Episode 19 – Are you indispensable? How to be a linchpin in life and in your career?

“There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labour. Now there’s a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there’s no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.”

Are you indispensable?
At your career and in life? Or are you just a cog in the wheel who can be easily replaced?

In the book, very aptly titled, Linchpin, Seth Godin talks about how to become one.

Linchpins he says are essential blocks of organizations and in today’s world, they get the best jobs and freedom.

There is a village in China – Outside of Shenzen called Dafen. It is said that 60% of new oil paintings worldwide was produced here. The workers in Dafen – while diligent and talented arent artists – they are painters. Cogs in a painting machine. Seth talks about 2 paintings he owns in Dafen for 60 USD each. Who knows which Dafen resident painted them – no one. Who cares – no one. The painters are replaceable.

We will talk about two key topics we from this book today –

1) Why do you and your organization benefit from linchpins – the story of France vs UK

This is becoming more essential in order to survive in the workplace because the days of being a cog in the wheel are over both for ourselves and the teams we lead. Back in the day, we bought into a mentality of a factory work where, in exchange for doing what we were told and what was expected of us without any resistance, we were rewarded – with a paycheck, with health insurance or with job security.

As we all know, those days have disappeared – but that “factory” mindset still persists. According to Godin, one of the only ways to survive this new world of work is by becoming a linchpin.

The challenge on becoming a linchpin solely based on your skill – since the market that can find other people with that skill with surprising ease. Plenty of people can play the flute as well as you can, program in python as well as you can.

If all you can do is the task and you are not in a league of your own in doing the task – you are not indispensable.

On the other hand, emotional labor is rarely used as a competitive advantage – we spend our time trying to perfect our craft, we don’t focus on the skills and interactions that will allow us to stand out and become indispensable to our organization.

He gives the example of France vs UK to make the point

France vs UK – When France was embracing hand-made luxury, great Britain was embracing the anonymous factory. Made in France came to mean something and still does. Mechanizing and cheapening the process would have it made it easier for others to copy. Relying on humanity made it difficult and scarce. Scarcity creates value.

Showing up and staying through the day of your job is good. Meeting the spec is meeting expectations. Problem with meeting expectations is that it is not remarkable – and it is easy to emulate which makes you easy to replace.

2) So how do you become a linchpin

“The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed.

Someone can always do your job a little better or faster or cheaper than you can.

Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.

I call the process of doing your art ‘the work.’ It’s possible to have a job and do the work, too.
Solve problems people haven’t predicted. Sees things people haven’t seen and connects people who need to be connected

Be an artist

“There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labour. Now there’s a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there’s no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.”

He talks of how both the enterprises and the individuals benefit from linchpins in the hybrid economy

When you start down the path of beating the competition based on something they can be easily measured, you are betting that with practice and determination you can do better than others all the time and you cant.

1) The Poverty mindset and Shipping

The poverty mentality – if you I give you something, the less I have. The more you share, the more I lose. This is what we have been taught for a long time. Digital goods have broken up this zero sum scenario – if you are willing to share your attention for my idea, we both thrive.

When you give something away – you benefit more than the recipient does. The act of being generous makes you rich beyond measure. Everyone benefits.

This is what he says on shipping aka getting stuff done and out –
“The only purpose of starting is to finish, and while the projects we do are never really finished, they must ship. Shipping means hitting the publish button on your blog, showing a presentation to the sales team, answering the phone, selling the muffins, sending out your references. Shipping is the collision between your work and the outside world.” 

From <https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7155145-linchpin>

Solve problems people haven’t predicted. Sees things people haven’t seen and connects people who need to be connected

Be an artist – choose to make a difference instead of following a manual. Dream up new ideas and make them real.

How to be a linchpin or an artist? There is no map. You must make your own.