Linchpin_ Are You Indispensable_ - Seth Godin [14]
And at seven, you were a poet.
And by the time you were twelve, if you had a lemonade stand, you were an
entrepreneur.
Of course you can do something that matters. I guess I'm wondering if you want to.
There may be a voice in your head that is ready to announce that you can't possibly do
what I'm describing. You don't have what it takes; you're not smart enough or trained
enough or (sheesh) gifted enough to pull this off.
I'd like to ask for a simple clarification.
You can't--or you don't want to?
I'll accept the second. It's quite possible that you don't want to. It's possible that making
this commitment is too scary or too much work. It's possible that it appears too risky to
put yourself on the line and make a commitment to becoming indispensable. A
commitment like this raises the bar, and for some people, that might be too high.
Perhaps you don't want to because it feels financially irresponsible. I think that's an error
in judgment on your part, since becoming a linchpin is in fact the most financially
responsible choice you can make. But that's your call, and if you decide you don't want
to, fine with me.
But can't?
I don't buy that for a second.
The New American Dream
Do you remember the old American Dream?
It struck a chord with millions of people (in the United States and in the rest of the world,
too). Here's how it goes:
Keep your head down
Follow instructions
Show up on time
Work hard
Suck it up
. . . you will be rewarded. As we've seen, that dream is over.
The new American Dream, though, the one that markets around the world are embracing
as fast as they can, is this:
Be remarkable
Be generous
Create art
Make judgment calls
Connect people and ideas
. . . and we have no choice but to reward you.
What Would Make You Impossibly Good at Your Job?
If your organization wanted to replace you with someone far better at your job than you,
what would they look for? I think it's unlikely that they'd seek out someone willing to
work more hours, or someone with more industry experience, or someone who could
score better on a standardized test.
No, the competitive advantage the marketplace demands is someone more human,
connected, and mature. Someone with passion and energy, capable of seeing things as
they are and negotiating multiple priorities as she makes useful decisions without angst.
Flexible in the face of change, resilient in the face of confusion.
All of these attributes are choices, not talents, and all of them are available to you.
"Not My Job"
Three words can kill an entire organization.
As the world moves faster and engagements become more fluid, the category of "not my
job" keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Amazon had a cataloguing glitch on a Friday. Because of an honest mistake, thousands of
books with adult homosexual content were banned from their index. Over the weekend,
tens of thousands of people blogged and tweeted about "censorship" on Amazon's part. It
wasn't until the end of Sunday that the company responded. On the Internet, thirty-six
hours is like a month. Why did it take so long? Probably because it was no one's job to
monitor the Internet and respond with authority on behalf of Amazon.
The bathroom at New York's Museum of Natural History has insufficient wastepaper
bins, so the one that's there is always overflowing. It's the janitor's job to empty the can as
often as he can, but who has the job of installing a second can?
In a factory, doing a job that's not yours is dangerous. Now, if you're a linchpin, doing a
job that's not getting done is essential.
More Obedience
Would your organization be more successful if your employees were more obedient?
Or, consider for a second: would you be more successful if your employees were more
artistic, motivated, connected, aware, passionate, and genuine?
You can't have both, of course.
Would your career advance if you could figure out a way to do an even better job of
following your boss's instructions?