to pull. And the horse needs to be attached to that cart with a linchpin.
I live in a rural community. The community I hope to help could be a prototype for other rural communities that need to reinvent themselves. We'll need lots of copies of Seth's book, and Malcom's books, and who knows how many others.
I'll buy Seth's new book if you don't send me one. I have four or five of the others, including two copies of Free Prize Inside. I'm going to give that to someone because I've already started writing notes in the hardcover copy.
Just send me both copies and I'll write in one and improve my ideas, and give the other copy to the local library, so we can change the name of the town to Linchpin.
Thanks for making me realize I wasn't the only one who saw life as a farm.
I wish I knew more linchpins, but it seems there are more things that are falling apart around me than being held together. I guess I'll have to buy the book myself since I can't think of any decent stories to tell… I look forward to hearing other stories.
Elizabeth, There are many hidden linchpins. I challenge you to look again. It is like anything. Before someone points out yellow houses you would swear you didn't see many. After they bring it to your attention you see them everywhere. Many people are valuable members of their organization waiting to make a move. We are surrounded by artists that are selling themselves short because of all the conformity they were taught growing up. Take another look. I bet you'll find one.
Working in a consultancy role, I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning from several linchpins. They are the leaders, the innovators, and the creators. They're always pushing their employees to be better and working even harder to improve themselves. As I think about my current clients, a handful of people stand out in my mind.
There is one man that stood out from the rest though. He was a great leader, but more importantly he was a great man. Incredibly generous, intelligent, creative, and inspirational. The loyalty his employees showed him was nothing short of amazing; firmly standing by him in tough times and eagerly following him to new ventures.
Johnie Schulte left behind a long list of accomplishments when God called him home this past year. But of all the incredible things he did in his life, I think the legacy he left for the leaders of his community and company will be his greatest achievement of all. http://bit.ly/b1EWhI
You're right John. There are lots of linchpins out there, they just don't know it, or don't get recognized because their community has beaten them back over and over again.
I had lunch with the manager of a small newspaper that used to be a weekly but had to convert itself into a “pennysaver” to survive. As the son of the owners, this young man gave up his dream of a career as a film maker, but didn't give up on the community. He started a Rotary Club, and a fireworks festival, and an all community evening picnic, which all fell apart when he let someone else keep them going.
I want to get him back to the point where he can make movies, for himself but also for me. And they will be about the community he loves so much. I can't wait to meet his Mom. She sounds like a great role model.
Elizabeth, you are probably a linchpin who just needs a reason to come out of the closet. Many of us are, but feel shy about connecting ideas no one else seems to recognize. But Seth can probably get us started. We just need to get on with it, whether we read his book or not. The idea alone made me recognize the characteristic in myself.
If the idea I have works, maybe we'll have a class for linchpins. I'll create an endowment for the Seth Godin for Linchpin Studies at the local college, so we can get him to come up once a year and talk about his latest book.
For me one the finest linchpins is a man name Drummond Densham. I worked with him during my graduate work in South Africa focusing on wilderness management. I have the pleasure of continuing to work with him through my efforts with the Wilderness Action Group of South Africa.
I consider him a linchpin because not only was he a driving force in the early days the wilderness cause in Africa but has continued to adapt and find ways to make the work and the cause relevant and approachable over time. He has understood that as times and issues change so must the ways we connect all the while maintaining integrity and passion for the work.
As Tim mentioned, I think another element that has set him apart from the simple action takers and moved him to linchpin status is his character as an individual. As only a few moments of interaction you believe he values the people around him as much as he values the things that can be accomplished when we all work together.
Linchpins as those people that provide us with indispensable leadership but in a manner that makes us believe that we can be that same kind of leader as well.
I found myself counseling a young man that I mentor professionally, has he has been put in a new position of mentoring some new workers. His challenge is teaching them not just what to do, but how to do it, and why to do it that way. This is a daunting task for any manager, and the success of the project can hinge on how well it's done.
