1224. Becoming a Linchpin | Seth Godin: 8 ways

“Linchpin” is a book about becoming indispensable and creating art in the workplace. The central idea is that in today’s economy, true value comes from going above and beyond, taking risks, and creating something unique and valuable – being a “linchpin” vs a “cog”

Some key concepts throughout the book: 

• The old model of compliance and following instructions is being replaced by a need for passionate, creative employees.
• Linchpins pour their heart into their work, take emotional risks, and make a difference.
• Resisting the resistance – overcoming the fears and rationalizations that hold us back from doing brilliant work.
• Giving unique gifts and creating art with your emotional labor, no matter what field you work in.
• Developing a personal brand and becoming a thought leader in your industry.

8 ways to become a “linchpin”

1. Develop a unique skill set: become an expert and go beyond just following instructions. Build up skills that make you indispensable in your field whether it’s coding, design, writing, analysis, etc – and don’t overlook soft skills. 
2. Ship creative work: don’t just do your job duties, actually create something novel – a new system, product, service, or way of doing things. Ship creative things daily. 
3. Take initiative: don’t wait to be told what to do. Look for areas to innovate, solve problems, and add value without being asked. Initiate new projects and ideas.
4. Go above and beyond: exceed expectations. Put in the extra effort and emotional labor to give your best all the time with a positive attitude 
5. Embrace risk: have the courage to challenge the status quo and buck resistance. Don’t play it safe – great linchpins make game-changing art through lots of attempts, failures, and a few successes’. 
6. Develop a compelling vision: inspire others with your unique perspective.
7. Build a remarkable brand: craft a powerful personal brand that conveys your abilities and traits as an innovator and linchpin.
8. Lead others: take responsibility for delivering outcomes and bringing out the best in the people around you.

The key is a mindset shift from seeing yourself as just an employee following rules to a creative force who delivers art that makes a difference. It requires passion, grit and effort.

4 Linchpin Examples

• Elon Musk: He has a bold vision, takes huge risks, and pushes boundaries in industries like electric vehicles and space exploration. His passion and creativity have led to game-changing innovations.
• Malala Yousafzai: The Pakistani activist for female education survived an assassination attempt and became the youngest Nobel laureate. Malala initiated social change and inspired millions through her courage and vision.
• Sara Blakely: The founder of Spanx created an entirely new fashion product category by inventing footless shapewear from her home. Blakely saw a need, took a risk, and her creative entrepreneurship made her a self-made billionaire.
• Jimmy Iovine The music executive co-founded Beats by Dre and later sold it to Apple for $3 billion. His ability to recognize talent, innovate with products like Beats headphones, and be a transformative leader made him indispensable.

These linchpins all shared the ability to create remarkable work, initiate change through emotional labor, challenge the status quo, and make themselves indispensable through unique skills and vision in their respective fields.

And maybe we won’t be the next Elon or Sarah,

6 “more common” linchpin examples

• Software Developer: A coder who doesn’t just implement features, but proactively identifies inefficiencies and creates new tools, apps, or systems to improve workflows. They take ownership and pride in shipping innovative solutions.
• School Teacher: An educator who goes beyond just lecturing from the textbook. They craft engaging lesson plans, find creative ways to inspire students, and pour passion into nurturing young minds. Their emotional labor creates a remarkable classroom experience.
• Chef: More than just following recipes, a linchpin chef experiments with new flavor combinations and culinary techniques. They create unique dishes that are works of art on the plate that keep diners coming back.
• Waiter: the one who creates remarkable dining experiences for the guest. They go beyond just taking orders and delivering food – they anticipate needs, provide thoughtful suggestions, and make guests feel attended to in a personalized way. They add creative personal touches like meal presentation or table-side service flourishes with a deep understanding of the restaurant’s menu, ingredients, wine pairings, etc. They develop expertise to provide insightful guidance that elevates the dining experience like introducing guests to new dishes they may not have tried
• Customer Service Rep: While others just follow the scripts, this employee truly listens, shows empathy, and goes the extra mile to “wow” each customer with personalized attention and resourceful solutions to their problems.
• Marketing Manager: Instead of just executing typical campaigns, this linchpin proactively studies data and trends to develop fresh, original marketing ideas. Their creativity and vision allows the company to stand out.

The common theme is taking emotional ownership, thinking outside the box, having a bias towards creativity over conformity, and adding unique value through passion and hard work – no matter the role or industry. Linchpins make themselves indispensable.