When Seth Godin speaks, he almost always says something worth listening to, and his latest book Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? is no exception. Very few people live their lives in a fully engaged manner, doing what they do with passion and taking responsibility for the results; but those who do choose to stop settling for what is “good enough” and start creating art that matters end up making contributions to the world many times more valuable than those who do not.
The workplace is filled with notetakers, bureaucrats, literalists, manual readers, map followers and fearful employees; people who do what they are told to do, rather than exercising initiative; people who let someone else take the blame, rather than taking ownership of the problem and seeking a solution. Instead, Seth says, we need original thinkers, provocateurs and people who care; we need linchpins, indispensible human beings who can bring things together and make a difference.
Anyone can choose to become a linchpin. You do not have to be born with a particular talent; it is something that you choose to train yourself to do. If you hold a leadership position within an organisation, this book will challenge you about how you can encourage your people to become linchpins. If you do not hold a leadership position, the book will encourage you to think about how you can make a bigger difference wherever you are.