As I asked questions and suggested alternatives, I was immediately reminded of how my own mentor had done the same with me — asking questions, probing, suggesting but not telling, testing alternatives — all so that the solution would ultimately be owned by me.
This is something that is transferable, but not always easy to teach. Indeed, I'd say it's something that's caught, not taught.
I believe that my wife is a linchpin in the vegan food community. She is one of only two well know food bloggers that promotes no fat and low fat recipes. She's singular dedicated to the pursuit of spreading her message to the world. She's currently finishing her cookbook that will be out in Jan 2011. I'm amazed at the number of people she's influenced to change their lifestyle to a vegetarian or vegan diet including myself.
Being a fan of Seth I read many of the reviews and found one (Anne Jackson at Flowerdust.net) that I thought would appeal to a friend, interest her in following up and perhaps read Linchpin. Her reply back says it all.
“You will never, ever know how much I needed to read that today. It brought me to tears for many reasons. That'a all I want to do with my life is “step up” and do the things most others don't care about.”
One more involved, billions to go.
I've been in college for almost 5 years now. It took a while for me to decide what I wanted to do with my life. As I was registering for classes for this, my last semester of college, my adviser recommended that I take a Public Relations Capstone class being taught by a new professor. I took his advice, and registered for Stephen Whyte's class.
This semester my world has been rocked.
Seth Godin says that our education system is ineffective and broken. He's right. However, Mr. Whyte is an exception to the rule. For the first time in 5 years of college, Mr. Whyte is helping me find value in the things he's teaching.
He doesn't lecture from a textbook. He doesn't drone on about past experiences. He is providing current and relevant information and supplying the opportunity for me to put it into practice. By the end of the semester, I will not only have a wealth of knowledge because of him, but I will likely have a fantastic resume, connections within my field, and probably a job… which, in this economy, is saying something… especially for recent college grads.
If a professor who inspires, motivates and prepares his students in a unique and meaningful way isn't a linchpin, I don't know what is.
Oh, and did I mention, he scored a grant to take myself and 6 other students to NYC over spring break to help us network with top executives? How's that for being indispensable?
Mr. Whyte is not only a linchpin, he's a perfect example of everything that is right with education.
Thanks everyone for the great linchpin stories. I have enjoyed each one! To tell the truth I wish I had more copies to give away. I will announce the winners later today.
Thanks for this generous review, John, and thanks to everyone who kicked in with a story. I particularly like the way Professor Whyte is going above and beyond, probably annoying the dean along the way, and giving so much to the class.
Seth, Thank you for jumping in here. I agree that Professor Whyte sounds like an incredible instructor. He reminds me of my own instructors in prep school who daily mixed things up. I can only imagine how far his students will go.
I appreciate the encouragement and would consider myself a linchpin – especially in my family which is one of the most important constitutive units of society. I look froward to reading the book.
BigBags- I am taking several classes from Stephen Whyte right now as well, I completely agree with you. He is so different in his teaching style and stays very current in trends and technology.
In our Communication Capstone class, Mr. Whyte has us read the NY Times daily and quizzes us on its content. He makes us stay informed and up-to-date and that alone has been the best lesson I've learned from him. Linchpin indeed.
I got some extra cash on Saturday playing for a fund raiser, and decided to take the gas money they gave me. Spent it on Linchpin because I realized I can't wait around to see if I win a copy here. If I do manage to get a copy, I'll donate both of them to local libraries. I've already started reading it and feel confident it will help me work my way into all kinds of situations where people will find me indispensable.
So I wanted announce that I have shipped copies to Nate (BigBags) and Elizabeth. I wanted to ship copies to all of you that commented but Nate's story stuck with me and I knew Elizabeth could find a linchpin if she knew what to look for (I have a feeling she is one herself). This has been one of my favorite posts so far on this blog. Thanks so much for participating, all of you.
John
I'm listening to the book now. I really like it.